Tay Gowan 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6’o.7″
Weight: 186 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.47 seconds
Vertical Jump: 75 1/4″
School: UCF
Tay Gowan 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Tay Gowan had a rollercoaster ride before going to UCF, starting his collegiate football career at Butler Community College. While Gowan was at Butler, he was a first-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference selection. He also led Butler to a Midwest Cotton Bowl Classic win. He finished that season with six interceptions. Gowan was the number nine ranked junior-college cornerback by ESPN.
Gowan played his first season with UCF in 2019. He saw the field a lot more than expected because of injuries in the secondary. He took full advantage of it. Gowan played in 12 games that season while making nine starts. He finished that season with 31 tackles two interceptions, eight pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. Gowan had a few notable games during that season. He had a season-high six tackles and three pass breakups against the East Carolina Pirates. He had three tackles and an interception against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Gowan was named second-team all-conference by Pro Football Focus. He decided to sit out the 2020 season because of Covid-19.
At nearly 6’1, Gowan has great size at the cornerback position and has shown great upside despite the limited number of games at the highest level of college football. He only played in 12 games during his whole career at UCF. That is something that could be a red flag when looking to draft him. He only saw 50 targets during his time at UCF. His speed is one of his biggest attributes to his game. He is able to stay with wide receivers well and even when he gets beat, he uses his length to make up for it. Gowan will get beat off the line of scrimmage sometimes and will have awareness issues and can lead to some late reaction time.
Strengths
- Fast speed to be able to stay with receivers and recover well;
- Has great size at nearly 6′-1″;
- Benefited from running NFL-style concepts despite limited snaps at the Division I level;
- Physical style of play should translate to the next level;
- NFL-caliber athlete with decent upside;
Weaknesses
- Limited snaps at UCF. Played in only 12 games there;
- Can sometimes rely on his size too much;
- He can come off his initial route slowly at times;
- Had some communication problems at times in coverage;
- Could get figured out with more game film.
Teams With Need At Position: Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New York Jets,
Draft projection: 4th round
Bottom Line on Tay Gowan
Gowan looks like he is going to be a project for whoever drafts him. He can learn from some of the veteran cornerbacks and eventually work his way up to being a starter in the NFL. The limited number of snaps at a high level of college football will force him to fall in the draft but his potential and physical attributes will keep him from plummeting down draft boards. He will probably be a backup to start his career unless he shows out in training camp and earns a good amount of playing time early. With time, Gowan can become a solid starting cornerback in the NFL. Gowan will probably land somewhere early in day three.
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