Darius Rush, CB South Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Rush was a three-star wide receiver recruit from C.E. Murray High School in Greeleyville, S.C. in the class of 2018

South Carolina cornerback Darius Rush turned heads at the Senior Bowl. He might go lower in the 2023 NFL Draft than some fans expect, but Rush has all of the physical tools to be an imposing defender at the next level.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more updates and previews of the 2023 NFL Draft Guide.

Darius Rush, CB South Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior outside cornerback from Kingstree, S.C.

Background: Rush was a three-star wide receiver recruit from C.E. Murray High School in Greeleyville, S.C. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 1,051 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,069 for On3.com. Rush was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. Rush played on both sides of the ball for C.E. Murray. He was the Region 5-A Co-Player of the Year as a senior when he made 47 receptions for 863 yards and 17 touchdowns, rushed for 125 yards and a score, and returned a kick for a touchdown. He earned an invitation to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas after his final season. As a junior, he amassed 1,243 all-purpose yards and 18 total touchdowns by rushing for 612 yards and 12 scores and catching 14 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Rush also made 36 tackles and intercepted two passes. He made the PrepStar All-Atlantic Region team. Rush was born on Feb. 22, 2000. He graduated from South Carolina with a degree in sport and entertainment management.

Injuries & Off-Field: Redshirted in 2018 because of an injury, missed two games in 2020 because of injury, missed spring practices in 2021 with shoulder surgery, missed two games in 2022 with a hamstring injury

Awards: 2018-19 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, 2019 & 2021 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

Pros: More than 400 special teams snaps split between the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, more than a dozen career special teams tackles, massive arms, strong showing at the Senior Bowl, rarely penalized, recovery speed, speed to carry receiver’s vertically, smothers outside releases, quick to close once he recognizes the route concept, quick feet help him stay attached to receivers, locates the ball and fully extends to contest catches, long arms help him make plays on the ball around the receiver without fouling, difficult to beat in contested catch situations, former high school wide receiver with ball skills, identifies and sorts through multiple threats in his zone, large tackle radius, gives effort in pursuit

Cons: Age, injury history, lacks slot versatility, not sudden or twitchy, a little high-hipped, short-area agility is limited, allows the receiver to gain a step advantage early in the play and battles to recover, footwork can be wild and over corrective, frozen by dynamic releases or sudden cuts, allows separation on sharp cuts, a second late getting his hips around to challenge comeback routes, late to trigger on short routes from off-man alignments, blown by in off-man coverage when caught flat-footed, gives too much cushion in off-man, plays hesitant with a fear of being beat deep, not aggressive enough in all areas of the game, press punches can be inaccurate, hand placement and timing, needs to be more assertive in press, hasn’t maximized his length in press, not eager to contribute against the run, needs to deploy his length better to shed blocks, takes steep pursuit angles

Overview: Rush took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6020 and weighs 198 lbs. He has 9 4/8-inch hands and 33 3/8-inch arms. Rush had a 79 6/8-inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl. He played to the boundary and field sides of the defense at South Carolina. Rush took more than 400 special teams snaps split between the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units in college and made more than a dozen special teams tackles. He has massive arms, which he showcased to his full potential at the Senior Bowl. Rush has excellent recovery speed to make up for missteps and frequently gets into position just in time to make a play on the ball. His speed allows him to carry receivers vertically with little difficulty. Rush smothers outside releases. He is quick to close once he recognizes the route concept. He has quick feet that help him stay attached to receivers. Rush has excellent ball skills that shine in contested catch situations. His long arms expand his tackle radius and help him make plays on the ball around the receiver without fouling. The redshirt senior identifies and sorts through multiple threats in his zone. He shows effort in pursuit. Unfortunately, Rush is an older outside-only corner prospect with an injury history. He’s not a sudden or twitchy athlete and is high-hipped with limited short-area agility. Rush’s wild and over-corrective footwork allows the receiver to gain a step early in the play. The former three-star recruit is frozen by dynamic releases or sudden cuts. He allows separation on sharp cuts and is late getting his hips around to challenge comeback routes. Rush is late to trigger on short routes from off-man alignments. Fast receivers blow by the corner in off-man coverage because he plays flat-footed. Rush gives too much cushion in off-man and plays hesitantly because he’s afraid of being beaten deep. For a corner with long arms, Rush isn’t aggressive enough. His punches in press are inaccurate and not assertive. He isn’t eager to contribute against the run and needs to maximize his arms in block shed opportunities. Rush takes pursuit angles that are too steep.

Overall, Rush’s profile relies heavily on his combination of size, arm length, and speed. The redshirt senior’s technical development and positional instincts are lacking, which will be tough for some NFL teams to accept, considering Rush’s age. He’s a high-upside two or three-year project who will be an elite contributor on special teams. 

Role & Scheme Fit: Field corner in a zone-heavy scheme with press opportunities

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Early Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 04-15-23