Dwight McGlothern, CB Arkansas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

McGlothern was a four-star recruit from Klein Oak High School in Klein, Texas in the class of 2020

Cornerback Dwight McGlothern transferred from LSU to Arkansas for the 2022 season. He missed some time in 2023 with injuries but still put together a decent year. I’m higher on McGlothern than most, which could mean I’m being too optimistic, but I think he could be a top 100 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Dwight McGlothern, CB Arkansas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior outside cornerback from Houston, Texas

Background: McGlothern was a four-star recruit from Klein Oak High School in Klein, Texas in the class of 2020. He was the No. 278 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 126 for Rivals, and No. 277 for On3.com. McGlothern was an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. He transferred from LSU to Arkansas for the 2022 season. McGlothern played both ways in high school. As a senior, he totaled four interceptions and 12 passes defensed and 66 receptions for 1,307 yards and 18 touchdowns. He made 26 receptions for 751 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior while picking off three passes. McGlothern intercepted four passes as a sophomore while batting away ten others, and he opened his high school career with four interceptions and 12 passes defensed in 2016. He finished high school with 15 interceptions on defense and 2,593 receiving yards and 34 touchdowns on offense. McGlothern intercepted two passes in the 2020 All-American Bowl. He was born on Feb. 6, 2002.

Injuries & Off-Field: Did not play in three games in 2021, minor hamstring issue in 2022 vs. Missouri State, missed three games in 2023 with turf toe and a concussion, had to win the starting job back in 2023 after injuries

Awards: 2022 Second Team All-SEC

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, cut down on penalties from 2022 to 2023, ball production, good height, arm length should meet thresholds, fluid hips, great route and play recognition, anticipates and jumps routes, reads the quarterback’s eyes and anticipates breaks from off-man coverage, quickly snaps to the receiver at the top of the route from off-man, gets in-phase and carries outside releases vertically, enough speed to stay on top of receivers vertically, quickly recognizes and decelerates on comeback routes, sticky at the stem on short to intermediate routes, arm length gives him range at the catch point, plays the ball around receivers without fouling, nice closing burst to limit YAC, drives downhill to make plays on throws behind the LOS, tremendous read to wreck a WR screen vs. Florida (2023), came back and blew up a RB screen later against Florida (2023), long strides help cover ground in pursuit, enough suddenness to dip and hop around pulling or screening linemen

Cons: Penalized ten times in 2022, tall and lean build, a little high-hipped, sits high in his stance, elite speedsters test him, mediocre recovery speed, not aggressive enough early in the route, hands are too passive, timing and placement of punches in press make him vulnerable, struggled to get his hands on the LSU receivers because of their releases (2023), sometimes caught flat-footed in press which causes him to lose a step, needs to compress outside releases along the sideline, desire to have eyes on the QB leads to him losing wide receivers in his blind spot, struggled to match up with Tyler Scott (2022), blocked shedding technique needs development, inconsistent eagerness to tackle, goes low with his shoulder instead of driving through tackles, could take better angles in run support

Overview: McGlothern is an outside cornerback with special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units. He committed ten penalties in 2022 but wasn’t called for a penalty during his shortened 2023 season. McGlothern has created consistent ball production across his career. He has an excellent frame for a cornerback. While on the leaner side, the senior has great height and long arms that will surpass NFL thresholds. For a player who is a little high-hipped, McGlothern’s hips and transitions are very fluid and smooth. His route and play recognition skills are extremely high. He frequently comes off assignments when he senses an interception opportunity. For instance, he came off his man to jump the tight end stick route to intercept Jayden Daniels when he saw the Heisman candidate looking that way (2023). McGlothern reads the quarterback’s eyes and anticipates breaks at a high level. He’s also sticky at the top of the stem in man coverage thanks to his athletic profile. McGlothern drives on receivers with good closing burst at the top of the route from off-man coverage to close throwing lanes. He gets in-phase and carries outside releases vertically but also has enough speed to stay on top of most vertical routes, although elite speedsters can stack him. The former All-SEC selection’s arm length gives him impressive range at the catch point and allows him to play the ball from behind the receiver without fouling. He flies downhill to make plays against throws behind the line of scrimmage, as he did when blowing up a wide receiver and a running back screen against Florida (2023). McGlothern only has mediocre recovery speed, but his long strides help him cover ground quickly. There are some concerns dating back to his healthy 2022 season. In the first half against Cincinnati, Tyler Scott blew past McGlothern, who had his back to the speedy receiver. Scott had five or more yards of separation and nothing but the end zone in front of him on the 9-route, but the quarterback overthrew him. McGlothern’s desire to have eyes on the quarterback leads to losing wide receivers in his blind spot and giving up big plays. Early in the third quarter of the same 2022 Cincinnati game, Scott shook McGlothern out of his cleats with a hesitation move at the top of the stem before capturing inside leverage and blasting past the LSU transfer on a post route. Again, the quarterback misfired on a wide open touchdown. McGlothern can sometimes be caught flat-footed in press coverage or at the top of the stem, and he lacks the explosiveness to recover in these situations. The former four-star recruit still needs to improve in press coverage. His hands are not aggressive enough early in the route, and his punch timing and placement make him vulnerable to losing a step. McGlothern struggled to get his hands on the LSU receivers near the line because of the quality of their releases (2023). He should focus more on pressing outside releases along the sideline. McGlothern needs to develop his block shedding technique. His eagerness to play a role in the run game is inconsistent, and he prefers to dive low with his shoulder rather than drive through the ball carrier.

Overall, McGlothern is an athletic corner with the ball skills, instincts, and route recognition to play a rotational role early in his career, and becoming a full-time starter at the next level is absolutely on the table for him. McGlothern’s playstyle and risk-taking will result in some boom-or-bust plays, but everything should even out over the course of a season.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside cornerback in a zone-heavy scheme

Round Projection: Third Round

Size: 6'2", 188 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 12-08-23