Eli Ricks, CB Alabama: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Ricks was a five-star recruit from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the class of 2020

Alabama cornerback Eli Ricks is one of the most controversial prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. Some analysts view him as a borderline top 50 pick while others don’t even have him in the top 100. The former All-American’s tape is a tale of the highest highs and lowest lows.

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Eli Ricks, CB Alabama: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior outside cornerback from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Background: Ricks was a five-star recruit from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 14 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 6 for Rivals, and No. 18 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 39th (four-star) in the nation with an 86 grade out of 100. Ricks initially attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. before transferring to IMG Academy. He committed to LSU over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Utah, and other Power Five programs. Ricks transferred from LSU to Alabama ahead of the 2022 season. He played ten games as a high school senior, amassing 14 solo tackles and three interceptions. Ricks won back-to-back national championships at Mater Dei. He was an All-USA First-Team defensive player in 2018.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed seven games in 2021 with season-ending surgery for a torn labrum, dealt with a back injury in the 2022 summer, missed three games in 2022 with injuries, left Ole Miss (2022) game early

Awards: 2020 Freshman All-SEC, 2020 Second-Team All-SEC (Associated Press), 2020 Third-Team All-American

Pros: Ideal arm length and size, patient footwork early in the route, waits for the WR to declare before opening his hips, uses soft-shoe press to get in phase early, quick to get in phase and stays attached to inside releases across the MOF, gets in phase on outside releases and stays attached vertically, crowds wide receivers in press, no problems mixing it up with the WR near the LOS, timely punches in press to stunt receiver’s release, physical punches that stun receivers, compresses outside releases along the sideline, breaks quickly on short routes from zone, good awareness and communication of zone responsibilities, competitive and aggressive at the catch point, plays the ball from behind the WR without fouling, makes diving pass breakups, he was feeling it against Mississippi State (2022)

Cons: Limited special teams exposures, four penalties committed in 2022, never played more than 500 defensive snaps in a season, growing injury history, ball production after 2020, lean build with limited play strength, struggles to separate from WR blocks, blown past in off-man coverage, vulnerable to hesitation moves, stressed vertically by non-burners, questionable recovery speed, struggles to match sudden changes of direction, lacks the twitch and suddenness to guard smaller receivers, grabby when he allows separation at the top of comeback routes, consistently allows separation on comeback routes, struggles to get his hips around when wide receiver takes an outside-in release, hips display clear tightness, gets turned around on creative releases, awkward and unbalanced changes of direction, sits high in his backpedal, transitions can be high and leggy, hand fighting downfield will draw flags, footwork leads to unbalanced transitions, looks uncomfortable in zone, dogs it in pursuit, dragged for yards after contact, not an aggressive tackler, not a contributor in the run game

Overview: Ricks took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6020 and weighs 188 lbs. He has 8 7/8-inch hands and 32 3/8-inch arms. Ricks primarily aligned on the left side of the defensive formation for Alabama in 2022. He has ideal arm length and size for an outside corner. Ricks plays with patient footwork early in the route and waits for the wide receiver to declare before opening his hips. He uses soft-shoe press to get in phase early and has many reps where he stays in phase throughout inside releases over the middle of the field or outside releases on vertical routes. Ricks crowds wide receivers in true press coverage and stunts their releases with powerful blows. He compresses outside releases along the sideline. The former five-star recruit is a good communicator in zone coverages and showcases proper awareness. He’s competitive and aggressive at the catch point and maximizes his length by playing the ball from behind the receiver without fouling. Ricks’ tape against Mississippi State in 2022 embodies why some analysts still view him as a top 100-caliber prospect. However, his week-to-week and down-to-down consistency vary at high levels. Wide receivers blow past Ricks when he’s in off-man coverage, and even receivers who aren’t true burners have success stressing him vertically. The junior cornerback is vulnerable to hesitation moves and lacks ideal recovery speed. He struggles to match sudden changes of direction and lacks the twitch and suddenness to guard smaller receivers. Ricks allows consistent separation at the top of comeback routes and gets grabby in these situations as he desperately tries to stay attached to the receiver. He struggles to get his hips around when wide receivers release outside before suddenly jumping back inside. There’s hip tightness and poor footwork limiting his movements. Ricks gets turned around on creative releases and looks awkward and unbalanced when changing directions. He sits high in his backpedal and has high, leggy, and unbalanced transitions. Ricks looks uncomfortable in zone assignments. He struggles to break away from wide receiver blocks and offers little in run defense. He is easily dragged for yards after contact and is not an aggressive tackler. Ricks sometimes plays half-heartedly in pursuit. He has a lean build with limited play strength. The former All-American has never played more than 500 defensive snaps in a season. Ricks has played fewer than 100 special teams snaps in his career and has a growing injury history. His ball production declined dramatically after his freshman season. Teams will be curious why Ricks, a former superstar freshman, only started five of ten appearances for Alabama. He only played 25 or more defensive snaps in five games, facing fewer than 20 targets on the season. Comments made by head coach Nick Saban early in the season indicated that Ricks struggled in practice, which led to him seeing limited snaps. 

Overall, Ricks’ best moments reflect the first round, superstar potential he displayed as a freshman, but his worst moments are more reminiscent of a mid-Day 3 selection. A team could easily take a bet on Ricks’ upside in the top 100 selections, but his injury history, limited athletic profile, and inconsistent play are worrisome.

Role & Scheme Fit: Press man heavy scheme

Round Projection: Fourth Round

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-18-23