Javon Bullard, CB Georgia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Bullard was a three-star recruit from Baldwin High School in Milledgeville, Ga. in the class of 2021

Georgia Bulldogs slot cornerback Javon Bullard is another pro-caliber prospect from college football’s best defense. Expectations are high for Bullard, who projects as a 2024 NFL Draft selection.

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Javon Bullard, CB Georgia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior slot defender from Milledgeville, Ga.

Background: Bullard was a three-star recruit from Baldwin High School in Milledgeville, Ga. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 634 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 526 for On3.com. Bullard was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He was a four-year starter who played cornerback, running back, and wide receiver for Baldwin. As a high school senior, he amassed 74 tackles, including seven for loss with two sacks, and ten passes defensed. Bullard also contributed 57 rushing yards and 13 receptions for 283 yards and four touchdowns. He was the team captain and team MVP. Bullard graduated as a four-time First-Team All-Region selection.

Injuries & Off-Field: Exited 2022 Mississippi State game with an injury, missed the second half of the 2023 National Championship with a shoulder injury

Awards: Defensive MVP of the 2023 CFP National Championship

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, and punt return units, appears to have good arm length for his size, quick backpedal, closing burst, displays speed and awareness when carrying receivers in motion across the formation pre-snap, sorts through crossing concepts in zone, communicates and passes off routes in zone to pick up new threats, bumps the receiver off his route at the top of his stem, reads the quarterback’s eyes, willing to take on blocks and challenge screens or outside runs, linear burst makes him an effective blitzer

Cons: Committed three penalties in 2022, thin and lean build, not a sudden or twitchy athlete, slight hip tightness, falls for quarterback eye manipulation, late reacting to route concepts as the play develops, wide receivers can blow by him in off coverage, a little slow getting up to full speed, appears to lack ideal top speed, lacks recovery speed, gets grabby when stacked, needs safety help over the top or bracket coverage to prevent deep throws, footwork gets wild and undisciplined, wide steps sometimes disrupt his balance, turned around by sudden change of direction in the route, struggles to stop his momentum, flip his hips, and stay sticky on comeback routes, struggles to match speed, not a mirror coverage corner, doesn’t stay attached to sharp routes, not the athlete needed to play press coverage, play strength limits his ability to take on and shed blocks, slides off tackles, burn the Ohio State (2022) tape

Overview: Bullard is a thin and lean slot corner with good arm length for his size. He has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, and punt return units. Bullard possesses a quick backpedal and good closing burst. He displays speed and awareness when carrying receivers in motion across the formation pre-snap. The Georgia native sorts through crossing concepts and passes off routes in zone to pick up new threats. Bullard plays above his weight, bumping receivers off their routes at the tops of stems and taking on blocks to challenge screens or outside runs. However, his limited play strength prevents him from stacking and shedding blocks at a high level.  Bullard isn’t a sudden or twitchy athlete and deals with some hip tightness. He reads the quarterback’s eyes, but this leads to him falling for quarterback eye manipulation. The former three-star recruit is occasionally late reacting to route concepts as the play develops. Wide receivers can blow by him when he plays off coverage because he’s slow getting up to top speed. Bullard lacks the ideal top speed to avoid being stacked, and his recovery speed isn’t impressive either. The junior gets grabby when he’s threatened vertically. He needs safety help over the top or bracket coverage to avoid getting beat deep. Bullard’s footwork is wild and undisciplined. His wide steps disrupt his balance and limit his change of direction skills. He is turned around by sudden changes of direction in the route. Bullard struggles to stop his momentum, flip his hips, and stay sticky on comeback routes. He’s not able to mirror receivers and doesn’t stay attached to sharp routes. Bullard lacks the strength and speed to play press coverage. Ohio State’s wide receivers gained consistent separation against him in the 2022 Peach Bowl.

Overall, Bullard has impressive arm length for a slot corner and shows his football IQ in zone coverages, but he lacks the physical traits to stick with receivers in man coverage. Bullard could move up the draft board by diversifying his role in Georgia’s defense. Right now, he’s primarily just a slot cornerback who struggles against quality competition.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot corner in a zone-heavy scheme

Round Projection: Late Fifth to Mid Sixth

Size: 5'11", 180 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 04-13-23