Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB TCU: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Hodges-Tomlinson was a three-star recruit from Midway High School in Waco, Texas in the class of 2019

TCU All-Big 12 selection Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is one of the most accomplished and experienced cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft. The 5'9", 180 lb. senior has some size limitations, but he’s a physical, savvy defender who punches above his weight class.

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Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior outside cornerback from Waco, Texas

Background: Hodges-Tomlinson was a three-star recruit from Midway High School in Waco, Texas in the class of 2019. He was the No. 1,329 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,192 for On3.com. Hodges-Tomlinson was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. Hodges-Tomlinson committed to TCU over offers from Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas State. He tallied 155 tackles, six passes defensed, and five interceptions in high school. MaxPreps also credits the First-Team All-District 12-6A selection with two fumble recoveries and a blocked field goal during his senior season. Hodges-Tomlinson’s uncle is Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee LaDainian Tomlinson. The older Tomlinson rushed for 13,684 yards and 145 touchdowns in his 11-year career with the Chargers and Jets. Tomlinson was the fifth overall pick out of TCU in 2001 after he won the Doak Walker Award and finished fourth in the Heisman voting during the 2000 college season.

2021 Production: 12 games, 41 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions, 7 passes defensed, 1 defensive touchdown

2020 Production: 10 games, 26 tackles, 13 passes defensed

2019 Production: 12 games, 8 tackles, 1 pass defensed

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2020 First-Team All-Big 12, 2020 Second-Team All-American (Associated Press), 2021 First-Team All-Big 12, 2022 First-Team All-Big 12, 2022 First-Team All-American (Associated Press, DB), 2022 Jim Thorpe Award

Pros: Willing tackler, large number of successful one-on-one tackles, attacks wide receiver screens, aggressive challenging blockers, quickness to duck around blocks, motor runs hot, explosive closing burst and speed to break up short passes, physical at the catch point, vertical leap to cover for his lack of size, ball skills, tremendous plays on the ball when he reads the quarterback’s eyes, instinctively jumps and breaks on routes, physical with receivers early in the route, mirrors the receiver’s initial release, good feel for threats and responsibilities in zone, compresses outside releases along the sideline, large receivers struggle to generate separation, no issue staying in-phase once he’s attached to the receiver, recovery speed on vertical throws, speed to carry receivers vertically, quick and low backpedal, quick and light feet, hips show limited to no tightness, loose lower half that sinks and cuts with ease, sufficient lateral agility

Cons: Very small frame, arm length below NFL standards, missed tackles are a concern, driven backward in the run game by physical blockers, gets grabby with taller or faster receivers, committed ten penalties through TCU’s first 13 games in 2022 including three times while covering Rashee Rice, grabby at the top of stems, doesn’t always get his head around for the football, boxed out at the catch point by smart larger receivers, allows separation at the top of some comeback routes, some false steps in press coverage, punches in press need better placement and timing, falls just short of being truly twitched up, sometimes gets turned around by advanced releases, footwork occasionally gets too far outside of his frame

Overview: Hodges-Tomlinson is unofficially listed at 5'9", 180 lbs. He primarily operated as a boundary cornerback with TCU during the 2022 season, but it’s unlikely he continues that role in the NFL. Hodges-Tomlinson also picked up experience playing as a field corner during his decorated college career. He appeared on Bruce Feldman’s College Football Freaks List for the 2022 season. According to Feldman, Hodges-Tomlinson has a 42-inch vertical and 10'8" broad jump. Channing Tindall and Tariq Woolen led the 2022 NFL Combine with 42-inch vertical jumps. A 10'8" broad would’ve tied for third among cornerbacks and tied for eighteenth overall at last year’s combine among more than 200 entries. Hodges-Tomlinson is also credited with a 4.3 40-time and back squatting 605 lbs. The senior is a willing tackler who displays a hot motor. There are plenty of successful one-on-one tackles on his tape. He attacks wide receiver screens and is aggressive challenging blockers. Hodges-Tomlinson has the quickness to duck around blocks and make tackles. He has the explosive closing burst and speed to break up short passes. Despite his size, Hodges-Tomlinson is physical at the catch point. He uses his impressive vertical leap to compensate for his lack of height. The TCU star makes tremendous plays on the ball when he reads the quarterback’s eyes and instinctively jumps and breaks on routes. His high-end ball skills helped him amass nearly 40 total interceptions and passes defensed during his college career. Hodges-Tomlinson is fast enough to carry receivers vertically and displays recovery speed when initially beaten. He is physical with receivers early in the route and has the athleticism to mirror the receiver’s initial release. The Texas native displays a good feel for threats and responsibilities in zone coverage. He compresses outside releases along the sideline and has no issue staying in-phase once he’s attached to the receiver. Large receivers struggle to generate separation against Hodges-Tomlinson and often settle for 50-50 throws. The All-Big 12 corner uses a quick and low backpedal. His feet are light and quick, and his hips show limited to no tightness. Hodges-Tomlinson’s loose lower half sinks and cuts with ease. Unfortunately, his very small frame and subpar arm length will cause problems for some NFL teams in the evaluation process. His lack of length and stature caused missed tackles and lead to him being driven backward in the run game by physical blockers. These physical limitations also impact Hodges-Tomlinson’s effectiveness at the catch point. He tends to get grabby with taller or faster receivers, leading to flags flying. Hodges-Tomlinson committed ten penalties through TCU’s first 13 games in 2022, including three while covering SMU’s Rashee Rice. The TCU corner is too grabby and physical at the top of stems, which will draw more penalties in the NFL. He sometimes gets turned around by advanced releases, and his footwork occasionally gets too far outside of his frame. Hodges-Tomlinson has great ball skills but doesn’t always get his head around for the football. The senior gets boxed out at the catch point by smart, big-bodied receivers. He allows separation at the top of some comeback routes and displays some false steps in press coverage. Hodges-Tomlinson’s punches in press need better placement and timing. Although he is very athletic, Hodges-Tomlinson falls just short of being truly twitched up.

Overall, Hodges-Tomlinson is an undersized cornerback who plays with great instincts, physicality, and athletic ability, but his physical limitations prevent him from projecting as an outside corner at the next level. Hodges-Tomlinson’s best fit is as a slot defender in a zone scheme where he can trigger downhill and keep his eyes on the quarterback. He’s shown some upside as a physical defender in press coverage but lacks the arm length to play press frequently.

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

Round Projection: Late Third to Late Fourth

Player Comparison: Mike Hilton

Submitted: 12-26-22