Derion Kendrick played four seasons of college football, three with Clemson and one with Georgia. He got exposure to a lot of great wide receivers in the ACC and SEC, and he more than held his own in coverage.
The Rams feel they got a great value by drafting Kendrick in the fifth round and there are plenty of reasons for fans to be excited about the young cornerback. Kendrick was particularly good on throws at least 10 yards downfield last season, showing prowess in defending the deep ball.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Kendrick allowed the lowest completion rate on throws 10-plus yards downfield of any Power 5 player in the 2022 draft class. He gave up just five completions on 29 targets of at least 10 yards last season.
The lowest completion percentage allowed on throws at least 10 yards downfield among all Power 5 players this year is in the 2022 #NFLDraft class.
New #Rams CB @_rayshawnnn_, in his lone season at Georgia, only conceded 5 catches on 29 such targets.#RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/SKUaM6y5BJ
— SIS_Football (@football_sis) May 5, 2022
Kendrick led a dominant Georgia defense with four interceptions last season. He also broke up three other passes and had a career-high two tackles for a loss, as well.
With the uncertainty and abundance of competition in the Rams’ secondary, Kendrick could wind up contributing early on as a rookie if he can beat out David Long Jr. and Robert Rochell, as well as fellow rookie Decobie Durant.
