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Did You Know?

Shields, from Sarasota, FL., made the switch to cornerback in the spring of 2009 after spending three seasons as a wideout at the 'U'.  In fact, during his freshman campaign at the school, he caught 37 passes for 501 yards and tied for the team lead with four touchdown receptions.  His pass catching total was the most by a freshman at the school since Reggie Wayne's 48 in 1997.

In 2008, he was an outstanding gunner for the team and received the team's award for Special Teams Player of the Year.  This was after a sophomore season in which he snagged 27 catches for 346 yards and three touchdowns. 

Shields has blazing speed, reportedly in the 4.2-4.3 range, and was considered the team's fastest player.  During his senior year of high school (Booker HS), he scored 22 touchdowns on his 67 receptions.  He was ranked as the #14 player in the Top 25 list of players in the state by The Miami Herald. 

Our Thoughts:

We feel Shields does have some potential outside, albeit an uneventful year at the position in his first full time year as a starter.  He could bring a team added depth on its practice squad early and continue to develop at the position.  His tendency to float in technique from time to time is only masked by his above average play speed. 

At this point, Shields is an average tackler who needs to do a better job of wrapping with his arms.  He has gotten better in this area and has shown a penchant for making big plays as a tackler on special teams.  His hips sometimes get locked when having to turn and open, so he needs work on timing his opens when transitioning from his backpedal.  He does a decent job of reading the QBs eyes and likes to squat on three step and five step QB drops. 

While he is fast, he has a tendency to bite on first moves and is susceptible on double moves down the field.  He seemed to have improved by leaps and bounds during the week of the Texas vs The Nation All Star practices, which bodes well for his future.  He still didn't have timing down the field at times and was exposed some during the week. 

Summary:  He is a player that has some upside, but he will need to be coached up quite a bit.  While he can deliver blows to unsuspecting opponents, he is a bit of an ankle flyer when tackling.  His play strength is OK, but he is more confident at this point than you may think.  He seems to understand he has room for improvement and is willing to work on the little things it will take to develop as a corner.  For a team with cornerback depth, he could be a good addition.  He will serve as an elite gunner prospect, with added value on the scout team as a wide receiver.