Commentary

Draft Lab: Syd'Quan Thompson's stock

The Cal cornerback may be a bit short, but his game is rather sizable

Originally Published: September 22, 2009
By KC Joyner | ESPN Insider

There is an old marketing trick that we all fall victim to every day: the dropping of a penny from the price tag of a product. Marketers have known for decades that, no matter how hard people try, our brains are hardwired to think of a product's value based on the first digit of the price.

This same mindset seems to have taken hold in the scouting world -- at least in the valuation of height among cornerbacks. I say this in part because of California cornerback Syd'quan Thompson. Depending on which Web site you believe, Thompson is either 5-foot-8, 5-foot-8 5/8, or 5-foot-9. While this disagreement exists, all the sites agree on this: His height is a detriment. It is always mentioned as a reason that he is considered a late first-round/early second-round prospect instead of an early-mid first-round prospect.

I tend to disagree, for two reasons.

To see KC Joyner's evaluation of Syd'quan Thompson -- both individually and in the context of the 64 cornerbacks currently starting in the NFL -- you must be an ESPN Insider. Insider

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KC Joyner

NFL Insider
  • NFL and CFB analyst for ESPN Insider
  • Known as "The Football Scientist"
  • Uses proprietary metrics from game tape study

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