Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander may not be the best player in the 2016 NFL Draft, but he would certainly appear to be the most confident. After declaring himself the best corner in the draft, Alexander compared himself favorably to one of the NFL’s best, Darrelle Revis.
Clemson CB Mackensie Alexander: "Revis is good, but there’s stuff in Jason Verrett’s game Revis just ain’t got." pic.twitter.com/Sk6lzTUh3A
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 27, 2016
Alexander is certainly a talented player. He defended another possible first rounder, Notre Dame’s Will Fuller, for most of Clemson’s win vs. the Fighting Irish, and Fuller caught only two passes for 37 yards, both season lows.
While there’s nothing wrong with a player having confidence in his own abilities, Alexander is really opening himself up for ridicule.
What if Alexander ends up as a good player, but nowhere near Revis’ level? Alexander certainly doesn’t need to be as good as Revis to be a solid NFL corner and a great pick for the team that selects him, but things change with this comparison.
The more disastrous possibility for Alexander is that he’s a complete bust in the NFL. Plenty of players fit that description and are completely forgotten, but it’s hard to be a forgotten bust when you’ve compared yourself to a future Hall of Famer.
These interviews certainly are tricky. In this era, every word these prospects say is publicized within seconds and will be easy for anyone to pull up and read for the rest of time.
With that in mind, while Mackensie Alexander certainly doesn’t need to give the boring, Bull Durham responses, he would do well to walk a better line between confidence and cockiness. A corner favorably comparing himself to Darrelle Revis definitely walks that line in a precarious way.