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UDFA CB Fentrell Cypress is a 23-year-old, 6 ft, 182 pound cornerback who was with the Virginia Cavaliers for 4 seasons followed by two seasons at Florida State.
Pre-draft analysts continually stress that he is more skilled as a zone defender than he is in man cover. A common theme in relation to his developmental needs is his play strength.
In man, Cypress can align with his shoulders neutral to the line of scrimmage or with his back to the near sideline. Stays low in his backpedal and has the necessary footwork to tempo and maintain pace with varying speeds in front of him. Has experience and comfortability working both in off and press-man situations.
In zone, Cypress’ atypical Cover 3 body type works well downhill. Communication is evident, as is the understanding of countering certain concepts as the middle defender. Will relay signals to safeties pre-snap when faced with bunch sets or trips to his side, including if he identifies a Hi-Lo concept at the initial stages of a play.
As a run defender, Cypress shows flashes of a high-level tackler in the open field. However, it remains an inconsistent part of his game as his pursuit angles and overall play strength are outliers that prohibit him from consistently making plays in the fringe areas. Not shy in sticking his face in the mud at the line of scrimmage but can be overpowered and blocked away from plays.
Overall, Cypress is a competitive corner with a knack for making plays on the football. He projects immediately into a primary zone defense but improving the nuances in his game in man coverage will showcase a prospect teams will prioritize when searching for depth in the draft.
While he offers versatility with experience in both press and off-man coverage, Cypress may struggle in man-to-man situations at the NFL level unless he improves his ability to redirect and adds play strength. However, his well-rounded background and propensity for creating turnovers will likely appeal to teams seeking a developmental cornerback with long-term potential.
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso is notably out of step with other analysts in his recent comments in which he described Cypress as a “man coverage specialist”:
Fentrell Cypress II is a man-coverage specialist with the athletic attributes to play that role in the NFL,” Trapasso wrote. “While not ridiculously long, the former Florida State star is 6-foot-1 and 181 pounds with 4.43-second speed in the 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical jump and tremendous agility illustrated by his 6.84-second time...
