Round 1 #30 Noah Igbinoghene CB Auburn
| Miami Dolphins | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 27, 1999 Trussville, Alabama |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Alabama) |
| College: | Auburn |
| NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30 |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
Igbinoghene (pronounced IG-bin-OG-gah-nee) is the son of two Olympic-caliber track athletes from Nigeria. His mother, Faith, won a bronze medal with the Nigerian 4×100 relay team in 1992 and finished fifth with that team in 1996. His father, Festus, attended Mississippi State and won five SEC titles in the long and triple jumps. Noah was a standout in high school track, breaking the Alabama state record in the triple jump and finishing second in the nation in that event as a senior. He was a top-25 wide receiver recruit nationally and first-team all-state selection as a senior, as well. Igbinoghene began his career at Auburn on offense, playing in all 14 games of the 2017 season at receiver (six receptions, 24 yards, 4.0 average) while serving as the team’s primary kick returner (25 returns, 571 yards, 23.8 average). He moved to cornerback for the 2018 season, starting nine of 13 games played (50 tackles, 1.5 for loss, one interception, 11 pass breakups) while continuing to contribute as a kick returner (11 returns, 311 yards, 28.3 average, one touchdown). Igbinoghene competed on the Auburn track squad in 2018, as well, finishing seventh in the long jump at the SEC Indoor Championships. He decided to head to the NFL after his junior campaign, when he started all 13 games (42 tackles, one for loss, seven pass breakups) and brought back one of nine kickoff returns for a score (nine returns, 317 yards, 35.2 average).
Stocky but explosive receiver-turned-cornerback whose play generates both intrigue and concern. He’s extremely physical from snap to whistle with the strength to alter route timing from press. He’s a good athlete with a plus burst to close. He’s naturally aggressive to ambush catch tries. Staying in phase on the vertical plane is a challenge and pattern recognition is surprisingly average. Improvement is likely with more experience and technique, but playing with downfield poise is not guaranteed. He’s good in run support and offers early special teams help as he continues to learn his craft.
Strengths
- Very strong and very physical
- Explosive athleticism
- Tremendously competitive with outstanding practice habits
- Treats press jam like a sparring session
- Repetitive strikes to inside shoulder help grind on the release
- Instant acceleration to open and chase
- Low center of gravity for quicker change of direction
- Shows ability for early recovery in short spaces
- Aggressive challenges diminish receivers’ focus at catch point
- Heavy chops through receivers’ arms and hands force incompletions
- Good balance and radar as open-field tackler
- Two career kick return touchdowns and gunner talent
- Very raw with just two years playing the position
- Lacks natural footwork and fluidity in space
- Inconsistent mirroring release and timing up his opening
- Slow to sort what he sees from off coverage
- Eye balance between receiver and quarterback is lacking
- Plays with all power and no finesse
- Below average at staying in phase with the route
- Panic sets in with his back to the ball
- Yellow flags find him when he doesn’t find the ball
- Tackles up high and needs to lower his target aim
TDS Take:
This was my first “Head Scratcher” as CB was not a major need and with what seemed to be better talent available at the spot Miami drafted Igbinoghene who was ranked by just about all draft boards as a mid-late 2nd round slot I would have thought Miami would have selected a RB, Safety, OL. DL player at pick 30 as they traded down from #26 and acquired an extra 4th round pick.
As they say you can never have enough CB’s and I see him starting out competing at the Nickle position and moving around in Brian Flores versatile system.
Welcome To Miami Noah Igbinoghene!
The Dolphin Seer 