Oregon football has quite a few younger players looking to fill the shoes of those who left for the NFL this draft season.
Many of these players will get a chance to “chomp at the bit”, per se, and prove their worth quickly to the team.
One of these players however has gone somewhat under the radar to this point, although some are now picking up on it. Mykael Wright, a 5-foot-11, 182-pound cornerback who has really not had a huge chance to start full time on the roster.
College football analyst Cam Mellor had this to say in testament to the ability of Wright:
All earned, of course.
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) July 10, 2021
During our discussions for our AA list, Mykael Wright almost snuck into the first team at CB, which is an amazing testament to his ability, given those first-team names at CB.
Stat line productivity
One of the best aspects of Wright’s game is his productivity despite the limited starting experience. Last season, he led the Pac-12 in passes deflected with nine, as well as leading the conference in yards per kickoff return with 20.8.
He also had 27 total tackles in 2020, 19 of which being solo. In 2019, he came up with four pass deflections, an interception, two tackles for loss, and 21 total tackles. Overall, as a corner who did not get a huge deal of time starting in his first two seasons, he really produced rather well for the snaps he was given.
Return specialist
Even if Wright starts to get more snaps as a starting cornerback, his return game should not take a dip at all as he is a phenomenal kick returner. As I mentioned before, he led the Pac-12 in kickoff return yard average at 20.8. In 2020 he had 13 returns for 270 yards in only the seven games played by Oregon, and in 2019 he had 10 returns for 380 yards and two touchdowns.
Being able to average 28.3 yards per return in your underclass seasons of college is very promising for his speed as well as his potential to get an NFL roster spot in the future due to his special teams capabilities. He is one of the returners who is not out for every kick return, but if you need a spark for the team and are trying to get back into a game, starting off with Mykael is a good way to do so.
Cornerback traits
The reason Wright could break out this season as a premier cornerback is mainly due to his athletic ability as a cornerback, even despite being smaller than position average.
One of the most notable aspects of his skill set is his fluidity when in coverage, his hips and ankles are extremely fluid allowing for him to change directions extremely quickly and keep up with the receiver in routes. He also has good flashes of functional strength throughout routes which allow him to disrupt the timing of the receiver and really push back against them prior to the pass.
Another important part of his game is his range, he has the endurance to follow through vertical routes with little to no issue, and trails just close enough to make plays without wearing himself out. This is partially why he is so good at returning kicks, as his sustained speed throughout the whole return is something to behold.
Wright is set to have a huge season.