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2014 NFL Draft: Pierre Desir prospect profile

We take a look at cornerback Pierre Desir.

By Trevor Woods
Stacy Revere

With two of the 49ers starting cornerbacks from last season headed to Oakland (Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown), the 49ers will be looking to add depth to the position in the draft. Lindenwood's Pierre Desir is an interesting mid-round prospect the 49ers could target. Lindenwood is a Division II school, which plays against lesser competition than most of the draft prospects, but Desir destroyed his competition, hauling in 25 interceptions in his college career. His stellar play earned him an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he was a standout during the week of practices and the game itself, intercepting a pass in the end zone. The 6'1" corner is a likely third or fourth round selection.

The Basics

Name: Pierre Desir
College: Lindenwood
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 198 lbs
Arm Length: 33"
Vertical: 35"
Broad Jump: 133"
Bench Reps: 15
40 Yard Dash: 4.59

Pros

  • Good instincts, a student of the game. Runs receivers routes for them at times.

  • Plus tackling ability, hits hard to go along with it.

  • Special teams contributor, defending kickoffs and punts, as well as returning kickoffs

  • Ball-hawk skills

  • Physical play and a physical frame

  • Game film indicates he plays faster than 4.59

  • Rarely was beat deep

Cons
  • Played against lower level talent
  • Didn't play press coverage in college and struggled against speedy receivers running underneath routes.
  • Improvements could be made shedding blocks
  • Struggles on comeback routes
Do Your Homework

Does He Fit The 49ers?

Tall, physical, long arms, Desir appears to be a fit. With as many pick as the 49ers have they can invest in a mid-round selection of Desir, as he shows a lot of promise. The choice of Desir would not factor into the 49ers decision to grab a cornerback in round one or two, as the more options they have going into the year the better, especially with Chris Culliver's arrest. The only thing the 49ers are lacking right now that could make Desir a bad fit is veteran leadership at the cornerback position. It would be nice for a veteran with a track record of consistent play was on the roster to help Desir grow. With that said, the presence of a vet is sometimes overrated, as defensive backs coach Ed Donatell has shown he can coach young corners up.

What They Are Saying

- Desir is a mature young man, with two children and a wife. Balancing football, school, and family hasn't been an issue for him to this point.

- ProFootballCentral sat down and talked with Desir, and they feel he is a player that has a quiet confidence who doesn't feel the need to talk trash.

- Edraft.com put together an article about Desir that is a good read, telling everything you would want to know about the prospect.

Conclusion

Draft Desir and zreap the rewards! I've seen enough on film that screams "sleeper!" and "high value pick!" He played against players that aren't all that great, so what? All he did was kick ass every time he stepped out on the field. If you can play ball, NFL scouts will find you, and a lot of scouts have taken notice. This is a loaded draft class at corner and many teams still may shy away from Desir because he came from a small school, instead opting for players who I don't think are as good but played for bigger schools (Keith McGill and Stanley Jean-Baptiste).

Draft Desir in the third round and see what happens Mr. Baalke. He has the potential to be a shut-down corner in the NFL. He's more polished than some pundits give him credit for, I like his technique, his tackling, his catch up speed, as well as his instincts. This guy is a football player, a husband, and a father. The 49ers could use a few more players like this and less players who are going to be on the front page of the sports section for non-football related foolishness.

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