quote:
Makes him better than most of the other options out there. The fact is that he isn't elite like a Dee Milliner or an Xavier Rhodes, but he's sort of like Menzie from last year. Maybe not quite that good at the moment, but that's the best comparison off of the top of my head. Y'know Belue is a really good athlete, has a lot going for him. 5'11"-6'0.5", somewhere in that range. Elite speed. He's made some mental errors like every first year starter does. People will say he sucks. People will say he's a liability, but that isn't the case. He. Is. A. First. Year. Starter.

I don't see him as a complete liability or sucks, but I don't see him as a noteworthy CB at this point, nor do I see him as a high draft pick(Top 60 picks) in the future as you do. He's a college starter, but I don't see anything that screams top flight about his game. On the other hand, you can start to see small glimpses of that regarding Geno Smith and how fast he has caught on and played.

And I know what you are gonna say "Yeah, but Belue came in and earned a starting job". And that is great that he was able to do so, but when you're a JuCo player being recruited by Bama, that's expected of you. Not to mention that position was cleared out due to attrition. That may play into peoples' expectations as well, the fact he is suppose to come in more physically and mentally ready like the other JuCo players that played for the Tide.

He's a capable CB and will probably get to the NFL, but I don't see shutdown abilities when he plays. I see a poor man's Antonio Cromartie before this season(he's taken it to a different level for even him), someone who can be in situations for success due to his athletic ability. But even with those types of CBs, they can be caught in situations where they misread the play.

Reputation is ever evolving, so I'm not gonna close the book on him with a year to go. Though I still don't see him ever being a #1. I see a #2 or #3 at the next level best case. If he was allowed to do returns, it would help out a bit more value wise. Still wondering about that one...