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As a surprise to some, Junior cornerback Trajan Bandy entered his name into the 2020 NFL Draft. Bandy burst onto the scene in 2017 with one of the more memorable moments in the past decade of Canes football with his pick six against Notre Dame. Bandy's passion, aggression and potential big play ability had Canes faithful thinking they had their own South Florida version of the Honey Badger. Unfortunately, Bandy's upward trajectory that began at Columbus High School as a highly touted recruit seemed to peak a lot earlier than many anticipated. Bandy did have a lot of success in green and orange. Don't get that twisted. However, the expectations rose so high for Bandy and the Canes that the next 2 years of his career felt like a bit of a let down.
Expectations aside, Bandy was an emotional leader on the Hurricane defense and productive in his 3 years in Coral Gables. He was a versatile piece in Manny Diaz's attacking style defense. He finished his career at Miami with 90 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 INT's, 1 forced fumble and 3 fumble recoveries. He attained All-ACC 3rd team in 2018 and All-ACC honorbale mention in 2019.
Pre Draft Measurables
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 180 lbs
Arms: 29 7/8"
Hands: 9"
Strengths
Short Area Burst
Bandy has a great feel for the game and is able to drive on passes in a hurry to make a play on the ball. He's fast enough running a 4.5 40, but not blazing. He is certainly quicker than he is fast. Once Bandy gets his drive foot into the ground, he seemingly hits top speed right away. He is very smooth in and out of transitions and never seems uncomfortable when quickly changing direction. He can surprise QB's with the ground he is able to cover in a short amount of time.
Anticipation
This goes hand in hand with Bandy's burst. Bandy seems to understand space and routes very well. He relies on his instincts and anticipation to find his way to the football. He is much better in zone coverage where he is able to use his eyes to diagnose the play and quickly react. At times, he can rely on his instincts too much which can cause him to lose technique and discipline, ultimately getting him in trouble. His anticipation helps him in the run game, allowing him to get to the right spot in a jiffy, but he just has to become more consistent finishing plays on contact. He also has great timing for blitzing which is a huge plus at the nickel position. There are times where Bandy wasn't necessarily the most sound player, but his anticipation and burst were able to hide some mistakes. Bandy seems to be a high IQ football player with the mental capacity to understand an NFL defense and opposing NFL offenses.
Weaknesses
Man-to-Man Coverage
Bandy's biggest downfall may be something he has no control over: Height. At 5'8", Bandy simply can get bodied by bigger receivers in man coverage. He never really seemed comfortable in press coverage. There were times where Bandy had great position, but he became a bit squirly and panicked with deep balls coming his way. As a nickel/sub package defensive back in the NFL, Bandy will be asked to guard much bigger receivers and tight ends in man coverage, which is something he never really excelled at in Miami.
Tackling
For such a fiery and competitive guy, it's hard to think that tackling could be a weakness. However, Bandy was on the wrong end of many missed tackles in his Miami career, but it wasn't for a lack of effort or timidness. He is more than willing in run support. He's never met a challenge that he would back down from. With that being said, he seemed to forget fundamentals when making plays on contact. He'd often over-pursue plays which would result in arm tackles.
Draft Projection: 7th round-UDFA
Bandy has all the intangibles a coach would want in a cornerback. Toughness, confidence and intensity. Unfortunately, his size will certainly hurt his stock greatly. Yes, there are small DB's in the NFL that have success. The question is, can Bandy's strengths hide his size enough to create real NFL value? His skillset pretty much locks him in at the nickel position. He doesn't really hold any value playing on the outside. He can be good in short zone coverage and a factor as a blitzer off the edge. Bandy's strengths are very niche and he is going to have to show rapid growth in his technique to maintain an NFL career. He is going to have to show he can be at least serviceable in man coverage and a more consistent tackler in space. Ultimately, I think Bandy will get his chance to prove himself as a very late draft pick or an Undrafted Free Agent.
Expectations aside, Bandy was an emotional leader on the Hurricane defense and productive in his 3 years in Coral Gables. He was a versatile piece in Manny Diaz's attacking style defense. He finished his career at Miami with 90 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 INT's, 1 forced fumble and 3 fumble recoveries. He attained All-ACC 3rd team in 2018 and All-ACC honorbale mention in 2019.
Pre Draft Measurables
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 180 lbs
Arms: 29 7/8"
Hands: 9"
Strengths
Short Area Burst
Bandy has a great feel for the game and is able to drive on passes in a hurry to make a play on the ball. He's fast enough running a 4.5 40, but not blazing. He is certainly quicker than he is fast. Once Bandy gets his drive foot into the ground, he seemingly hits top speed right away. He is very smooth in and out of transitions and never seems uncomfortable when quickly changing direction. He can surprise QB's with the ground he is able to cover in a short amount of time.
Anticipation
This goes hand in hand with Bandy's burst. Bandy seems to understand space and routes very well. He relies on his instincts and anticipation to find his way to the football. He is much better in zone coverage where he is able to use his eyes to diagnose the play and quickly react. At times, he can rely on his instincts too much which can cause him to lose technique and discipline, ultimately getting him in trouble. His anticipation helps him in the run game, allowing him to get to the right spot in a jiffy, but he just has to become more consistent finishing plays on contact. He also has great timing for blitzing which is a huge plus at the nickel position. There are times where Bandy wasn't necessarily the most sound player, but his anticipation and burst were able to hide some mistakes. Bandy seems to be a high IQ football player with the mental capacity to understand an NFL defense and opposing NFL offenses.
Weaknesses
Man-to-Man Coverage
Bandy's biggest downfall may be something he has no control over: Height. At 5'8", Bandy simply can get bodied by bigger receivers in man coverage. He never really seemed comfortable in press coverage. There were times where Bandy had great position, but he became a bit squirly and panicked with deep balls coming his way. As a nickel/sub package defensive back in the NFL, Bandy will be asked to guard much bigger receivers and tight ends in man coverage, which is something he never really excelled at in Miami.
Tackling
For such a fiery and competitive guy, it's hard to think that tackling could be a weakness. However, Bandy was on the wrong end of many missed tackles in his Miami career, but it wasn't for a lack of effort or timidness. He is more than willing in run support. He's never met a challenge that he would back down from. With that being said, he seemed to forget fundamentals when making plays on contact. He'd often over-pursue plays which would result in arm tackles.
Draft Projection: 7th round-UDFA
Bandy has all the intangibles a coach would want in a cornerback. Toughness, confidence and intensity. Unfortunately, his size will certainly hurt his stock greatly. Yes, there are small DB's in the NFL that have success. The question is, can Bandy's strengths hide his size enough to create real NFL value? His skillset pretty much locks him in at the nickel position. He doesn't really hold any value playing on the outside. He can be good in short zone coverage and a factor as a blitzer off the edge. Bandy's strengths are very niche and he is going to have to show rapid growth in his technique to maintain an NFL career. He is going to have to show he can be at least serviceable in man coverage and a more consistent tackler in space. Ultimately, I think Bandy will get his chance to prove himself as a very late draft pick or an Undrafted Free Agent.
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