Will Josh Norman Find Disaster or Renewed Dominance in New Redskins Defense?

Josh Norman has taken a long road to earn the five-year, $75 million contract he signed this offseason with the Washington Redskins. Now labeled as a star, a potential savior for the Redskins’ pass defense which finished 26th in the NFL in yards per pass and tied for 25th in interceptions in 2015, all eyes are on him in training camp.

To truly understand how Norman, a 28-year-old, rose to his talent level, and why some Washington fans are concerned with his camp performance, you have to unravel the story of his early career. Norman didn’t go to Oklahoma, USC or Florida State. Instead, his college career kicked off as a walk-on corner for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, where he started seven games as a true freshman.

That momentum carried on through his time in Conway, South Carolina, the college town with a population of less than 20,000 people. He would eventually work his way into a scholarship and found a spot in a postseason all-star game as a senior—the East-West Shrine Game.

Share Tweet Embed

The Shrine Game isn’t as touted as the Senior Bowl, the apex for outgoing seniors looking to improve their draft stock, but it was the first time in Norman’s career that he was able to go toe-to-toe with FBS talent on a consistent basis. After his week in St. Petersburg, Eric Galko of Optimum Scouting called him a “diamond in the rough” and noted the University of Georgia had been pursuing Norman before they learned about his academic issues.

His momentum was going up, until his NFL Scouting Combine performance. In Indianapolis, he ran a 4.66-second 40-yard dash and a 7.09-second three-cone drill—numbers which are closer to elite pass-rushers than elite cornerbacks. Despite his length, measured in at a legit 6’0″, the fact he ran those numbers had to have impacted his draft stock negatively.

On draft weekend, he had to wait until Day 3 to hear his name called, as the Carolina Panthers drafted him in the fifth round. Once they got him into camp, they couldn’t take him off the field, as he flashed the same talent in practice as he did at the Shrine Game.

Share Tweet

He started 12 games in 2012, though he only played seven games in a sophomore-slump season of 2013. In 2014, he reestablished himself as a starter with the team, and 2015 was his breakout season. It was his first as a back-to-back starter, which wound up with the Panthers winning 15 games in the regular season, earning a spot in the Super Bowl and Norman making the first-team All-Pro list.

So, how did the Panthers turn an over-aged, athletically limited FCS corner into one of the best in the league? First, they avoided playing him in man coverage for the majority of his reps. 

Josh Norman’s cousin made a t-shirt out of the Jay-Z name drop on “I Got The Keys” #Redskins pic.twitter.com/9WTrgRxoYw

— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterTes) August 4, 2016 …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com