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Texas A&M Football: Meet the Aggie leading a defensive culture change

By Cahil Murchison

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 01: Jarius Wright #4 of the Arkansas Razorbacks is tackled by Trent Hunter #1 and Dustin Harris #22 of the Texas A&M Aggies at Cowboys Stadium on October 1, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 01: Jarius Wright #4 of the Arkansas Razorbacks is tackled by Trent Hunter #1 and Dustin Harris #22 of the Texas A&M Aggies at Cowboys Stadium on October 1, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Cons:

Speed/quickness

One of the things that I wish we saw more of from the Cypress Springs graduate was greater speed and quickness. I wouldn’t call Leon slow or not quick; I just hope to really see him make strides in these areas.

As a defensive back, you have to be speedy in order to hang with the receivers. It seems to me that he understands that speed isn’t his greatest attribute and that’s why he’s so physical at the line of scrimmage. If it works, it works and you won’t hear me complain. However, if he can keep that big body of his light on his feet and play like a 5’10” 180 cornerback when he needs to, then the sky is the limit for this young man.

Can he cover?

The former question mark pairs with another one that has plagued the Ags for a few years. How reliable will he be in coverage? As stated before, we know he can come down and lay the wood, but will he be able to stick onto those speedy wide-outs? Armani Watts and Justin Evans were guys who made tackles with ease. Coverage was their one of very few weak spots though. Will Leon O’Neal have the same issues?

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There’s going to be a point in time, just like with every defensive back who has ever played, when Leon gets sucked in on a play-action pass. He’ll realize it and then have to recover and drop back into his zone.

Right now, we just don’t know if he can get back in time to avoid giving up a big play. Once he gets quicker and gets more experience under his belt, this is an issue that can certainly be resolved. Hopefully, it’s not even an issue and I’m jumping to conclusions! If it is an issue, I trust Leon’s athleticism and coaches to make it a quick fix!

Form tackling

Like any young athlete, O’Neal plays to his strengths: size and raw power. These are two, almost untrainable aspects that any football player would love to have. Being bigger and stronger than most guys out there, this safety got away with a lot of tackles up high in high school.

The big hits where you take someone’s head off look really cool on film and kills the confidence of the other team. As sweet as it may be, I wouldn’t suggest going after Najee Harris upstairs. In the NCAA, you have to go low and make form tackles in order to preserve your body. I wouldn’t worry about this too much though. This is a common habit that can be broken with enough reputations.