BACKGROUND: Nahshon (Nuh-shawn) Wright was born in Hayward (south of Oakland) and grew up in East Palo Alto. He enrolled at James Logan High School where he lettered in basketball, football and track, playing some defensive back, but his focus was at wide receiver. As a senior, Wright helped the team to a 7-4 record and a spot in the playoffs, finishing the 2015 season with 42 catches for 792 yards and eight touchdowns. A no-star recruit out of high school, Wright received attention from college programs, but he was a non-qualifier academically. After graduation, he attended City College of San Francisco where he grayshirted in 2016. After a few semesters at the College of San Mateo, Wright enrolled at Laney College in Oakland, although he didn’t play in 2017. He moved from wide receiver to cornerback for the 2018 season and posted four interceptions, helping Laney to the 2018 state championship. A three-star JUCO recruit, Wright had offers from Boise State, San Diego State and others, but his goal was to play at the Power 5 level and Oregon State was the only one that offered him. His younger brother (Rejzohn) followed a similar path from James Logan to Laney College to Oregon State. Wright elected to skip his final season of eligibility and enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
STRENGTHS: Tall drink of water and towers over wide receivers…has the lower body flexibility and light feet to stay on top of routes…rangy ball disruptor and his arm length helps him reach the catch point from different angles…his background at wide receiver is obvious with his natural adjustments to finish interceptions…showed a better feel for route depth and field awareness from his 2019 to 2020 film…physical in press, using his long arms to make receivers uncomfortable…doesn’t wilt as a run defender…combative play personality and carries himself with plenty of confidence…led the team in interceptions both years in Corvallis.
WEAKNESSES: Lean-limbed with a slender build…not a technically sound player right now…impatient footwork and has a bad habit of turning his hips on first movement…his long gait encumbers his backpedal and transitions…only average recovery quickness…not as comfortable from off-coverage, leaving him tardy in his collect-and-drive mechanics…needs to get stronger to fight off and shuck contact…too easily redirected and taken out of the play by blockers…has only 18 career games played at the NCAA level.
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Oregon State, Wright lined up at field cornerback in defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar’s scheme. He had a winding journey between high school and Oregon State, but he made the most of his two seasons in Corvallis, landing a starting role and leading the team in interceptions both years. Wright isn’t a quick-twitch mover, but he stays light on his feet to slide, open and run downfield with receivers. He is still relatively new to the cornerback position and it shows at times as he struggles to stay square or ahead of receivers. Overall, Wright is a long and lanky athlete who is still developing his instincts and technique, but his length and ball skills are interesting foundational traits for a classic press-man corner prospect.
defense approach
I was dying for an all defensive draft and of course they pull some shyt like this
shout out to the titans. Drafted Farley & Molden. Somebody know what they doin