2022 NFL Draft profile: Michigan cornerback Vincent Gray
Michigan football’s secondary was one of the only position groups during the 2020 season that seemed to be in a better spot than it was when it started. The group carried that positive momentum into 2021 thanks to some steady play on the backend, headlined by cornerback Vincent Gray.
Gray had as many as two years of eligibility remaining at Michigan but elected to call it a career and declare for the 2022 NFL Draft. He appeared in 35 career games in Ann Arbor with 21 starts at cornerback. His play in 2021 earned him third-team All-Big Ten honors from the media. Gray finished with 16 career passes defended, but no interceptions.
Here is a look at what he could bring to the NFL this offseason.
Vincent Gray’s info
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 195 pounds
School: Michigan
Position: Cornerback
Projected: Undrafted free agent/camp invite
Pro Day Results: 4.64 40-yard dash | 3-cone: N/A | Shuttle: N/A | 34 inch vertical jump | 10-foot-2 broad jump
Strength
Gray possesses good length and good-enough athleticism to fit the bill of what NFL teams look for in modern corners. Like many of his cornerback peers at U-M, he is at his best in press coverage when he can get his hands on you. Gray showed steady improvement each time out and his technique is leagues ahead of where he was at the start of the 2020 season. Teams will like his mentality and willingness to come up and play in run support.
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Weaknesses
Gray was picked on a decent amount at Michigan, especially in the College Football Playoff. He allowed a pair of touchdowns against Georgia that night. Any game against the Bulldogs will be under the microscope given their plethora of draft prospects. Gray never recorded an interception in his career, so he will have to offset concerns about playmaking ability. His speed will also hold him back given that he has plenty of examples on tape where he loses his battle at the line of scrimmage. This makes him scheme-dependent.
Vincent Gray overview
Gray was steady for Michigan, but an all-time pass rush took pressure off of the guys on the backend. He wound up developing into a solid college corner, but there is plenty of work to do for him to hold up at the next level. What Gray does have going for him is strong footwork and technical prowess that is hard to teach. He is just going to have a tough time keeping up with some of the explosive athletes that will be thrown at him in the NFL.
Gray is fringe prospect, but still looks like someone that can crack a training camp roster and go from there. His ceiling at the next level probably comes down to filling out depth at the bottom of the roster. There is value in that, but he is not a corner that teams will want to park in zone coverage. His best fit will be somewhere that asks its corner to mix it up right at the LOS.
