2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Kamari Lassiter

Strengths

• Disruptive player who attacks the line of scrimmage in both the run game and short passing game
• Off-man coverage ability is excellent
• High football IQ allows him to diagnose routes and close quickly in off-man
• Outstanding recovery speed and long speed make him a good fit as a Cover-3 CB

Weaknesses

• Eyes can linger in the backfield too long
• Adequate in zone coverage but needs improvement with leveraging against safety help
• Ball skills must improve, only one interception in three seasons
• Hand technique in press-man is poor

Final Thoughts and Chicago Bears Fit for Kamari Lassiter

Kamari Lassiter has a similar profile to Kyler Gordon, so he'd be a redundancy in the Chicago Bears defense. I've seen mock drafts that have him going as early as the late first round, and I fear that a player like Lassiter will get over-drafted and wind up busting for a team because he's still learning how to play cornerback and would benefit from a year of development at the NFL level.

With the Sean McVay-style offense taking over the NFL and defenses countering by moving away from small slot cornerbacks, I think a player with Lassiter's aggressiveness and athletic profile could develop into a very good slot cornerback in the league.

Lassiter is a player who refuses to back away from a challenge, and he's more than willing to match up with larger receivers. However, any larger receiver who has even adequate hand technique will be able to beat him easily in press-man. Lassiter will need to work on this extensively for it to be NFL-ready.

Overall, Lassiter is the most raw of the cornerbacks I've watched thus far. In culinary terms, he has the ingredients to be a delicious souffle, but I worry some team will take him out of the oven too quickly, and he'll collapse in on himself. Give him time, even if it's half a season, to develop his coverage techniques outside of off-man, and he'll be a very good corner in the NFL.

Pro Comp: Less Fluid Kyler Gordon