LSU CB Zy Alexander’s NFL Draft 2025 Scouting Report
The 2025 NFL Draft is expected to feature a dynamic crop of defensive prospects, and one player who could garner significant attention is LSU cornerback Zy Alexander. Alexander, a standout in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), has been making waves in college football for his athleticism, coverage ability, and playmaking skills. This scouting report will break down Alexander’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential as an NFL cornerback.
Player Overview
- Name: Zy Alexander
- Position: Cornerback
- College: Louisiana State University (LSU)
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 190 lbs
- Class: Junior
- Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
- NFL Draft Year: 2025
Zy Alexander’s journey to LSU and his rise as one of the top cornerback prospects in the nation has been a testament to his work ethic, athletic ability, and natural talent. Alexander was a highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school but took a non-traditional route, playing at smaller schools before transferring to LSU. His rise through college football has captured the attention of scouts, coaches, and analysts alike, who have noted his potential as a future first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Strengths
- Physical Tools and Athleticism
Zy Alexander possesses an ideal physical profile for a modern NFL cornerback. At 6’2″ and 190 pounds, he has the size and length to compete with both smaller, shiftier wide receivers as well as bigger, more physical targets. His long arms, combined with his quick feet and fluid movements, make him a tough matchup for any receiver.
Alexander also boasts impressive athleticism. His vertical jump, broad jump, and 40-yard dash times put him in the top tier of NFL cornerback prospects. His combination of speed, agility, and explosiveness makes him a dangerous player when covering a wide variety of routes. His ability to close on the ball quickly is a key asset in both man and zone coverage schemes.
- Press Coverage and Physicality
One of Alexander’s standout qualities is his ability to play physical, press-man coverage. At the line of scrimmage, he excels at disrupting the timing of wide receivers, using his length to jam and reroute them off their intended path. This aggressive style of play has helped him win at the point of attack in one-on-one matchups and frustrate wideouts who rely on getting an early separation.
While his hands are active and powerful at the line, Alexander is also quick enough to recover if beaten momentarily. He has the balance to maintain coverage down the field, ensuring that receivers rarely gain a clear advantage over him. His strong press skills translate well to the NFL, where cornerbacks are often asked to take on the league’s most physical and athletic wide receivers.
- Ball Skills and Playmaking
Alexander’s ability to locate and attack the ball in the air is one of his most impressive traits. He shows exceptional hand-eye coordination, timing, and awareness when contesting throws. His ball-tracking skills are elite, and he’s proven to be a constant threat for interceptions, regularly making plays on contested passes and showcasing strong hands to rip the ball away from receivers.
His playmaking ability is not limited to just interceptions. Alexander is aggressive after the catch, displaying the physicality needed to tackle effectively in open space. His instincts in both man and zone coverage allow him to read quarterbacks’ eyes and anticipate throws, which enables him to jump routes and create turnover opportunities.
- Versatility in Coverage Schemes
Zy Alexander is not just a press-man cornerback; his skill set allows him to thrive in various defensive schemes. He has the ability to line up in press, off-man, and zone coverage, adapting to what the defense requires. In zone schemes, he excels at reading the quarterback’s movements and reacting quickly to shifts in the receiver’s routes. His ability to play off-coverage also allows him to stay in phase with receivers, even if they make a sudden break for the ball.
Additionally, Alexander’s awareness and intelligence in the game give him an edge in both man-to-man and zone concepts. He has a strong understanding of route patterns, tendencies, and overall offensive strategies, which helps him maintain an edge over receivers and create turnovers in the process.
- Tackling and Physical Run Support
While not known primarily for his run support, Alexander is a reliable tackler when called upon. He shows solid form when making open-field tackles and isn’t afraid to step up and help in the run game. His physicality as a tackler is a bonus, particularly for NFL teams that want cornerbacks who are willing to help out against the run. His length also helps him wrap up ball carriers, and his tackling consistency has improved over his time at LSU.
Weaknesses
- Needs to Improve His Recognition of Route Concepts
While Zy Alexander is talented in many aspects of coverage, one area that needs refinement is his recognition of route concepts. At times, he can get caught on double moves or misread a receiver’s intentions. While his physical traits often allow him to recover, NFL quarterbacks and wide receivers are more adept at exploiting these mistakes than college players. Alexander must improve his ability to read and react quickly to various route combinations, particularly when faced with savvy route runners.
- Occasional Inconsistency in Off-Coverage
Although Alexander excels in press-man coverage, his off-coverage can sometimes be a bit inconsistent. He’s shown moments where he’s slow to transition from backpedal to burst, which can allow quicker receivers to gain separation early in the route. Additionally, in off-man coverage, his footwork and technique can be erratic, leading to a lack of balance when transitioning in and out of breaks. While these are fixable issues, they may take time to polish, and they could be exposed by quicker NFL receivers.
- Needs to Be More Patient in Coverage
One of the areas where Alexander can improve is his patience. At times, he has a tendency to get overly aggressive, which can result in penalties or loss of coverage when a receiver uses a change of pace or a fake to get open. While his physicality and aggressiveness are strengths, learning to temper that aggression and play with more controlled patience will help Alexander at the next level, where savvy quarterbacks can exploit overly aggressive defenders.
- Lack of Elite Deep Coverage
Alexander has shown that he can defend intermediate routes and quick breaks well, but his ability to track the ball over deep routes is still a work in progress. There are times when he loses sight of the ball or gets caught in the wrong position when a receiver gets behind him. While his athleticism allows him to recover in many cases, deep coverage will be a significant area of focus for him moving forward.
Pro Comparison:
A potential pro comparison for Zy Alexander is Xavien Howard of the Miami Dolphins. Like Howard, Alexander is a big, physical corner with excellent ball skills and a nose for making plays on the football. While Alexander may not yet be at Howard’s level in terms of deep coverage, both players share similar strengths in their physicality, ability to make plays on the ball, and overall versatility in various coverage schemes. If Alexander continues to develop his technical skills and refines his approach to off-coverage, he could become a top-tier NFL cornerback in the same mold as Howard.
NFL Projection
Zy Alexander is expected to be one of the top cornerbacks selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. His combination of size, athleticism, and ball skills make him a prime candidate for a first-round selection, though his development in the coming years will be crucial. Teams that run a heavy press-man defense or value cornerbacks who can thrive in multiple schemes will find Alexander particularly appealing.
By the time the 2025 Draft rolls around, Alexander’s performance at the combine and during his senior season at LSU will be key indicators of his stock. If he can clean up his footwork and become more consistent in off-coverage situations, he could be an immediate starter in the NFL, contributing to a defense that needs a physical, playmaking cornerback.
