SYSTEM GUYS
Casey Hayward, CB, Los Angeles Chargers
Age: 27
Top 100 rank: 64

No matter how I much I rave about Hayward's spectacular combination of ball skills, instincts and playmaking ability, there are going to be a lot of folks who take offense to me listing him as a "system guy." Although he essentially shut down one half of the field for the Chargers with his ballhawking skills on the island, Hayward isn't a traditional shutdown corner in the truest sense of the term. Instead of blanketing WR1s with a suffocating bump-and-run technique, he specializes in delivering splash plays as a "see ball, get ball" cornerback in a zone scheme that allows him to "pattern read" (recognize route combinations) from a distance.

Utilizing a traditional backpedal or a "bail" technique (side-shuffle), Hayward keeps enough distance between himself and the receiver to see the big picture and react accordingly based on the route combination. This makes him a perfect fit for a team that employs a lot of zone coverage because this allows a corner to play with vision on the quarterback instead of locking in on his man.

This might be why Hayward has played at an "A" level with the Chargers after a pretty nondescript four-year tenure in Green Bay. Last season, the Chargers employed a lot of simple zones under former defensive coordinator John Pagano -- and the team will continue to feature zone-like principles with Gus Bradley in charge. In fact, Bradley told me this offseason that he expects Hayward to have a big year because he is a "perfect fit" as a field corner in his scheme, being a zone playmaker who plays with outstanding vision and awareness.

With that in mind, it is possible that Hayward remains a top playmaker at his position due to a scheme that allows him to play to his strengths.

NFL.com  wrote: