Having already drafted his teammate Nehemiah Pritchett earlier in the draft the Seahawks decided to grab another Auburn cornerback in D. J. James. At 6’0 and 175 pounds James is considered on the thin and wiry side. One thing that is not questioned is James’ durability, determination, and toughness. After spending his first three years at the University of Oregon James transferred to Auburn and became a two-year starter.
“I wanted to be in the SEC. That’s something I gave up on going out to Oregon, but also Mario Cristobal and his staff leaving, the whole staff leaving and going to Miami .” Said James. “ And Auburn came back at me hard in the transfer portal, and I couldn’t give up the opportunity to play close to home, and also in the SEC and showcasing myself.”
As for the Seahawks picking his team James says he is excited to have a familiar face around as he learns the Seahawks system.
“It means a lot just knowing I’m going in there with someone I just played college football with. It means a lot, especially because he also plays the same position as me.”
James was asked what kind of guy Pritchett is.
“Great guy. He’s going to be a great locker-room player. He’s going to bring the juice. He loves what he does, he loves playing cornerback. And he has fun doing it as well.”
In his last two years at Auburn James had 38 tackles three interceptions and 3.5 tackles for a loss. James covered the opposing team’s best receiver and has experience in man and zone coverage.
OUTLOOK
James’ versatility in being able to play zone or man means that Mike Macdonald and his staff will give him multiple looks at several positions in the defensive backfield. He could play nickel or either cornerback position.
Strengths
- Smooth mirror and match in his backpedal.
- Premium balance and body control weaving around the field.
- Coverage transitions are fluid at the top of the route.
- Stays in phase throughout the route.
- Highly reactive from the zone and off coverages.
- Sudden plant and drive creates on-ball disruption.
Weaknesses
- Might lose ground when carrying speed down the field.
- Lacks the desired size and play strength to contest catches.
- He opens his hips prematurely and gets turned around by the route.
- Below-average length to play the ball around big targets.
- More watcher than worker in run support.
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