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Kamari Lassiter Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell
Strengths:
- Instinctive
- Excellent zone corner
- Twitchy
- Quick
- Fast reactions
- Breaks on routes well
- Good route recognition
- Very tough
- Willing tackler
- Will go into box
- Strong finisher
- Good height
- Upside
Weaknesses:
- Could stand to fill out his frame
- Lacks top-end speed
- Gets run by at times
- Might need to play a lot of zone
- Could have problems playing man coverage exclusively
- Serious lack of interceptions
Prospect Summary:
Georgia has been a factory for early-round defensive back talent under Kirby Smart, and Lassiter will continue that trend in 2024. As a freshman in 2021, Lassiter notched 11 tackles, two passes batted, and the only interception of his college career. In 2022, he rotated with some other talented corners while recording 38 tackles and four passes broken up. For 2023, Lassiter took over as Georgia’s No. 1 corner and had a strong season, totaling 37 tackles and eight passes broken up.
For the NFL, Lassiter is an excellent fit as a zone-coverage cornerback. He has very good instincts and route recognition that allow him to read receivers to cover them up quickly. Lassiter reacts in an instant, showing quickness and a burst to break hard on routes. Lassiter looks comfortable playing some press-man coverage as well, but really he is an asset in zone. Thanks by his solid height, he can help defend big receivers and prevent contested catches.
Lassiter is an impressive run defender. He is willing to go into the tackle box, and he shows no hesitation to make tackles in the scrum. While Lassiter is not a big corner, he has the mentality of a safety with his willingness to crash into the box to make tackles. For the next level, Lassiter’s run defense is a plus and he will be an asset to flow to the ball to make tackles.
The big flaw for Lassiter is a lack of top-end speed. Carrying vertical routes from fast NFL wideouts could be a serious problem for him. Speed receivers can run by him at times, and Lassiter will grab at wide receivers when they are running go routes down the field. Those things could lead to penalties and issues with teams trying to pick on him with speed receivers. Lassiter’s pro defensive coordinator is going to need to protect him from certain matchups, and Lassiter could struggle to fit in a defense that runs man coverage constantly. He would definitely be a better fit playing in a zone-based scheme.
Lassiter might sneak into the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he probably won’t go lower than Round 2.
Prospect Comparison:
Cam Sutton. Lassiter is similar to Sutton. Both are tough, instinctive and willing tacklers, who bring gritty play to the field. Sutton (5-11, 180) and Lassiter are also nearly identical in size. Additionally, they have the issue of getting run by at times and are good fits as zone corners.
RELATED LINKS:
2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
