Gardena (Calif.) Serra cornerback Dakoda Fields is one of the best players on the West Coast and could compete for early snaps at Oregon.
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00:00 If you're watching along on YouTube, I got my screen share going and
00:03 have some highlights from fields is 2022 season on the screen here.
00:08 Only about three minutes of tape to work with and that's because fields, excuse me,
00:11 because fields got banged up and was only able to play six games as a junior.
00:16 But it looks like he is on track to be a full go for the 2023 season,
00:21 which the Cavaliers start on August 18th against Orange Lutheran.
00:27 So let me get into kind of some of my thoughts about Dakota fields.
00:30 I mean, first and foremost, 6'2", 185 pounds that fits
00:36 Dan Lanning's defense to a tee when it comes to the cornerback you're looking for.
00:41 You wanna have those longer, lengthier corners that can run and
00:47 really help you defend and lock down the pass.
00:49 And I think that that's a box,
00:51 those are some boxes rather that Dakota fields really checks.
00:54 He's not just tall, but he can run and he can move very well.
00:58 You saw it a little bit there with his punt coverage on special teams, but
01:02 I really like his lateral quickness.
01:04 Obviously, that's a huge thing that you wanna have if you're gonna take
01:08 commitment from a taller defensive back.
01:10 You don't wanna have a guy that's just long, you wanna have a guy that's gonna be
01:13 able to move the way that you need him to, to cover some of these elite wide receivers,
01:18 elite route runners and pass catchers that you're gonna go up against.
01:21 And then I think by getting a bigger DB,
01:23 you're also obviously helping yourself when it comes to defending tight ends.
01:27 So, Fields is fast, he's got great agility, he's got fluid hips.
01:32 I think that's really part of what makes him special.
01:35 He's pretty physical at the line of scrimmage when it comes to jamming guys.
01:40 But I personally would like to see him be a little bit more aggressive in his game.
01:46 He's a good tackler, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say he's not a good
01:49 tackler, but I just wanna see some more aggressiveness from Fields.
01:53 I wanna see him add a little bit more of that downhill aspect to his game.
01:58 And I feel like this play might be a good example of that.
02:03 Maybe he's just being patient, but you see pretty clearly where the run's going.
02:07 It just kinda seems like he lets the running back come to him.
02:10 I wanna see him take it to the running back in that instance,
02:13 take it to the ball carrier.
02:16 But that said, obviously there's way more positives than negatives to
02:21 Fields' game.
02:22 I think one thing that makes him special as a cornerer is that he doesn't surrender
02:26 that inside leverage to wide receivers, which is easier said than done.
02:30 Once you lose the inside, it can be all shoot rope for
02:35 some plays with just how explosive guys are in today's game.
02:38 So important that you have a guy that's technically sound and
02:42 knows how to play the game, has a good feel for the game.
02:45 And I think that's definitely what Fields has in his tool belt.
02:49 Another thing that pops on tape a bit with Fields,
02:54 even though it's just kind of a limited sample size, right, is his ball skills.
02:59 Throughout this tape, you see some pass breakups.
03:03 You don't want a guy who's just gonna be sticking in coverage.
03:06 You want a guy who's gonna be able to turn around and
03:07 make those plays on the ball.
03:10 I don't know if he got any interceptions as a junior, but
03:14 I think what I'm saying is that I've seen him enough in person and
03:16 I've seen the tape to know that he has those ball skills,
03:20 which only add to his upsides as a playmaker.
03:22 There was, and there still are, I think, some talks about him maybe playing some
03:28 wide receiver for Sarah as a senior.
03:31 But that remains to be seen whether he will actually play wide receiver as well,
03:36 or if they just wanna have him lock down the pass and
03:39 become a better defensive back.