Kenny Greer/The Lantern Ohio State senior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins is not afraid to joke around and have fun. Jenkins will be displaying a more intense gameface aginst Illinois on Saturday at noon.
Quarterbacks, Beware. Saturday's game between No. 11 Ohio State (8-2, 4-2) and unranked Illinois (5-5, 3-3) features two of the top cornerbacks in the nation.
Senior Malcolm Jenkins will man OSU's secondary against dual-threat senior quarterback Juice Williams and his arsenal of receivers. For Illinois, junior cornerback Vontae Davis will look to stop the Buckeye pass-catchers.
In terms of coverage style and physical ability, Scout.com NFL draft expert Chris Steuber notices many similarities between the two defensive backs.
"They're premier athletes and premier cornerbacks in this league," Steuber said. "They're going to be top 15 picks. They're the top two corners and are very similar in style, build and play."
Davis broke onto the scene as a sophomore for the Illini with six interceptions last season.
"Davis is more physically gifted," said Raul Colon, football writer for FFtoolbox.com. "His ceiling is much higher because of raw ability. I think he has the chance to become one of the NFL's best in a couple of years."
In comparison, Jenkins uses his past experience and profound tackling ability to wreak havoc on opposing wide receivers, Colon said.
"He's the best cover corner in the country," he said. "He's a senior and has been playing since his sophomore season on a regular basis. He is a good tackler for a cornerback. He has the experience, very good technique, and [he] moves well. He really explodes at the ball, and has tremendous recovery speed."
Illinois senior receiver Arrelious Benn conceded that being defended by Jenkins will be a challenge.
"He's a guy who is an elite player who's getting ready for the NFL," Benn said. "He's a great player. It'll be a good match-up if he's on me."
Both cornerbacks have aspirations of successful NFL careers, which shouldn't be too difficult, Steuber said.
"I can definitely see both of them having long careers and being very successful," he said. "Malcolm has been going at it for the last three years, so he's the kind of guy that can just come up and be an impact player at the next level. And Vontae has the pedigree. His brother, Vernon, is playing with the [San Francisco] 49ers."
Though well on their paths to bright careers in football, each player must continue to work on certain aspects of his game to take the next step. The key for Jenkins is his focus, Steuber said.
"Malcolm has to play a little more consistently," he said. "He shows flashes, and he's very aggressive in some ways. But in some games, I see him backing off a little bit too much. It seems like he gets a little bit lost and lacks focus in some games. If he can just play a little more consistently, and get his head in the game a little more, he's going to be a great player."
Colon said Jenkins must assert himself as a physical force on the field.
"Jenkins is more of a finished product who should be able to start [in the NFL] from day one," he said. "His only drawback is if you look at him closely you notice a tendency to shy away from heavy contact."
Saturday, the quarterback who can squeeze the best throws into tight coverage might determine the outcome of the game, said Matt Miller, writer for NewEraScouting.com.
"Throwing against both is tough and you have to hope for a small window," Miller said. "With Jenkins, I think you can throw underneath him, especially deep. With Davis, you're just hoping he makes a mistake."
Miller said Jenkins would be the preferable target to throw against.
"I would rather throw against Jenkins," he said. "While he's very consistent, he's more likely to make a solid tackle than an interception and return."
The Buckeyes hold an advantage with a solid running game. OSU can afford to rely less on throwing at Davis and depend on junior running back Chris "Beanie" Wells to carry the offensive load, Steuber said.
"I don't think you want to put Pryor in a tough situation where he has to beat a guy like Vontae Davis or a tough defense like Illinois," he said. "He has a guy in 'Beanie' Wells back there, and he's going to give him the ball."
Zack Meisel can be reached at meisel.14@osu.edu.
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