Terry Hawthorne

[BradshawsHairdresser]

What are your impressions? I don't know much about this one. He's big and physical, evidently. We needed to draft a CB...maybe Lake can coach him up?

[TD386Steel]

Four-year starter, but his durability is a red flag. Versatile athleticism with NFL aggressiveness and timing. Rangy and confident.
Good height and frame for the position. Excellent athlete with more than enough speed. Fluid footwork and smooth hip action to quickly change directions. Nice job reading and reacting in a flash.

[SidSmythe]

Anyone ever know of a player who was injury prone in college and then became an IronMan in the NFL?? at least play 13 games every season?

[winwithd]

What are your impressions? I don't know much about this one. He's big and physical, evidently. We needed to draft a CB...maybe Lake can coach him up?

I only watched two videos of him on Youtube from last season and he got flagged a personal foul in each one. (vs PennState and vs OhioState - a late hit and a blow to the head). One commentator said he was Illinois' best corner, although that may not be saying much. He looked like a decent open field tackler but that was about it to me. He only had one INT last year.

[hawaiiansteel]

Terry Hawthorne, CB, Illinois

Height: 6-0. Weight: 195.
40 Time: 4.44.
Projected Round (2013): 4-5.

4/24/13: Hawthorne was one of the best players on the field at the East-West Shrine. He did very well in man coverage and was physical. Hawthorne also showed more ball skills than previously thought. The strong week should help him on draft day.

Hawthorne followed that up with a good Combine and ran faster than expected. He is a sleeper corner who could turn into a steal.

[URL]http://www.walterfootball.com/draft2013CB.php[/URL]

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers select CB Terry Hawthorne in the fifth round of the NFL Draft

By Neal Coolong on Apr 27 2013



Good size and athleticism, Hawthorne looks like a Steelers cornerback

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Illinois cornerback Terry Hawthorne in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

This comes after a balanced approach to positional need to this point in the draft. They have selected three offensive players in the first four rounds, Hawthorne joins first round pick, OLB Jarvis Jones, as the second defensive player they've taken.

Hawthorne, a 6-foot-0, 195 pound cornerback, had a strong junior season, but fell off a bit in his senior campaign. SB Nation's Illinois site, The Champagne Room, spoke glowingly of Hawthorne's ability.

He did not live up to expectations in 2012 after a strong junior season, but the same can be said of the Illinois defense as a whole. As far as physical gifts and potential are concerned, Hawthorne may have the greatest upside of any Illinois player in this draft, as he has the ability to be a starter in the NFL, and possibly a very good one at that.

As far as his weaknesses go, the CR describes him in a similar way to a few other Steelers cornerbacks of the past.

While he has good instincts and often knows when and where the ball is going to be, he's a body-catcher rather than hands. This leads to a share of missed interceptions. While he's a willing tackler he could use work on his tackling form as he lowers his head too often, which could lead to injury to himself and penalties in the NFL.

The Steelers always are up for adding larger, tackle-friendly cornerbacks, and it seems, based on a very short film review, he's not afraid to step up and hit. He has good size and playmaking ability. It looks like he has good tools.

ESPN's Todd McShay said he has some stiffness in his hips but has quick feet. Mel Kiper said he's probably a third or a fourth cornerback.

Upon a closer look, too, he reminds me a lot of William Gay, physically. A little taller, but thin-looking and wry.

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/4/27/4275452/steelers-draft-fifth-round-pick-terry-hawthorne-cornerback-illinois/in/4031321[/URL]

[pittpete]

This comes after a balanced approach to positional need to this point in the draft. They have selected three offensive players in the first four rounds, Hawthorne joins first round pick, OLB Jarvis Jones, as the second defensive player they've taken.

Aaaa, didnt we draft Thomas?

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Aaaa, didnt we draft Thomas?

Maybe they're planning to move him to offense?

[thor75]

I think the AJ Klein selection two picks before this one left them for a loop. Just my opinion. They took a long time to make the selection. Micah Hyde was also available which was interesting.

[steelz09]

I think the AJ Klein selection two picks before this one left them for a loop. Just my opinion. They took a long time to make the selection. Micah Hyde was also available which was interesting.

I would have liked Klein but this kid is impressive as well. Good size and very athletic.

[hawaiiansteel]

2013 NFL Draft Grades: 5th Round Pick, Pittsburgh Steelers, Terry Hawthorne

Apr 27th, 2013 by Dominic Di TollaSteelers



While it is not a pressing need at the moment, the Steelers could have issues at the cornerback position as early as next year. Thus, I totally understand why Colbert & Co. made Terry Hawthorne their 5th round pick.

Long-time starter Ike Taylor will be an Unrestricted Free Agent after the 2014 campaign, and Ike could be released next spring if Pittsburgh’s brass needs to shed payroll. Taylor might have to stick and stay through the duration of his contract though, because the depth behind him and Cortez Allen is suspect at best.

Veteran William Gay is a serviceable nickel-back, but is too often burned and manhandled by bigger slot receivers and tight ends. Behind Gay exists a glut of young, somewhat unproven, and inconsistent players in the forms of Curtis Brown, Josh Victorian, and DeMarcus Van Dyke. Brown and Victorian definitely had their issues over the final four weeks of the 2012 regular season, and Van Dyke was mostly a special teams performer until he sustained a shoulder injury against the Cowboys.

I for one believe that it was a smart move by Colbert & Co. to take a player like Hawthorne for depth and developmental purposes. He fits the prototypical mold (6′ 195 lbs., 4.44 speed) of a starting outside cornerback in Pittsburgh’s defense, and Terry will definitely stick his nose into the fray to tackle ball-carriers and wide receivers. Overall, the former Fighting Illini cornerback racked up 105 tackles over the last two seasons to go along with 9.0 tackles for loss, but he will likely need to add a little bit of weight to his overall frame and some added strength to fight off blocks. Hopefully though, Hawthorne can keep himself out of harm’s way, because he sustained a scary injury last year after an open-field hit.

While Hawthorne’s hands are not the greatest, he still recorded 6 over his four-year career including 3 during his productive junior campaign. But hey, it’s not like Ike, Gay, or Keenan Lewis possessed the most reliable hands either. While Terry can play press-coverage, he should be at his best on the outside in a zone-heavy scheme due to his speed and tenacity to react and make plays on the ball.

Outside of adding depth at the cornerback position, Terry also has the ability to chip in with kicks and punt returns. Last year, Hawthore returned 12 kickoffs for 255 yards, and the Steelers would definitely be wise to take their starting wide receivers off of the return units for injury-purposes.

Overall, this is a solid value pick made by Colbert & Co., because this team needs some insurance at the cornerback position. Hopefully Hawthorne can contribute on special teams early, then move to some sub-package work by the middle of his second year.

Final Grade: B

[URL]http://nicepickcowher.com/2013/04/27/2013-nfl-draft-grades-5th-round-pick-pittsburgh-steelers-terry-hawthorne/[/URL]

[steel50]

I watch this guy a lot in college and I think he will get some playing time this year

[hawaiiansteel]

The Steel Mill

Instant analysis (TERRY HAWTHORNE)

April 27th, 2013



The Steelers addressed yet another need in the fifth round when they drafted Illinois cornerback Terry Hawthorne with the 150th overall pick.

The Steelers lost Keenan Lewis in free agency and Cortez Allen is expected to replace him. Even though they did add William Gay via free agency, the Steelers are kind of thin at the position and went into the draft looking to bolster the position.

Hawthorne is a big, physical corner who can play press coverage. He was high on everybody’s draft board before the season but fell back in part because of a poor defense he played on with Illinois along with what defensive backs coach Carnell Lake said was poor technique.

“I have a chip on my shoulder. I thought I was better than the fifth round,” Hawthorne said. “It is really nothing I can control. I just leave it up to God.”

Hawthorne played in 44 games at Illinois, making 26 starts and collecting 163 tackles. He is also able to return kicks and punts.

“What I like about him is that he has a lot of upside,” Lake said. “I like his ability and with some real work, he can even better.”

Instant analysis: He does have a lot of upside giving Hawthorne a chance to make the team with the likes of Ike Taylor, Allen, Gay, Curtis Brown, DeMarcus VanDyke and Josh Victorian, but he isn’t going to be an impact player.

[URL]http://blog.triblive.com/steel-mill/2013/04/27/instant-analyis-terry-hawthorne/[/URL]

[papillon]

Would love to see him displace Gay as the nickle back by the end of the year, not because I don't like Willie Gay, but because the Steelers are going to need cornerbacks starting next year.

Pappy

[thor75]

The last line states "he isn't going to be an impact player." We'll see, but I think Lake is more than able to coach him up and turn him into Ike's replacement.