Tennessee CB Kamal Hadden has been much better than some people might think
The image of Tennessee CB Kamal Hadden bouncing off of Florida RB Trevor Etienne, who broke free and ran for a 62-yard touchdown in Tennessee's 29-16 loss to the Gators, has stuck in the minds of many Volunteer fans. That's evident from anyone who's been on a message board, on social media, or been around […]
The image of Tennessee CB Kamal Hadden bouncing off of Florida RB Trevor Etienne, who broke free and ran for a 62-yard touchdown in Tennessee's 29-16 loss to the Gators, has stuck in the minds of many Volunteer fans. That's evident from anyone who's been on a message board, on social media, or been around a Knoxville-area water cooler for just a few minutes.
In many of their minds, that summed up their belief as to why Hadden is not a good player. In reality, the cold, hard facts show they couldn't be more wrong.
Hadden is one of the highest-graded cornerbacks in the SEC by Pro Football Focus and among the top 25 in all of college football. His overall grade of 80.2 is the sixth highest of all cornerbacks in the SEC, and the highest in the Vols' secondary. His mark for run defense leaves a lot to be desired at 50.6. UT fans likely won't be surprised at that part based on his fundamentals in trying to bring down Etienne.
However, his coverage grade has been exceptional, earning him a coverage grade of 86.0 from PFF. That's good for seventh best in the nation among all cornerbacks.
The coverage numbers from PFF show Hadden has been a blanket on receivers who have thrown his way. He's allowed just 10 catches on 26 throws to receivers he's covering, good for a 38.5% completion percentage against. Those 10 catches have gone for only 64 total yards. He has 5 pass break ups (had 3 for all of 2022) and 2 interceptions.
That second interception was particularly impressive last Saturday, as Hadden anticipated the ball flying over the receiver and was in position to make the play of the night in a crucial moment.
Hadden's technique and effort on the Etienne touchdown run didn't look good. That's hard to argue. However, that's just one play in a long season. The rest of the season to date has proven that Hadden is one of the Vols' most productive defenders and deserves the benefit of the doubt as UT gets into the heart of conference play.
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