Chuck Pagano tends to know good cornerbacks when he sees them. The man spent a huge portion of his career in football as a defensive backs coach. So his eye for the position is sharper than most. All one has to do is look at his track record in recent years to understand that.
He helped the Baltimore Ravens identify Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith as future quality pros. Then as head coach in Indianapolis, he signed off on the trade for Vontae Davis from Miami where he'd been struggling. The corner quickly became a Pro Bowler there. So he knows good ones when he sees them.
That is why his recent comments on 2nd round pick Jaylon Johnson stood out so much.
“Ever since he’s been cleared for limited and then full participation, he’s done a really good job. He’s a quick study. He gets it. He’s an athletic guy. When he’s around the ball, he makes plays. He makes interceptions. He’s got exceptional ball skills — and it’s not too big for him... ...He’s a humble kid, but he’s really confident. He doesn’t let things bother him. Guys in this league are going to make plays, we know that. A guy will catch a ball on him, and maybe not, I don’t know. He’s done a great job. He’s a very athletic guy and very talented, but he’s a confident guy and he’s got great ball skills, really good cover skills. So, (I’m) really excited to see him go out and compete and play.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7QpabDb4XQ&t=1s&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
