ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Damon Webb feels like he has an advantage over many of the other defensive backs at this week’s East-West Shrine Game.
That’s because Webb spent the last four years at Ohio State, where he believes his coaches gave him a head start in preparing for the NFL.
"It helped me tremendously," Webb said. "Sometimes, I feel like I have an upper hand on some of the other DB’s just because like when we do a drill, I’m like 'Oh, I done did this drill my whole career at Ohio State.' So basically, our coaches definitely prepared us for where I’m at right now."
As a cornerback in his first two years as a Buckeye, Webb learned from Kerry Coombs, who has had four cornerbacks selected in the first round of the last four NFL drafts (an achievement that will likely soon be five first-rounders in five years, thanks to Denzel Ward). As a safety in his final two years as a Buckeye, Webb’s position coach was Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, who was able to teach Webb how to prepare for the NFL because he himself has been an NFL head coach, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"When Greg Schiano came to Ohio State, he sat me down and taught me how to study film, taught me how to write notes," Webb said. "So when coaches come up to me and try to teach me the defense, I feel like it’s easier for me to pick up."
That’s not to say that Webb hasn’t learned new things during his first two days of practice at the Shrine Game. From a technical standpoint, Webb says his coaches in St. Petersburg this week have taught him some things that are different from what he was taught as a Buckeye.
"All the DBs out here have been getting great work, and coaches have been giving us new techniques and we’re just learning as the days go," Webb said. "Different alignments and different coverages, different ways to play the post and different ways to play a certain technique, like how we play in Cover 3 and how we’re all supposed to align and how I should play and stuff like that."
Even with that learning curve, though, Webb believes his performance at the Shrine Game thus far has been a success.
"They’ve gone really well," Webb said of his first two days of practice.
“When Greg Schiano came to Ohio State, he sat me down and taught me how to study film, taught me how to write notes. So when coaches come up to me and try to teach me the defense, I feel like it’s easier for me to pick up.”– Damon Webb
While it’s only natural that Webb, who never seemed to lack confidence during his Ohio State career, would believe that he has performed well in practices, you don’t have to just take his word for it. The fact that he was interviewed by at least 10 NFL scouts after Tuesday’s practice – more than most if not all of the other players on the East roster – is an indicator in itself that Webb has turned heads with his performance in practices thus far.
Webb said it felt good to receive that level of interest from NFL scouts after Tuesday’s practice.
"This is like my dream (to play in the NFL)," Webb said, "so just seeing my dreams come true is just a great feeling."
Webb’s strong start to his week of Shrine Game practices comes off a strong senior season for the Buckeyes, in which he led Ohio State with five interceptions and was third on the team with 61 total tackles. He capped off his final season as a Buckeye with one of the best games of his entire Ohio State career, returning an interception for a touchdown while also recovering a fumble and recording five tackles to earn outstanding defensive player honors for the Buckeyes’ 24-7 Cotton Bowl win over USC.
That strong finish to his Ohio State career likely already had Webb’s draft stock moving in an upward direction, and continuing to perform well for the rest of this week in St. Petersburg should only keep that trajectory going.
"I feel like it helped my draft stock tremendously," Webb said of his senior season, "'cause I feel like I got a lot of momentum behind me right now. And just to end my college career off with that game, it’s just a great feeling."
Webb, who has spent most of his first two practices at the Shrine Game lining up as a deep safety, but also occasionally lining up closer to the line of scrimmage, says he wants to prove this week that he is a well-rounded safety who can make plays in both coverage and run support.
"I just want to prove that I’m an all-around safety," Webb said. "I can play man, I can play the post really good and I’m a great tackler. If they need me to play in the box, I can play in the box. If they need me to play deep in the post, I can play deep in the post."
Furthermore, Webb believes that with his past experience of playing cornerback, he is capable of playing anywhere in an NFL secondary.
"Wherever you need me on the field," Webb said. "I can play corner, I can play nickel."
Webb isn’t as highly regarded a prospect as many of Ohio State’s other starting defensive backs have been in recent years, and he still has some lingering questions hanging over him. One that might seem unimportant, yet that NFL scouts might fixate on: Webb’s hands measured in at only eight inches, tied for the smallest among all players at the Shrine Game, according to Sporting News’ Eric Galko. Webb’s athleticism will be put to the test when he participates in the NFL Scouting Combine and/or Ohio State’s pro day in March.
All of that said, Webb’s stock for the 2018 NFL draft appears to be on the rise. He’ll look to keep it going that way by performing well in the East team’s final two practices of Shrine Game week on Wednesday morning and Thursday morning and by finishing the week strong in the Shrine Game itself, which will be televised on NFL Network, at 3 p.m. Saturday at Tropicana Field.
