2024 NFL Scouting Report: Notre Dame CB Cam Hart

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Notre Dame CB Cam Hart.

#5 CAM HART, CB, NOTRE DAME – (R-SENIOR) 6030, 202 POUNDS

Senior Bowl Invite

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Has great size, height, and length for the position
— Can blanket receivers up the sideline in coverage
— Possesses the speed to carry receivers vertically
— Length aids in minimizing passing lanes and contesting catches
— Physical corner that competes at the catch point for the football
— Willing tackler who likes to get his nose dirty in the run game
— Opportunistic as he seeks to rip at the football upon contact
— Hs enough short-area quickness to stay in-phase with receivers
— Does a good job breaking back on the football on underneath routes
— Displays good pursuit in the running game and on plays away from him

THE BAD

— Isn’t the most twitchy corner due to his size
— Can do a better job getting his hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage
— Will often allow easy releases to receivers as they begin their routes
— Can play a little upright at times, leading to slower transitions
— Will be a 24-year-old rookie
— Ball production hasn’t been there the last two seasons

BIO

— Redshirt Senior prospect from Baltimore, MD
— Born December 5, 2000 (age 23)
— Played wide receiver in high school and was recruited as a receiver, but moved to corner at ND
— Played in three games in 2019 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury
— Played in nine games in 2020, tallied two pass breakups and three tackles
— Stepped into a starting role in 2021, making ten starts in 13 games and made  42 tackles (25 solo), four tackles for loss, nine pass deflections and two interceptions
— Played in 11 games with ten starts in 2022 and made 25 total tackles (17 solo), three tackles for loss, and four pass deflections
— Started 12 games in 2023 and made 21 tackles (15 solo), three tackles for loss, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery
— 2023 Team Captain

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Cam Hart was widely recruited as a wide receiver coming out of high school, looking to star on the offensive side of the football in college. However, he moved over to the defensive side of the football when he got to Notre Dame, making the transition to cornerback, which has paid dividends for Hart, who has that rare size and length at the position. He’s been a full-time starter the last three seasons for the Fighting Irish, having faced some of the top receivers on the outside with the measurables as well as the skill set that makes him intriguing for NFL scouts.

When you pop in the tape on Hart, you see a long, lanky corner that has the height and arm length to blanket opposing receivers in coverage. Take a look at these two plays against Ohio State, where Hart is lined up at the top of your screen. In the first rep, he gets his hands on WR Marvin Harrison Jr. as he carries him up the sideline, staying right in Harrison’s hip pocket as he gets an outside release to provide tight coverage as the ball is just overthrown. In the second clip, Hart carries the receiver vertically, running step-for-step with him in coverage as the quarterback goes underneath for the check-down route.

For being a bigger corner, Hart has shown that he has the requisite quickness to make transitions to come back to the football and contest the catch. His former wide receiver background aids in his ability to play the football against the receiver he’s in coverage with. Take a look at this play Hart makes on the football against UNC WR Tez Walker at the Senior Bowl, getting his hands on him at the start of the rep and running the route with Walker, stepping in front of the pass to make the interception in 1-on-1s.

This ability to click and close on the football comes up big for Hart when playing off-man or zone coverage, breaking on underneath routes to impact the pass. Take a look at this play Hart makes against Wisconsin, where he drops back into coverage but sees the receiver start to break inside, stepping in front of the route to make the interception and proceeding to run it back deep into Badger territory.

While Hart may be a defensive back by trade, that doesn’t take away from his physicality as a tackler. He displays the willingness and aggressiveness you want in an outside corner, being willing and able to mix it up in the run game. Take a look at this rep against Florida State, where Hart comes downhill and makes the tackle after getting off the block on a screen pass to the flat, cutting the receiver’s legs out from underneath him to make the tackle.

Hart is also opportunistic as a tackler, looking to pull the patented “Peanut Tillman Punch” to knock the football out. That’s what he does on this rep against USC, squaring up the receiver in the open field and punching the football out for the forced fumble that his teammate recovers and runs back to the house for the defensive score.

Hart displays great effort from snap to whistle on the field, whether it be in coverage or in pursuit of the football. Check out this play Hart makes as he tracks down the Ohio State receiver from behind, taking an angle to the football as he uses his long strides to close the distance between him and the football, making the tackle to stop the receiver’s progress after the catch.

Hart has plenty of qualities that make him an enticing prospect, but he does have some parts of his game that he needs to continue to refine for the next level. He can be a little slow in his transitions at times and also has lacked the ball production you want in a top-tier cornerback the last two seasons. He also can be inconsistent with getting his hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage like on this rep, allowing the receiver to have a free release on the rub route, getting wide open in the middle of the field on the slant for the easy completion and the first down.

CONCLUSION

Cam Hart is a physical, long cornerback who should be able to play in a press-man system as well as in off-man/zone, making him a good fit for nearly any defensive system as a big outside corner. He needs to be more consistent with using his hands to jam opposing receivers and stay with them at the top of routes, but Hart has the package that you are looking for in a potential starting outside corner in the league.

Hart looks pretty similar to Pittsburgh’s Joey Porter Jr. in regard to size, length, and play style. While the two share similar games, I will be more conservative with my pro comparison and use Tre Flowers, who played a while with the Seahawks and Bengals before playing with the Falcons this past season, as a more reasonable pro comparison as Flowers also is a long corner that has shown a willingness to mix it up in run support.

The Steelers need another long-term starting option opposite of Porter for the future, and Hart could be a near identical player Pittsburgh could target in the middle rounds to draft and develop behind Patrick Peterson. Hart should be able to be a solid backup early in his rookie season and have a chance to earn starting snaps in the first couple of seasons of his NFL career.

Projection: Day Two/Early Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 7.7 – Potential Starter/Quality Backup (Third Round)
Games Watched: vs USC (2023), vs Ohio State (2023), vs Wisconsin (2022), Senior Bowl