Why Commanders' UDFA Chigozie Anusiem could be a breakout candidate in 2024 NFL season
Former Colorado State cornerback Chigozie Anusiem went undrafted but has since signed with the Washington Commanders. Unlike Josh Wallace, I really don’t understand why Anusiem went undrafted, since he has even better size at 6’1”, 200 pounds and ran a 4.39 at the Colorado State pro day.
A former three-star safety recruit for Cal back in 2018, it took Chigozie Anusiem a little bit of time to find his footing and it took until the final two of his six seasons in college for him to become a fixture in the lineup. That was once he had transferred to the Rams, where he logged a pick and 12 PBUs across 23 total games.
Anusiem operates with good balance and his eyes locked in on the belt of his man from soft-press alignment. He shows the football IQ for what routes to anticipate based on splits and formations, slightly adjusting his technique, and then has 32-and-¼-inch arms to impede to progress of the guy across from him as he commits to the release.
He has the wheels to run with just about anybody and his closing burst once receivers try to separate on secondary routes is excellent. Anusiem's length allows him to bat down targets others would settle for the tackle on.
On 228 snaps in man-coverage over the past two years combined, Anusiem allowed just 12 of 36 targets his way (33.3%) to be completed for 157 yards and 1 touchdown, while actively forcing 9 incompletions.
He might be at his best playing top-down in quarters and closing on stuff in the flats, where he looks comfortable peaking back at the quarterback, mid-pointing routes and passing along or falling off for targets in his vicinity.
Chigozie Anusiem can definitely get a little too aggressive with wanting to dictate the route development and gets turned the wrong way, leading to some wasted movement. This was highlighted during Shrine Bowl week against more skilled route-runners.
However, it’s not like he’s missing tackles (just 5.2% of his attempts last season, compared to 6.3% for his entire career) and he’s generally a strong edge-setter. You see him slide inside of receivers to create early stops when the ball bounces his way or he punches off receivers with those long limbs, not shying away from sticking his nose in the fan against bigger bodies out on the perimeter.
How Chigozie Anusiem will fit with the Commanders
You'd have thought someone would bet on Chigozie Anusiem's traits, teaching him how to hone in his aggressiveness in man-coverage, since he’s pretty reliable against the run from day one.
Looking at what the new Commanders' head coach values from that position, it aligns with a lot that he brings to the table in terms of dictating terms to receivers with a high rate of man-coverage. That’s why they brought in Michael Davis from the Chargers to pair with Benjamin St. Juste while drafting Mike Sainristil to start in the nickel.
Then there's Emmanuel Forbes, who was over-drafted based on speed and having a nose for coming up with interceptions. This new front-office isn’t as invested in him to succeed and I could see Chigozie Anusiem end up as their primary backup on the outside, since he’s a good 20 pounds heavier and fits more with their mantra.