Will Lee III, CB
School: Texas A&M University | Conference: Southeastern Conference
College Experience: Senior | Age: 23 (Week 1)
Height / Weight: 6’1” | 190 lbs
Projected Draft Status: Late 3rd round – 5th round
Player Comparison: Eli Apple
College Statistics
| Tackles | Def Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Comb | TFL | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | IntTD | PD | FR | Yds | FRTD | FF | Awards |
| 2023* | Kansas State | Big 12 | SO | CB | 11 | 32 | 10 | 42 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2024* | Texas A&M | SEC | JR | DB | 12 | 39 | 3 | 42 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 97 | 48.5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2025 | Texas A&M | SEC | SR | CB | 13 | 39 | 11 | 50 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | 36 | 110 | 24 | 134 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 4 | 124 | 31.0 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
| Kansas State (1 Yr) | 11 | 32 | 10 | 42 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Texas A&M (2 Yrs) | 25 | 78 | 14 | 92 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 97 | 48.5 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Player Overview
Starting from Iowa Western Community College (JUCO) to Kansas State, Will Lee III finished his collegiate career with the Texas A&M Aggies. He is a lean boundary cornerback capable of playing man and zone coverage. He possesses the desirable length and wingspan
which he used to intercept four passes and break up 24 passes in three years of his FBS collegiate career. Lee is fluid in his hip transitions into sprints and drives hard into passing lanes. Shortcomings with Lee stem from his inconsistencies, mental mistakes, and subpar physicality. Too often, Lee relies on ankle diving and it shows in his run defense or lack thereof. Inconsistent processing and technique will cause him to get too physical and draw penalties. Will Lee III projects as a press corner who is seen as a rotational player/spot starter in the pros. His ceiling can rise if he’s in a system that plays to his strengths and coaching improves his technique and processing. Lee is projected as a late Day 2/early Day 3 player.
Metrics
(via nfl.com)
Source: sumersports.com
Awards & Accomplishments
- All NCAA-All American (2022)
- All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2023)
- 2nd Team All-SEC (2024)
Strengths
- Prototypical build for a boundary cornerback.
- Sticky in initial press coverage with fluid hips and footwork.
- Runs through pass catchers with force.
- Uses his length well to be a nuisance as a pass defender.
- Plenty of snaps in man and zone coverage.
- Good acceleration and quickness in short areas.
Weaknesses
- Average speed leads him to falling behind speedy vertical threats.
- Can play too upright on his backpedal.
- Relies too much on ankle diving and not enough on wrapping up.
- Ends up out of position in intermediate-deep zone coverages.
- Sub-200 lb build can leave him getting bullied by bigger physical receivers in the pros.
- Can get too grabby, or panics when uncomfortable, instead of trusting his length and technique.
- Struggles a bit on come back routes.
Let’s See His Work
Interviews
How He Fits on the Commanders
With new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, the secondary will likely mimic how aggressive the Vikings were during his tenure. As Cincinnati’s cornerback coach, Jones also got the most out of later-drafted secondary players like Darius Phillips. If he would like to add another cornerback to the secondary rotation, Will Lee III could be his guy. Lee is best at playing press coverage and showed the capability to defend passes during his collegiate career. Will Lee could give the cornerback room another young depth piece who can match the Commanders new aggressive approach.
