Beaumont (TX) Central athlete P.J. Locke has always been a big fan of The University of Texas, but chose Oregon during the Fall because he did not have a Texas offer. That changed this week when Locke received a late offer from the Longhorns leading up to signing day. Locke mulled it over before re-affirming his commitment to Oregon over Twitter, but things continued to work behind the scenes for the golden triangle prospect and he flipped to Texas at the eleventh hour. Locke chose the Longhorns over offers from Baylor, Georgia, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Stanford, and UCLA.
Locke became a real option when Texas lost the commitment of South Oak Cliff defensive back Jamile Johnson, and it appears his lifelong love for the Horns won out in the end. Locke joins one of the more talented defensive back classes in recent memory, as the coaching staff looks to fill in depth left by departing seniors. Locke ranks #46 on the HornSports 2015 Top 50 rankings and can play any position in the secondary.
Film Analysis
At 5’10 185 lbs., Locke doesn’t have the rangy build we’ve seen the Texas staff target, but he’s a solid body with room to add a few extra pounds. Locke plays very physically which makes up for his lack of size, and is one of the hardest hitters in the state at the defensive back position. He mostly plays safety, but at camps last Summer, Locke proved he has skill to play corner and looked good in man coverage.
Locke is a smooth athlete who transitions well in and out of breaks with fluid hips and elite instincts. His best skill is his ability to diagnose plays and close quickly to arrive with a bang.
At safety, Locke is a ball hawk who mans the center field position in single high coverage with a good nose for the ball. He also shows an ability to come up and force on run plays making him an ideal slot defender.
Locke has decent speed and good hands, and doubles as a receiver for Central. He uses his hands well and understands leverage to muscle bigger receivers and knock them off of their assigned route. Locke is a great tackler who squares his body and gets behind his pads while wrapping up and exploding to stop ball carriers in their tracks.
Final Verdict
The only thing stopping Locke from being an elite prospect are his measurables. Locke might remind some of Quandre Diggs a bit in his build and instincts. His versatility helps replace a hole left by the defection of Jamile Johnson. Locke appears to be a player that does everything well but only one or two things great.
His physical style, confidence, and versatility are big weapons that will help him at the next level. This is a big pickup in an already loaded defensive class and I would expect his ceiling to be an all-conference level player with a chance to play at the next level.
