South Carolina cornerback David Spaulding has terrific size to play the position at the next level. The 2025 NFL Draft prospect is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. Spaulding has captured scouts' attention throughout the process.
Spaulding recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network. Spaulding discussed playing man and zone coverage, using size and length to his advantage, different techniques at the line of scrimmage, and more.
JM: You have terrific size for the position at a listed 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. How do you use that size to your advantage?
David Spaulding: That’s a great question. Being a defensive back at South Carolina, you have to be prepared to play against bigger, talented wide receivers. It’s better to have size and speed at your disposal, especially at this level.
The SEC is the closest thing you’re going to get to the NFL in college football from a size and talent perspective. Being a cornerback myself, who can also play the nickel spot, size and speed have given me an advantage.
The quarterback has little-to-no margin for error when targeting me in coverage. The window to complete a pass against me is very small. I’m a longer defensive back. I make it difficult to make those throws. It’s all about that size and speed.
It’s very important to have size and speed at any defensive back position.
JM: With that size and speed at your disposal, does David Spaulding prefer to play man or zone coverage?
David Spaulding: It depends on the scheme. It really doesn’t matter to me. The most important thing is to be in the right positions at the right time. I like playing both man and zone coverage. It’s 50-50 to me I would say.
JM: I’ll ask you this then. Which coverage approach and techniques are you most familiar with? What did they ask you to do at South Carolina?
David Spaulding: We played a lot of man and zone coverage. We played a good amount of both. We played a lot of press-man coverage. On top of that, we had a bunch of zone looks in our playbook as well.
It made us unpredictable for our opponents. That was the goal. That approach helped me familiarize myself with both man and zone coverage.
JM: If the game was on the line in 3rd-and-long, which would you rather be manned up versus the best opposing receiver, or in zone coverage with a chance to break on the ball?
David Spaulding: That’s a tough question. I would probably choose the man coverage scenario. Playing man is going to allow our defensive line to apply some pressure on the quarterback. They’ll take care of that, and I’ll do my job on the back end.
Defensive backs have to make our money somehow. We can do that by playing man coverage at a high level.
JM: Are there any corners you enjoy studying and learning from at the NFL level?
David Spaulding: I would probably say Kindle Vildor. He went to Georgia Southern with me. We were teammates before I transferred to South Carolina. He had great technique. I learned right away by watching him when I was just coming out of high school. He’s fundamentally sound with a high football IQ.
JM: That’s a great story. We've appreciated your time today. Why should a team use one of their draft picks on David Spaulding?
David Spaulding: I’m an outstanding person with good character. You never have to worry about me doing the right thing. Secondly, football is very important to me. I take this game very seriously.
We as football players have to use our platform to do better off the field. As far as my on-field abilities, I have terrific size and speed for the cornerback position. I’ve played all three positions in the defensive backfield at a high level, nickel and safety included.
I’ve displayed a versatile skill set at the highest level, in the SEC. I have a terrific football IQ because I watch a lot of film. I feel like I’m going to be a great asset to any organization. I’m a great teammate to have in the facility.
I bring value, versatility, and character to the table. That’s why a team should choose David Spaulding.
