{"id":3371,"date":"2025-04-27T05:06:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T05:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/3371\/"},"modified":"2025-04-27T05:06:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T05:06:09","slug":"2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report-central-michigan-cb-pr-donte-kent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/3371\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Central Michigan CB\/PR Donte Kent"},"content":{"rendered":"

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL team. These players could be potential top-10 picks, Day 3 selections, or priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Central Michigan cornerback\/punt returner Donte Kent, the Steelers\u2019 seventh round and final pick of 2025.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

No. 4 DONTE KENT, CB\/PR, CENTRAL MICHIGAN (R-SENIOR) \u2014 5102, 189 POUNDS
\nMEASUREMENTS<\/p>\n

Player
\nHt\/Wt
\nHand Size
\nArm Length
\nWingspan<\/p>\n

Donte Kent
\n5102\/189
\n8 1\/2*
\n31*
\n\u00a073 1\/2*<\/p>\n

40-Yard Dash
\n10-Yard Dash
\nShort Shuttle
\n3-Cone<\/p>\n

4.38*
\n1.53*
\n4.38
\n7.15*<\/p>\n

Broad Jump
\nVertical
\nBench Press<\/p>\n

10\/3\u2033*
\n38.5*
\n14*<\/p>\n

Pro Day Results*\u00a0<\/p>\n

THE GOOD<\/p>\n

\u2014 Filled-out frame relative to his height
\u2014 Physical in coverage as well as a run defender
\u2014 Has the straight-line speed to cover vertical receivers
\u2014 Recovery speed pops off the screen on tape
\u2014 Shows phenomenal effort in pursuit of the football
\u2014 Wrap-up tackler who wants to play his part against the run
\u2014 Operates well in zone coverage while coming downhill to contest passes
\u2014 Has experience playing in the slot, out wide, and some at safety
\u2014 Will challenge for punt-return duties in training camp
\u2014 Has the athletic profile and demeanor to be a strong gunner on special teams<\/p>\n

THE BAD<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lacks ideal height and length for playing on the outside
\u2014 Doesn\u2019t always play up to his timed speed
\u2014 Doesn\u2019t always play with great pad level in coverage
\u2014 Can be slow to click and close on underneath routes
\u2014 Physical play style can cause him to get a little grabby on receivers\u2019 breaks
\u2014 Can do a better job breaking down when tackling the ball carrier
\u2014 Awareness when seeing\/reading route breaks can be improved
\u2014 Transitions from backpedal to flipping of hips\/lateral movement can be clunky
\u2014 Only two interceptions in 53 career games<\/p>\n

BIO<\/p>\n

\u2014 Redshirt senior from Harrisburg, Pa.
\u2014 Born Sept. 28, 2001 (age 23)
\u2014 Sport management major
\u2014 Three-star recruit, according to Rivals
\u2014 Grew up a Chicago Bears fan<\/a>
\u2014 Captain in high school team won a district championship as a senior
\u2014 Committed to Central Michigan out of high school
\u2014 Career: 53 games played, 234 tackles (six for a loss), 46 pass breakups and two interceptions
\u2014 2024 stats: 53 tackles (one for loss), nine pass breakups, and zero interceptions.
\u2014 Second-team All-MAC<\/a> (2023-2024); 2024 team captain, first-team All-MAC (2022)<\/p>\n

TAPE BREAKDOWN<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers used their final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on Central Michigan CB\/PR Donte Kent. Kent signed with Central Michigan in 2020 and had spent all five seasons with the Chippewas, becoming a three-time All-MAC player for his contributions on defense as well as on special teams.<\/p>\n

When you pop in the tape on Kent, you see a tough, rugged defensive back who has played in the slot as well as out wide at cornerback with some safety snaps sprinkled in. He is a willing and capable tackler who will fight off blocks and come downhill against the run like you see in the clip below against Illinois. Kent fights off the block before making the tackle to keep the runner from reaching the end zone.<\/p>\n

Kent shows great effort in pursuit of the football. He will come off his assignment to try to make a tackle, both against the run and when chasing down receivers after the catch.<\/p>\n

Watch this clip against the Illini. Kent starts by covering his man breaking on a post over the middle of the field but peels off as he sees the pass completed underneath. Kent comes downhill, breaks down, and makes the tackle in open space.<\/p>\n

Kent is at his best as an off-coverage defender when he can come downhill and make an impact challenging receivers at the catch point.<\/p>\n

Watch the clip below of Kent making his coverage drop and seeing the receiver break open over the middle of the field. He gets on his horse to get on the receiver\u2019s hip pocket and breaks up the pass.<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s reading the quarterback\u2019s eyes in coverage, Kent does a good job staying in phase and has the speed and burst to run with most receivers down the field. Watch this clip below of Kent not biting on the stutter-and-go at the top of your screen. He keeps his eyes on the quarterback as he runs stride for stride with the intended receiver down the sideline, keeping him from reaching the ball in the end zone.<\/p>\n

Kent can be a bit slow coming out of his transitions and click and closing on the football. Watch this rep below Kent freezes for a split second as the receiver comes out of his route, not moving his legs to come downhill to contest the pass. The receiver makes the easy grab for the first down, catching Kent flat-footed.<\/p>\n

Kent is a little too aggressive at times in coverage, getting a little grabby at the top of routes.<\/p>\n

In this rep, Kent gets called for blatant pass interference on the crossing route into the end zone. He panics and proceeds to tuck at the receiver\u2019s waist, tripping him up before the ball arrives.<\/p>\n

Kent will also be hoping to provide Pittsburgh with an impact in special teams, having returned 16 punts for 217 yards and one touchdown for CMU this past season.<\/p>\n

His TD return came against Central Connecticut in the first clip below, but he also has several other successful returns on his tape. In the second clip against Western Michigan, Kent utilizes his combination of speed and vision to follow his blocks and get into open space.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/p>\n

Donte Kent is a prototypical fit for slot-corner duties in the NFL. He brings some versatility to the table, having experience outside as well as some at safety. He is a willing and capable tackler and has the play speed you desire, though his instincts can cause him to be a step behind at times in coverage.<\/p>\n

His path to making the Steelers\u2019 53-man roster will be on special teams as a punt returner and gunner. He will need to get into the good graces of ST coordinator Danny Smith to earn a roster spot coming out of the preseason.<\/p>\n

When coming up with a pro comp for Kent, Avery Williams came to mind as another college defensive back who also specialized as a kick and punt returner with similar size and athleticism as Kent.<\/p>\n

Depot Draft Grade:\u00a0<\/a>6.2 \u2014 End of Roster\/Practice Squad (7th Round)
Games Watched:\u00a0 vs Central Connecticut (2024), at Illinois (2024), vs Western Michigan (2024)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3372,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2026],"tags":[80,3204,3205,2693,7],"class_list":{"0":"post-3371","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-2025-nfl-draft","9":"tag-2025-nfl-draft-profiles","10":"tag-central-michigan","11":"tag-donte-kent","12":"tag-football"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114408193048465914","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}