Cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat and four players from his position group met with the media following the ninth practice of spring camp,

Players discussed how Poteat wants them to play, how Alexander Smith and Dean Engram are emerging for reps after Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams and why the unit could be better in 2021.

New cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat has made his message clear: he wants his group to be physical and make opposing receivers work.

“We have to have a dog mentality,” Dean Engram said. “When we get out there, we have to be able to hold our own. We don’t want to settle for pass deflections and incompletions. We want to be able to take the ball away this year.”

The response from the position group?

“I love that," veteran Caesar Williams said. "That gives us a chance to make plays and that makes receivers have to earn every yard.”

The mental side of the game has been Poteat’s focus before anything else. When it comes to the work on the field, corners have benefitted from having their individual position coach.

Jim Leonhard, formerly the defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator, noted the addition of Poteat would allow for detailed work with the corners that might not have applied to safeties. Through nine spring practices, players are already seeing a difference.

“One thing he focuses on is the whole group was inconsistent with press, but also we didn’t play a whole lot of off-man technique. Having Coach Poteat, he balances everything out," Williams said. "He teaches us press, he teaches us off-man, he teaches us zone, run fits and it’s not always too much emphasis on one area. You have to be versatile to play in this game and that’s what he brings.

"I see it as a good plus for our secondary. Having Coach Leonhard coach both the corners and the safeties, it was pretty hard to focus on one thing for the corners or the safeties to get better at. Having Coach Poteat, we’re able to sharpen our blade just having an individual coach coaching us up."

There is a wealth of experience at cornerback but after Hicks and Williams, there’s a battle for a consistent third option. Through nine practices, Smith and Engram have received reps both on the outside and at nickel. Each has impressed.

“They’re ready. They want to get on the field,” Poteat said. “They’ve been doing a good job of handling the load since Faion has been limited. They both have been handling the role of playing outside and nickel.

“They’re starting to pick up the techniques and understanding how to read the receivers. They’re doing a real good job for us. Those are two of the guys I would say are really tough, mentally. Being in that position of challenging receivers. I really like what I saw out of those two young players.”

The pair has seen a majority of their playing time over the past two years on special teams - Engram as a punt returner and Smith on coverage units. The extended reps has led to consistency with their technique, specifically in press techniques.

“From last season to now, I would say just consistency with my technique. Understanding what I’m good at and what I’m weak at and just getting better,” Smith said. “With my press technique, that was a big focus for me this offseason. The footwork, the hand placement and all that goes in that.”

Leonhard hasn’t been shy to use a number of bodies at corner, and the tandem of Engram and Smith appear to be up next to receive a number of reps at the position.

“Just a lot more consistency,” Hicks said of what he’s seen from the pair. “Just seeing a lot more ball these past two years and they’ve gotten a lot more comfortable and you can see the growth and the consistency and it’s popping out on film.”

Faion Hicks:

"Last season we didn’t get a spring ball and now that we’re doing it we look better than we did when we first stepped on the field for fall camp last year. A lot of guys are getting comfortable and when fall camp comes, we can just hit the ground running and pick up where we left off, so 2021 is going to be a lot different. We’re going to shock a lot of people."