In high school, he was a superb athlete at the position, with great instincts.
In most cases, he was simply told to blanket their best receiver, and that's it. Even with his near-complete deafness, he could still get away with the ol' "read and react" when it comes to covering one (and only one) guy.
By the time he got to Ole' Miss, that simply wasn't good enough, and when combined with the injuries he suffered, he went from a "can't miss" cornerback prospect, to someone who wasn't even able to crack the 2-deep lineup.
I still think he could have been a good safety at ND, provided he didn't get hurt. Unfortunately, he made his bed (in many ways), and now must sleep in it.