This stat proves Rock Ya-Sin is growing into a quality cornerback

Indianapolis Colts cornerback, Rock Ya-Sin, has made significant strides in his young career and the numbers support his case.

In 2019, the Indianapolis Colts selected cornerback, Rock Ya-Sin, with their first pick of the draft. Ya-Sin was taken in the second round, 34th overall.

Drafted out of Temple, Ya-Sin was chosen to be an immediate impact player. He started 13 games in his rookie season and played in 15. Throughout his first year, he displayed promise but also that he had a lot of room for growth.

In year two, Ya-Sin didn’t take the leap that many had hoped. His second season was more of the same problems he had as a rookie and many fans feared that he would ultimately pan out as a bad pick.

However, Indianapolis decided to stick with Ya-Sin, and both parties benefitted in year three. Ya-Sin finally made the next step in his development and became a trustworthy corner for Indy.

If that wasn’t evident in the games throughout the season, the end-of-year stats certainly make it clear.

Rock Ya-Sin was a top cornerback for Colts

According to Pro Football Focus, Ya-Sin has the fifth-highest grade in man coverage. He also had a top-20 overall grade, drastically improved from his second year.

In year one, Ya-Sin allowed a 69.7 completion percentage for 637 yards and three touchdowns. In year two, it was a 67.2 completion percentage for 594 yards and two touchdowns.

This past season, Ya-Sin lowered his allowed completion percentage to 53.3 and only gave up 217 yards and three touchdowns. A substantial improvement for the young cornerback.

In addition to his growth in coverage, Ya-Sin was able to rid the penalty problem he had. In his first two seasons, he tended to be handsy with receivers, recording 14 penalties over the two years.

Four of those were for defensive holding, six for pass interference, two for illegal contact, one for illegal use of the hands, and one for unnecessary roughness.

In the 2021 season, Ya-Sin was only flagged twice in 13 games, both for pass interference, displaying much better technique and discipline this year.

Moving forward, it appears as if Ya-Sin will ultimately be a cornerback that the Colts can trust. His career started slow but the franchise stuck with him and that decision is paying off for Ya-Sin and Indianapolis.

Ya-Sin will be a big part of Indy’s defense improving next season as the Colts look to compete for a championship.

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