Simon better than Claiborne?

I just saw this on ESPN Insiders. The article is about how teams will replace key players next year. (Another segment talked about how Bama would replace Kirkpatrick.) Interesting....

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LSU Tigers
Early entry: CB Morris Claiborne
Replacement plan: Tharold Simon

This review provided the biggest shock of the entire analysis. Going into the seven-game sample (Oregon, West Virginia Mountaineers, Auburn, Alabama [twice], Arkansas and Georgia Bulldogs), the big question was whether the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu, would be able to replace Claiborne as this team's best cornerback.

The first shock is that Claiborne is not quite as good as is generally thought: 25 targets, 12 completions/defensive penalties, 188 yards, 7.5 YPA, one touchdown and three interceptions. The interception total is quite good, but the YPA mark against the toughest passing offenses on the Tigers' schedule shows that Claiborne may be more of a ballhawk than a coverage player.

Mathieu certainly looks to be capable of becoming a top-notch collegiate ballhawk, but he had some significant coverage issues (25 targets, 14 completions for 221 yards) that led to an unacceptable 8.8 YPA. LSU will need him to do a better job before cutting him loose to go after passes more often.

That mindset leads to the second shocking item, which is that Simon was head and shoulders above Mathieu and Claiborne in coverage last season: 30 targets, 12 completions, 108 yards, 3.6 YPA. The YPA wasn't just an anomaly based on facing short passes either, as Simon allowed only two completions for 35 yards on 15 vertical targets (those thrown 11 or more yards downfield).

It should be noted that Simon allowed zero completions in eight stretch vertical targets (those thrown 20 or more yards downfield) and picked off two of those passes, so it is possible he could actually take over the ballhawk and coverage roles from Claiborne and leave Mathieu to focus on improving his YPA -- and making the type of plays that led to his being named a Heisman finalist in 2011.