4 toughest matchups for Troy Pride Jr. in 2020
By Dean Jones
Emmanuel Sanders (New Orleans Saints)
The New Orleans Saints look primed once again for another tilt at the Super Bowl in 2020. They have made a series of eye-catching moves during the offseason to give them the best possible chance of avoiding the under-achievement that has blighted their recent few seasons in the playoffs.
Arguably the biggest signing during this period was Emmanuel Sanders. The speedy receiver adds another prolific weapon for Drew Brees to call upon in what is expected to be his final season before retirement.
It is unlikely that Carolina Panthers’ draft pick Troy Pride Jr. will be tasked with guarding Michael Thomas during his rookie campaign. So the onus will be on him to try and limit Sanders’ influence whenever they are matched up against each other.
The former San Francisco 49er is an experienced figure who possesses tremendous speed out of his cuts. This is going to be a real baptism of fire for Pride Jr. and it is going to be a steep learning curve covering a receiver that has such a strong reputation of winning wherever he goes.
The Panthers draft was full of young prospects who are versatile enough to make contributions in various areas of the field. Pride Jr. was brought in specifically to play cornerback and this will come with a huge responsibility in 2020.
Covering people with the game-changing ability of Sanders is something he should get used to early on. This will be one of his toughest matchups of the season and one that Pride Jr. will see on two occasions.