MIAMI _ When Auburn coaches and Noah Igbinoghene decided that he would transition from wide receiver to cornerback before the 2018 season, they knew one thing:
He would take this very seriously.
The young man wouldn't simply rely on his innate physical gifts and intoxicating athleticism that allowed him to set an Alabama high school state record in the triple jump and finish second in the nation in that event.
Not only did he study nuances of his new position, but he was diligent in analyzing the weaknesses of the opponent. This seriousness in approach was very much in character for a young man who was taught the importance of discipline and work ethic by his parents, both Nigerian Olympic athletes.
"He took pride in knowing the opponent and letting the position coach know, 'I've identified his weakness and where the quarterback is trying to place the ball,' " Auburn defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff said in a phone conversation. "He prides himself on knowing the game. He's got tremendous work ethic in the classroom."
Before the NFL combine, McGriff stayed up with Igbinoghene until midnight on several days, helping prepare his cornerback to answer the types of questions teams might ask and to diagram defensive schemes on a whiteboard.
That classroom acumen served him well when Dolphins coach Brian Flores and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer gathered the Auburn defenders in a room, the day before the Tigers' March 6 Pro Day, installed a defensive system and then quizzed them on the details.
Beyond the physical gifts, Igbinoghene retained enough of the install to convince Flores and general manager Chris Grier that he was worthy of being a first-round corner, even though some had projected him as a second-round pick.
McGriff wasn't surprised to see him go 30th overall.
"The biggest thing is he has a tremendous skill set and great man-to-man ability," McGriff said. "Noah has great change of direction, great short-area quickness."
If a cornerback gives up a big play, "some guys may be looking for help, but he's anxious to line back up and do the next play," McGriff said. "He has tremendous short memory to go to the next play ... One of the worst things you can do is tell him you can't do this or that. He's going to work to prove you wrong."
Igbinoghene, who's listed at 5-11 and 200 pounds, played mostly on the boundary at Auburn. But with top corners Byron Jones and Xavien Howard on the roster, his best chance of playing early in Miami is in the nickel cornerback role.
Per Pro Football Focus' Ryan Smith, Igbinoghene allowed one reception in four targets, for 6 yards, when he lined up at nickel corner in 2018.
Last season, he allowed three receptions in 11 targets, for 37 yards when playing nickel corner, which computes to a 41.1 passer rating against.
"I wanted to put Noah inside some this past year but we couldn't afford to take him off the edge," said McGriff, who coached at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010.
"Noah knows (nickel corner); he's been baptized in the meeting room. With his learning ability _ he's got a strong football IQ _ he will be ready to go inside. After the draft, he said, 'You got to get me up to speed to go inside.' "
Igbinoghene was rated a four-star wide receiver prospect by Rivals.com coming out of Hewitt Trussville High in Alabama and chose Auburn over offers from Notre Dame, Missouri, Illinois and others. But he caught only six passes for 24 yards as a freshman in 2017 and Igbinoghene and coaches determined he would get more playing time at cornerback, where he started his first game at the position, against Washington, and every game the past two seasons.
He also excelled on special teams, averaging 27.3 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 44 career kickoff returns.
And he never took a day off, figuratively or literally. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn told a story recently about Igbinoghene practicing one day and thinking he was constipated, when he actually needed his appendix removed.
