Of course, he has all the athleticism necessary, although, as said earlier, he doesn't fit McD's preference for tall CBs with length.
As to the cerebral aspects of the position, CB is by far the easiest position on the field to master; the playbook section for CBs is the shortest in the book. Especially where man coverage is concerned. But zones do require an entire mastery of the various coverage areas and knowing where everyone else is in relation to your position. Proper depths and drop angles are critical as well, kind of akin to a wideout that needs to run precise routes in relation to all the other receivers and needs to make sure his mistaken routes aren't running defenders into another area, etc.