2010 DRAFT - CORNERBACK RANKINGS & ANALYSIS
We now move to the defensive backfield, beginning with the cornerbacks, followed by the safety prospects. A first round, 32-pick mock draft will come tomorrow with a 5-round Chiefs' mock tomorrow night.
Cornerbacks
1. Joe Haden--5' 10 3/4" 193--Florida--His 4.57 at the combine was disappointing, he ran 4.52 at Florida's pro day. He plays much faster than he times, has a consistently quick back pedal & is a natural mirror-type corner. Flips his hips & runs very well, very good closing speed. Plays the ball like a receiver, excellent ball skills, 8 picks & 34 passes broken up. This junior started all 40 games while at Florida. Excellent run support & a sure tackler, 218 in 3 seasons.
Called the best conditioned player on this team by coach Urban Meyer. High to mid-1st round draft pick.
2. Kyle Wilson--5' 10" 194--Boise State--In your face press corner with good quickness & speed. Three year starter in 40 straight games. Though he hasn't faced top-flight competition, he played exceptionally well in bowls, non-conference & the Senior Bowl. Playmaker, had 11 interceptions(3 returned for scores) & 27 pass breakups. Solid run support & a secure tackler, did 25 reps in the bench press, better than all the DB's. Excellent punt returner with a 12.5 average on 38 returns & 3 touchdowns. Mid to late 1st round selection.
3. Devin McCourty--5' 10 3/4" 193--Rutgers--Good quickness, closing speed & the ability to track receivers all the way down the field. Excellent back pedal & hip flip. Decent run support & is more of a drag-down tackler. Superior special teams player, plays outside on punt return & coverage squads, does a very good job as a jammer, blocking the outside cover guy(the gunner), or as a gunner(covering a punt return). Blocked 6 kicks as well.
4. Patrick Robinson--5' 11 1/4" 190--Florida State--Best footwork in the group. Excellent speed & close area quickness. His 39" vertical jump attests to his leaping ability & he shows a good jam on receivers. Good open field tackler but not in run support, appears hesitant to stick his head in there & make the tackle. I question either his discipline to run the called defense or his intelligence to understand it because he's way, way out of position sometimes with no reason as to why. Smart O-coordinators & QB's could scorch this guy.
5. Kareem Jackson--5' 10 1/2" 196--Alabama--Started 40 straight including his true freshman year. Durable, tough tackler, fast enough & good leaping ability. Will get burned from time to time gambling for an interception.
6. Perrish Cox--5' 11 1/4" 195--Oklahoma State--Not a great cover guy, but he's adequate. Not real fast, but he's fast enough. Not a great tackler or run supporter. He's selfish, arrogant & unaccountable. So why is he rated so highly? Ball skills off the chart, 36 passes broken up, 10 interceptions, taking one back for a score. Return skills off the charts, four kickoffs & two punts returned for touchdowns. One arrest, two suspensions, missed the Cotton Bowl after being suspended for missing curfew twice leading up to the game.
7. Jerome Murphy--6' 1/8" 196--South Florida--Enough speed to stay with vertical routes, decent closing speed in short area. Long arms 38" vertical jump allow him to play really 'tall'. Excellent tackler in the open field & in run support. Tough, doesn't back down in any situation on the field, likes to jam & redirect receivers with his hands. Forced 4 fumbles & recorded 8 interceptions.
8. Chris Cook--6' 2" 212--Virginia--Huge for a cornerback, but don't let his size fool you. Cook isn't strong, did only 7 bench press reps at the combine. Runs well & flips his hips smoothly enough, but this grade is based on potential alone. Safety size but the lack of physicality rules out a position change.
9. Javier Arenas--5' 8 5/8" 197--Alabama--Excellent run support, tackles well with some pop. Excellent return man with 7 touchdowns at 'Bama. Fierce competitor used to playing against top-notch receivers.
10.Akwasi Owusu-Ansah--6' 1/2" 207--Indiana(Pennsylvania)--Big, fast raw corner from Division II. It will take major patience with this prospect. What he brings to the table immediately is excellent ball skills & return ability. Ten career interceptions, 2 returned for touchdowns plus a fumble run back for a score. Returned 2 kickoffs & 4 punts for touchdowns, excellent field vision & 4.37 speed could make him worth the pick just as a return man.
One more item, today would have been my father's 85th birthday. April 20th was also the day Dick Layden passed away, he was playing golf with my Dad on his birthday. We lost both of them just 3 months apart in 1998. Dick was Dad's best friend for decades. Happy Birthday Dad, I really miss you.
Cornerbacks
1. Joe Haden--5' 10 3/4" 193--Florida--His 4.57 at the combine was disappointing, he ran 4.52 at Florida's pro day. He plays much faster than he times, has a consistently quick back pedal & is a natural mirror-type corner. Flips his hips & runs very well, very good closing speed. Plays the ball like a receiver, excellent ball skills, 8 picks & 34 passes broken up. This junior started all 40 games while at Florida. Excellent run support & a sure tackler, 218 in 3 seasons.
Called the best conditioned player on this team by coach Urban Meyer. High to mid-1st round draft pick.
2. Kyle Wilson--5' 10" 194--Boise State--In your face press corner with good quickness & speed. Three year starter in 40 straight games. Though he hasn't faced top-flight competition, he played exceptionally well in bowls, non-conference & the Senior Bowl. Playmaker, had 11 interceptions(3 returned for scores) & 27 pass breakups. Solid run support & a secure tackler, did 25 reps in the bench press, better than all the DB's. Excellent punt returner with a 12.5 average on 38 returns & 3 touchdowns. Mid to late 1st round selection.
3. Devin McCourty--5' 10 3/4" 193--Rutgers--Good quickness, closing speed & the ability to track receivers all the way down the field. Excellent back pedal & hip flip. Decent run support & is more of a drag-down tackler. Superior special teams player, plays outside on punt return & coverage squads, does a very good job as a jammer, blocking the outside cover guy(the gunner), or as a gunner(covering a punt return). Blocked 6 kicks as well.
4. Patrick Robinson--5' 11 1/4" 190--Florida State--Best footwork in the group. Excellent speed & close area quickness. His 39" vertical jump attests to his leaping ability & he shows a good jam on receivers. Good open field tackler but not in run support, appears hesitant to stick his head in there & make the tackle. I question either his discipline to run the called defense or his intelligence to understand it because he's way, way out of position sometimes with no reason as to why. Smart O-coordinators & QB's could scorch this guy.
5. Kareem Jackson--5' 10 1/2" 196--Alabama--Started 40 straight including his true freshman year. Durable, tough tackler, fast enough & good leaping ability. Will get burned from time to time gambling for an interception.
6. Perrish Cox--5' 11 1/4" 195--Oklahoma State--Not a great cover guy, but he's adequate. Not real fast, but he's fast enough. Not a great tackler or run supporter. He's selfish, arrogant & unaccountable. So why is he rated so highly? Ball skills off the chart, 36 passes broken up, 10 interceptions, taking one back for a score. Return skills off the charts, four kickoffs & two punts returned for touchdowns. One arrest, two suspensions, missed the Cotton Bowl after being suspended for missing curfew twice leading up to the game.
7. Jerome Murphy--6' 1/8" 196--South Florida--Enough speed to stay with vertical routes, decent closing speed in short area. Long arms 38" vertical jump allow him to play really 'tall'. Excellent tackler in the open field & in run support. Tough, doesn't back down in any situation on the field, likes to jam & redirect receivers with his hands. Forced 4 fumbles & recorded 8 interceptions.
8. Chris Cook--6' 2" 212--Virginia--Huge for a cornerback, but don't let his size fool you. Cook isn't strong, did only 7 bench press reps at the combine. Runs well & flips his hips smoothly enough, but this grade is based on potential alone. Safety size but the lack of physicality rules out a position change.
9. Javier Arenas--5' 8 5/8" 197--Alabama--Excellent run support, tackles well with some pop. Excellent return man with 7 touchdowns at 'Bama. Fierce competitor used to playing against top-notch receivers.
10.Akwasi Owusu-Ansah--6' 1/2" 207--Indiana(Pennsylvania)--Big, fast raw corner from Division II. It will take major patience with this prospect. What he brings to the table immediately is excellent ball skills & return ability. Ten career interceptions, 2 returned for touchdowns plus a fumble run back for a score. Returned 2 kickoffs & 4 punts for touchdowns, excellent field vision & 4.37 speed could make him worth the pick just as a return man.
One more item, today would have been my father's 85th birthday. April 20th was also the day Dick Layden passed away, he was playing golf with my Dad on his birthday. We lost both of them just 3 months apart in 1998. Dick was Dad's best friend for decades. Happy Birthday Dad, I really miss you.
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