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[dbair1967]

2008 Draft Prospects: Cornerbacks



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Prospect rankings · Risers/Fallers · Mock drafts · History · Draft Tracker TSX · Offense · Defense · Special Teams Defensive Ends · Defensive Tackles · Inside Linebackers · Outside Linebackers · Cornerbacks · Safeties
April 18, 2008
By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Clark your opinion!

Clark Judge ranks the top five defensive prospects at each position.


Top Prospects: Cornerbacks
1. Leodis McKelvin, Troy

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.38 Bench press: 225 lbs (17 times) Vertical jump: 38.5"

The skinny: What makes him special is that he's a top cornerback and and a terrific return specialist. Though he touched the ball only twice on offense, he holds the school record with 3,909 all-purpose yards, scoring eight times on returns -- seven by punts. A two-year starter, he has great athleticism but must work on his ball skills. "Hands are a real issue," said one scout. "Still, he can return kicks and punts."
2. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.33 Bench press: 225 lbs (19 times) Vertical jump: 40.5"

The skinny: Depending on whom you talk to he could be the best cornerback in the draft. He has a world of athletic ability, including outstanding speed, and has a knack for making big plays. If there's a knock it's that he's raw and played at a small-school level. Still, scouts drool over his potential. He has the size, body control and closing speed to be a solid NFL cornerback.
3. Mike Jenkins, South Florida

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.38 Bench press: 225 lbs (18 times) Vertical jump: 34"

The skinny: He played free safety as a freshman, then moved to cornerback where he was outstanding in press coverage. With teammate Trae Williams, South Florida had one of the best tandems of cornerbacks in the country. Jenkins has good size, outstanding speed and natural cover skills. He could be a better tackler and probably hurt himself by not attending the Senior Bowl, but he's a first-round lock.
4. Aqib Talib, Kansas

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.42 Bench press: 225 lbs (10 times) Vertical jump: 38"

The skinny: A standout throughout his career with the Jayhawks, Talib has big-play ability with outstanding ball skills that produced 13 interceptions. He is tall, instinctive, explosive and a reliable tackler. He doesn't have top-end speed, but with his size he could be moved to safety. Character is a question, with several clubs questioning off-the-field issues in his past.
5. Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.54 Bench press: 225 lbs (14 times) Vertical jump: 30"

The skinny: A two-year starter, he's an all-around player who has good coverage skills. He's not in the same class as Virginia Tech alum DeAngelo Hall, but he's good enough to be considered a first-round possibility. Flowers is extremely confident, knows how to find the football and is a big hitter. But he's not as fast as you would like.

Player on the rise:
Cromartie. I can't remember a player with more of a range in evaluations, with some people putting him in the second round and others considering him the best cornerback in the draft. Most scouts like him, and some are infatuated with him, particularly with his athletic ability. Warning: He has one kidney, but that doesn't seem to scare off suitors.
Player on the decline:
Talib. Those off-the-field issues continue to dog the guy. One scout I talked to said there was too much baggage here for his team to consider Talib. A GM I trust told me his club was removing Talib's name from its board because of character problems. No one questions Talib has the talent; what they wonder is if he can stay out of trouble.
Sleeper
Jack Ikegwuonu, Wisconsin -- He might have been a first-round pick had he not torn knee ligaments prior to the scouting combine. A first-team All-Big Ten choice the last two years, he might not play this season -- which means the team that chooses him must be patient. What they will get is a good cover corner who likes to press opponents and can handle tall receivers.
Overrated
Arizona's Antoine Cason. Yes, he has ability, and, no question, the guy knows how to find the end zone: He returned two of his five interceptions in 2007 for touchdowns. He's also a four-year starter. But he doesn't have great speed (yeah, I know he was on the Wildcats' track team) and isn't overly physical. He's a top-end player but isn't the first-round pick he was supposed to be. Might be better suited at safety.
Position analysis:
The position is strong, and it is deep. Can't find a cornerback in the first round? Don't worry. There are plenty to choose from in the second and third rounds. McKelvin, Cromartie and/or Jenkins should be Top 15 choices, with Talib and Flowers potential first-rounders. I don't know if anyone here steps in and makes an immediate impact, but there are plenty of potential starters.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

"Overrated
Arizona's Antoine Cason. Yes, he has ability, and, no question, the guy knows how to find the end zone: He returned two of his five interceptions in 2007 for touchdowns. He's also a four-year starter. But he doesn't have great speed (yeah, I know he was on the Wildcats' track team) and isn't overly physical. He's a top-end player but isn't the first-round pick he was supposed to be. Might be better suited at safety."

Lookie that...

 

[CrazyCowboy]

I just want me some DMAC to go on draft day

 

[Stash]

ANTOINE CASON

Size: 6-foot, 191 pounds
Combine 40-yard dash: 4.45 seconds

POSITIVES
Game tape, plain and simple. You can question his athleticism, if you'd like to. But if you watch the kid play, I'll wish you good luck in finding a better corner in the college ranks. Smooth, sound and instinctive, and just looks very natural playing football. A four-year starter at Arizona, Cason won the Thorpe Award as a senior, and was leaned on scheme-wise to do a lot in the Wildcats defense. Cason's also big and plays a physical brand ball, able to effectively jam receivers and also come up strong in run support. He plays the ball well while it's in the air, and displays exceptional route recognition. Very smart, great character, a leader and student of the game. Among the corners in this year's draft, there probably isn't a player who is more ready to step in right away than Cason. And he was an excellent return man as a collegian. Comes up big when you need him most, and finishes on the ball.


NEGATIVES
Most revolve around his speed. He can break on the ball, but could struggle downfield with receivers that can kick it into another gear well into their routes, and might have problems recovering from mistakes, even if neither of those things are really apparent on tape. Because of that, he's earned the moniker that corners that aren't track stars inherit - cover-2 corner. Also, he doesn't drop or flip his hips as well as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie or Mike Jenkins, though he has been able to make up for it with technique and intelligence.

COWBOY FIT
If the Cowboys are going on performance, rather than potential, then Cason could be their guy at the bottom of Round 1. He should be able to make a smooth transition to the pros and play right away. If the Cowboys were to draft him, he could start out as the third corner, although he'd probably be best suited to the slot, where Terence Newman plays in sub packages. Again, if you're looking for immediate impact, he's probably ready to jump in and contribute from Day 1. And although he's not lightning fast, he proved to be very good in close quarters in returning punts as a Wildcat, and could contribute in that area.

ARIZONA DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/DBS COACH MARK STOOPS
I think he's right in there with a lot of those guys I've coached (Blogger's note: Stoops coached five first-round picks in three years as Miami's DBs coach, from 2001-03). When you look at those guys, and take Ed Reed and Sean out of the equation, because they're safeties, he's there with any of them.; I'd put him in there with Ed, as far as character, leadership and work ethic are concerned. That's high praise, putting him in that category. ... The guys I had there, Antrell Rolle, Kelly Jennings, Mike Rumph, Phillip Buchanon, and I would say it's hard to compare him to any of them. But he reminds me a lot of Kelly in that the way works on his technique, and his overall game. It's very important to him to be a great player. He's a technician like Kelly was. I think he's a playmaker. ... I think good size, and you look at the NFL, and you need good size at corner. He's got good size, and he's very fluid for his size. ... I really don't know (why his stock has slipped since last year), it's hard for me to say. But all it takes is one team that likes him. Not sure but more than likely, it's the top-end speed they want at corner. Obviously, it's a very, very difficult position to play, and it takes a special player to handle that position. The one question is his top-end speed. ... With his length, and he's fairly tall corner, and his versatility, he's going to be able to do a lot of things. He can sneak up on you and play man, but he's also a good zone corner. The game's very important to him, and he has knack for making plays. ... Some things, when you're coaching, you just can't teach. At some point, players just have to be able to play, and let their instincts take over. And those guys, they can make plays, and that's what he done. He played a lot of football for us, every down for four years. He has confidence in his ability. The game comes natural to him. ... We played him to boundary quite a bit, because teams would put 'trips' to the field, and that enabled us to put pressure on him and put him in man-to-man situations. He allowed us to flood the field side with coverage, and he could take away the guy to boundary himself. ... It's hard to get much better than Antoine. He's a tremendous person. He came in from day one with work ethic, an ability to listen. He developed into a top corner, because of his work ethic, and because he listens and he's always been coachable, from the time he arrived to the day he left. He's a great kid, I have a lot of respect for him. He'll be a tremendous pro because of those things. ... (As a student), he was way above normal, he worked it where he had just one class this fall, and he doesn't even have to be on campus. He'll graduate in May with a high GPA, and he's one of most likable guys on campus.

 

[coach316]

"Hands are a real issue," said one scout.

Well, of course they are. If he had hands he'd be a receiver. :laugh2:

played at a small-school level

This comment seems rather silly considering his top 3 rated CB's all came from "smaller" schools. Besides, the small-school syndrome didn't seem to hurt the Jerry Rice's, Larry Allen's, Walter Payton's of the world did it?

 

[Teague31]

"Overrated
Arizona's Antoine Cason. Yes, he has ability, and, no question, the guy knows how to find the end zone: He returned two of his five interceptions in 2007 for touchdowns. He's also a four-year starter. But he doesn't have great speed (yeah, I know he was on the Wildcats' track team) and isn't overly physical. He's a top-end player but isn't the first-round pick he was supposed to be. Might be better suited at safety."

Lookie that...

Hos will be displeased...

 

[theogt]

"Overrated
Arizona's Antoine Cason. Yes, he has ability, and, no question, the guy knows how to find the end zone: He returned two of his five interceptions in 2007 for touchdowns. He's also a four-year starter. But he doesn't have great speed (yeah, I know he was on the Wildcats' track team) and isn't overly physical. He's a top-end player but isn't the first-round pick he was supposed to be. Might be better suited at safety."

Lookie that...

Heh. He says he's overated, then goes on to say there's no question he has ability and is a playmaker.

That is pretty funny.

His only criticism is that he doesn't have speed, yet somehow he was on the Arizona track team and ran a 4.4 at the Combine. And of course he'll rank Flowers #5 while he ran a 4.5.

 

[AsthmaField]

Heh. He says he's overated, then goes on to say there's no question he has ability and is a playmaker.

That is pretty funny.

His only criticism is that he doesn't have speed, yet somehow he was on the Arizona track team and ran a 4.4 at the Combine. And of course he'll rank Flowers #5 while he ran a 4.5.

meh. They have to find something negative to say. That's why they knock on Cromartie's small school background and don't knock Jenkins or McKelvin for the same thing.

Cason really doesn't have any negatives other than speed... so that's what people are listing.

 

[dbair1967]

FYI Boylhart answered my question about 1st rd CB's in his chat today. he said there would be 5 and perhaps 6...basically the same as most people

listed them as McKelvin, DRC, Jenkins, Talib and Flowers, said Cason was maybe the 6th.

David

 

[big dog cowboy]

His only criticism is that he doesn't have speed, yet somehow he was on the Arizona track team and ran a 4.4 at the Combine. And of course he'll rank Flowers #5 while he ran a 4.5.

Cason really doesn't have any negatives other than speed...

Houston - we have a problem.

 

[AsthmaField]

Houston - we have a problem.

You know what I mean.