DBs: Milliner, Mathieu headed in different directions

[RS12]

DeMarcus Milliner, Alabama: The draft's top cornerback was fast out of the gate, opening his workout with a 40 time of 4.37 seconds. He carried that athleticism into the position drills, displaying terrific ball skills and the ability to move in every direction with speed. Milliner leaves the combine secure as a top-10 selection.

Desmond Trufant, Washington: Trufant entered the combine as a potential first-round pick after an outstanding Senior Bowl performance, and he cemented his position in the top 32 with a terrific all-around workout. His 40 time of 4.38 seconds ranked as a top-five mark and during drills Trufant displayed NFL-caliber footwork, hip movement and ball skills.

Daruis Slay, Mississippi State: Slay has been building buzz the past three months and he showed why the league is excited about his potential. At 6-foot, 192 pounds, he posted a swift 4.36 seconds in the 40. He later completed all of his drills with balance, speed and efficiency. NFL franchises see a next-level starter.

Jamar Taylor, Boise State: Add Taylor's name to the defensive backs moving up the charts. His 40 time of 4.39 ranked with the best of the corners, and his 22 reps in the bench press were the highest at the position. His performance during position drills was flawless. Taylor will quickly come off the board on day two of the draft.

Matt Elam, Florida: A safety by trade, Elam showed NFL cornerback skills during his workout. His 40 time of 4.54 was a solid mark for a 208-pound defensive back. So was his bench press result of 17 reps. Elam looked swift and fluid in all the position drills, showing footwork and hip movement that paralleled many of the better cornerbacks. Elam's workout was reassurance for any team considering him in round one.

Earl Wolff, North Carolina State: Wolff stated his case for being listed along with the better safeties in the draft after

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...mbine-defensive-backs-risers-sliders/1949373/

 

[RS12]

This summary omits a few players that will go before the Lions pick in the 2nd round(Jamar Taylor, Kenny Vaccaro, Xavier Rhodes, Desmond Trufant) and Tyrann Mathieu, who I am reliably told is not on the Lions draft board.

Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State: Nobody expected Banks to run well as that’s not his game. But 4.61 in the 40 is not pretty, and his 10-yard split time of 1.59 is tied for 2nd worst amongst corners. Weighing in at just 185 despite being a long 6’2” doesn’t bode well either; he’s skinny and that impacts durability, not to mention he’ll have to check big, physical guys like Brandon Marshall and Jordy Nelson in the NFC North. Banks is a player who did not meet preseason expectations. Perhaps he was overhyped heading into 2012, but the guy I saw, including in person vs. LSU, reminded me a little too much of Prince Amukamara, a tall but soft player with good instincts but lacking in the speed department. My advice to Martin Mayhew is “let him fall”. I suspect Banks will be an adequate starter somewhere in the NFL, but I’m skeptical it would happen in Detroit.

Robert Alford, CB, SE Louisiana: He splashed the big pool in Mobile with a very impressive Senior Bowl week. Since that time I’ve seen two SELA games (SHSU and UT-Martin) and it backed up what I saw in Mobile. The Combine further reinforced it. Alford is a speedy guy with quick reactions and excellent spatial and ball awareness. You want explosive burst? Alford has a 40” vertical and tied for the top broad jump for corners. He strikes me as a more polished, more natural version of Jonte Green, to put it in Lions perspective. I worry a bit about that sort of redundancy, but Alford also brings the dimension of being a dynamic return man. I question if he makes it to the Lions at 67 (I see Alford in the 50-64 range), but if Milliner isn’t the pick at #5 and Alford is still there at that point it would be very hard to argue against Robert Alford.

Dwayne Gratz, CB, UConn: Gratz was one of the most impressive performers in Indy…almost too impressive for his own good. He was not as consistently solid or as physically imposing at UConn as fellow Combine and Senior Bowl attendee Blidi Wreh-Wilson. Gratz did not always display the closing burst of a player with his Combine numbers of 38” vertical jump and 6.70 in the 3-cone drill. He’s the type of corner that likes to bait the QB and aggressively attack the ball, or the ball carrier. Those latter attributes are appealing to the Lions, who are on record as looking for more playmaking ability on the back end. On tape–I’ve seen 6 of his games over two years–I see a 5th rounder for a team with a rangy safety over his top. His Combine numbers probably dictate he comes off the board at least one round before that. If he’s still there in the 5th, Gratz makes some sense.

David Amerson, North Carolina State: He certainly had an interesting ride on Tuesday. Amerson initially timed his first 40 at a blazing 4.33, but that got adjusted to an official 4.44. Regardless, that’s at least a tenth of a second better than expected. Twitter was abuzz with all sorts of snide comments about how good Amerson’s 4.3 speed looked while he chased after receivers that blew past him down the field.

http://www.detroitlionsdraft.com/20...ks/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Duke Williams

 

[RS12]

David Amerson, S/CB, N.C. State
David Amerson had a terrible 2012 campaign, so he needed a boost in Indianapolis. He came through, running a 4.38 40 with a 1.52 10-yard split. He may have put himself back into second-round consideration.

Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
Johnthan Banks had a very impressive weigh-in. He was a legitimate 6-2, 185 with 33 7/8-inch arms. Unfortunately, he had one of the worst 40s of all the defensive backs, notching a 4.59 with a 1.59 10-yard split. He could have trouble being selected in the first round.

Dwayne Gratz, CB, Connecticut
Dwayne Gratz had one of the longer arm measurements of all the defensive backs (32 1/8), yet he still was able to knock out 22 bench press reps at 5-11, 201.

FEB. 26 UPDATE: Gratz had a stellar Tuesday in Indianapolis. He ran a 4.35 with a 1.50 10-yard split. He also thrived in the drills. Mike Mayock commented that there's a buzz surrounding Gratz.

Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
Tony Jefferson needed a good Combine because he's seen his draft stock tumble recently. He ran the second-slowest official 40 time of any defensive back at 4.75 (Zeke Motta, 4.83), but that's because he pulled his hamstring. Still, he gets a stock down arrow because he couldn't take advantage of his opportunity.

http://BAN-INCOMING-IN-3-2-1/combine2013stockDB.php

 

[xwalker]

Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
Tony Jefferson needed a good Combine because he's seen his draft stock tumble recently. He ran the second-slowest official 40 time of any defensive back at 4.75 (Zeke Motta, 4.83), but that's because he pulled his hamstring. Still, he gets a stock down arrow because he couldn't take advantage of his opportunity.

Interesting.

 

[SportsGuru80]

Milner didn't look that great... Deion Sanders wasn't that impressed