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By Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
(Archive)
Updated: February 20, 2008
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Similar to a year ago, the 2008 crop of cornerbacks is deep in talented, but void of a blue-chipper who without a doubt belongs in the top 10. The only difference is that this year's top prospects hail from schools like Troy, South Florida and Tennessee State, not Pittsburgh, Michigan and Texas.
There could be as many as nine cornerbacks -- Mike Jenkins, Leodis McKelvin, Aqib Talib, Brandon Flowers, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Reggie Smith, Tracy Porter, Patrick Lee, Antoine Cason and Chevis Jackson -- who come off the board between the middle of the first round and the end of the second round.
Jenkins, McKelvin and Talib are competing for the honor of being the first corner selected. Jenkins has the best combination of size and speed, McKelvin is the most sudden athlete, and Talib is the biggest and most versatile of the three. All three have experience in the return game and McKelvin has the greatest upside in that department, but Talib is the only one with significant experience on both sides of the ball, having caught eight passes at wide receiver in 2007.
Flowers lacks elite size and speed, but he is the most polished cover corner in the class right now, which is why it won't shock me if he sneaks into the bottom of Round 1. Porter also possesses first-round cover skills but his finesse approach is a turnoff to many NFL scouts. Conversely, Lee has the size, speed and toughness teams look for in a future starter but he is still a bit raw due to inexperience.
Rodgers-Cromartie and Smith have versatility due to their experience at both cornerback and safety in college. Cason and Jackson are also bigger corners but are not blessed with the same man-to-man cover skills as Rodgers-Cromartie and Smith, which is why Cason and Jackson will be best suited to play in a Cover 2-heavy scheme in the NFL.
The depth of this class is certain to spill over to the second day. Charles Godfrey, Justin King and Orlando Scandrick all need polishing, but could be worth the risk thanks to outstanding size-speed combinations. Jack Williams, Trae Williams, Terrence Wheatley and Justin Tryon are all undersized but show the quickness and speed to contribute as sub-package corners in the slot. On the flipside, Terrell Thomas, Dejuan Tribble and Dwight Lowery lack ideal turn-and-run skills but are instinctive enough to see the field if protected in zone-heavy schemes at the next level.
Finally, Zack Bowman and Jack Ikegwuonu were at one time considered upper-echelon talents but knee injuries have set both prospects back considerably. Bowman was not the same when he finally got back on the field as a senior while Ikegwuonu sustained a serious injury during workouts in January and will miss at least the entire 2008 season. Both players will look to reward the teams that take a chance on them in the later rounds.
Unfortunately, for the many teams in need of safety help, this year's draft supply will not meet the demand. The past three drafts have seen an average of 5.3 safeties selected in the first two rounds but this year's crop will provide two at the most.
Kenny Phillips and DeJuan Morgan could both have benefited from another year in school but you can hardly blame them for bolting early to exploit the situation. Phillips is the more naturally gifted of the two but he's coming off a disappointing junior season in which he made several mental mistakes. Morgan has less range in coverage but he's a bigger hitter with better leadership skills and special teams production, and in all reality neither is an elite prospect.
There's a dropoff in talent after Phillips and Morgan, but some good values will be there on Day 2. Thomas DeCoud, Marcus Griffin, Tyrell Johnson, DJ Wolfe, Simeon Castille, Jonathan Hefney, DJ Parker and Quintin Demps make up a group of smaller free safety types with some versatility in coverage but limitations in run support.
There is also a handful of Day 2 strong safety types who lack ideal range in coverage but are capable of covering kicks and contributing in certain jumbo packages. They include Tom Zbikowski, Jamie Silva, Craig Steltz, Jamar Adams and Joshua Barrett.
Scouts Inc.
(Archive)
Updated: February 20, 2008
Comment
Similar to a year ago, the 2008 crop of cornerbacks is deep in talented, but void of a blue-chipper who without a doubt belongs in the top 10. The only difference is that this year's top prospects hail from schools like Troy, South Florida and Tennessee State, not Pittsburgh, Michigan and Texas.
There could be as many as nine cornerbacks -- Mike Jenkins, Leodis McKelvin, Aqib Talib, Brandon Flowers, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Reggie Smith, Tracy Porter, Patrick Lee, Antoine Cason and Chevis Jackson -- who come off the board between the middle of the first round and the end of the second round.
Jenkins, McKelvin and Talib are competing for the honor of being the first corner selected. Jenkins has the best combination of size and speed, McKelvin is the most sudden athlete, and Talib is the biggest and most versatile of the three. All three have experience in the return game and McKelvin has the greatest upside in that department, but Talib is the only one with significant experience on both sides of the ball, having caught eight passes at wide receiver in 2007.
Flowers lacks elite size and speed, but he is the most polished cover corner in the class right now, which is why it won't shock me if he sneaks into the bottom of Round 1. Porter also possesses first-round cover skills but his finesse approach is a turnoff to many NFL scouts. Conversely, Lee has the size, speed and toughness teams look for in a future starter but he is still a bit raw due to inexperience.
Rodgers-Cromartie and Smith have versatility due to their experience at both cornerback and safety in college. Cason and Jackson are also bigger corners but are not blessed with the same man-to-man cover skills as Rodgers-Cromartie and Smith, which is why Cason and Jackson will be best suited to play in a Cover 2-heavy scheme in the NFL.
The depth of this class is certain to spill over to the second day. Charles Godfrey, Justin King and Orlando Scandrick all need polishing, but could be worth the risk thanks to outstanding size-speed combinations. Jack Williams, Trae Williams, Terrence Wheatley and Justin Tryon are all undersized but show the quickness and speed to contribute as sub-package corners in the slot. On the flipside, Terrell Thomas, Dejuan Tribble and Dwight Lowery lack ideal turn-and-run skills but are instinctive enough to see the field if protected in zone-heavy schemes at the next level.
Finally, Zack Bowman and Jack Ikegwuonu were at one time considered upper-echelon talents but knee injuries have set both prospects back considerably. Bowman was not the same when he finally got back on the field as a senior while Ikegwuonu sustained a serious injury during workouts in January and will miss at least the entire 2008 season. Both players will look to reward the teams that take a chance on them in the later rounds.
Unfortunately, for the many teams in need of safety help, this year's draft supply will not meet the demand. The past three drafts have seen an average of 5.3 safeties selected in the first two rounds but this year's crop will provide two at the most.
Kenny Phillips and DeJuan Morgan could both have benefited from another year in school but you can hardly blame them for bolting early to exploit the situation. Phillips is the more naturally gifted of the two but he's coming off a disappointing junior season in which he made several mental mistakes. Morgan has less range in coverage but he's a bigger hitter with better leadership skills and special teams production, and in all reality neither is an elite prospect.
There's a dropoff in talent after Phillips and Morgan, but some good values will be there on Day 2. Thomas DeCoud, Marcus Griffin, Tyrell Johnson, DJ Wolfe, Simeon Castille, Jonathan Hefney, DJ Parker and Quintin Demps make up a group of smaller free safety types with some versatility in coverage but limitations in run support.
There is also a handful of Day 2 strong safety types who lack ideal range in coverage but are capable of covering kicks and contributing in certain jumbo packages. They include Tom Zbikowski, Jamie Silva, Craig Steltz, Jamar Adams and Joshua Barrett.
