Marcus Trufant

[KDWilliams85]

Players can and will smash you right off the line of scrimage. One of the first things recivers learn is how to use their hands to defend against the bump. Tell Santana Moss that 5 yards isns't much on the field. When it takes him 4 seconds to cover the distance I'm sure he'd disagree.

You are pretty much free to jam inside 5 yards unless the ball is thrown to the reciever while you are jamming him.

Also that is the only way to defend against timing routes.

That's exactly right. You can jam but you can't grip. If you're going to grip him, it has to be before he can move. Other than that, he's a legal man downfield and you can't physically interfere. You can't grip, hold, thrash, or any other adjective you can think of after he's past the line of scrimmage. You can disrupt him by getting in his way and make him adjust to what you're giving but that's about it.

 

[Idgit]

Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at "hello."

Best. sig. ever. I have to make a new sandwich now because I spit up my coke on my lunch from laughing so hard.

Yes, I almost commented at the improved sig line myself.
You ever change it back and you're going to get one in the yarbles. I mean it!

 

[Shaun]

Newman one on one with Moss at the one yard line is always going to be a mismatch. I wouldn't expect any corner to be able to defend him alone. I think Newman had a better year than most think. I think there was a stat that he didn't allow a catch in seven or eight games last year.

 

[playit12]

That's exactly right. You can jam but you can't grip. If you're going to grip him, it has to be before he can move. Other than that, he's a legal man downfield and you can't physically interfere. You can't grip, hold, thrash, or any other adjective you can think of after he's past the line of scrimmage. You can disrupt him by getting in his way and make him adjust to what you're giving but that's about it.

Yeah I'm not that stuck on the "grab" part. Good CB's will get a good punch on the wideout. They will bring up their hands to the center of the pads and essentially hit him back a yard or two. Then when he is trying to regain his composure they will place their bodies in front of him and will make contact at the pads again before the first 5. All they have to do is slow him down or make him run wide from the route he wants to run to succeed. Of course again they will need help outside of the first 6 yards on bump and run coverage.

The B&R is vital to elminate hot routes and short timing patterns.

 

[CalMor]

I was watching the seahawks against vikings game from last season and I was very impressed with trufant's play against Moss. Moss scored a touchdown but trufant deflected 2 certain scores and overall just played him physically..alot better than Newman played Moss or Buress or walker. We picked Newman ahead of him in the draft..was this another case of a bad pick or was Newman generally considered the better cornerback.

Newman is a very competative athlete and wants to be the best at his position. I know that all players want this, but I believe he will do what it takes to get it done. Pro-bowls are in his future. Right or wrong, just my take on Newman.

 

[KDWilliams85]

Yeah I'm not that stuck on the "grab" part. Good CB's will get a good punch on the wideout. They will bring up their hands to the center of the pads and essentially hit him back a yard or two. Then when he is trying to regain his composure they will place their bodies in front of him and will make contact at the pads again before the first 5. All they have to do is slow him down or make him run wide from the route he wants to run to succeed. Of course again they will need help outside of the first 6 yards on bump and run coverage.

The B&R is vital to elminate hot routes and short timing patterns.

That's exactly right. If you can establish to the referee that the WR you're covering is a blocker when he is indeed on a route, then you can get away with a grip. But, as soon as he takes off past the line of scrimmage, any attempt at a grip is a hold. That's why you'll see a lot of defensive holding calls with receivers who try to cut over the middle.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Your opinion would be a minority opinion among those "in the know", as it were. Notwithstanding what others in this thread have suggested, Newman was widely considered to be the better CB coming out. They were not considered "about even". Indeed, my recollection is that, in a poll of NFL front-office personnal, something like 10 of the 30 teams had Newman rated the #1 player (not CB, but player) in his draft class. Trufant was considered a good prospect, but was clearly the second best CB on most experts' boards.

Thus, based on the available information at the time, Newman was the right pick (and I fully expect him to vindicate his selection in coming years).

Again, I don't agree. Newman was considered to have more upside and physical skills. He was thought to project as the better CB but coming out, there was very little question about who was better. Trufant, coming out of the PAC10, his Jr. year, as a three year starter had much more experience and was considered the more polished of the two. Newman, on the other hand, playing in the Big12, a conference not known for it's wide open offenses was not as experienced. I don't dispute the fact that Newman was the highest rated prospect at CB in 2003. Key word here being prospect. If you asked the question, "who is the best CB right now?", The answer was Trufant.

 

[playit12]

Again, I don't agree. Newman was considered to have more upside and physical skills. He was thought to project as the better CB but coming out, there was very little question about who was better. Trufant, coming out of the PAC10, his Jr. year, as a three year starter had much more experience and was considered the more polished of the two. Newman, on the other hand, playing in the Big12, a conference not known for it's wide open offenses was not as experienced. I don't dispute the fact that Newman was the highest rated prospect at CB in 2003. Key word here being prospect. If you asked the question, "who is the best CB right now?", The answer was Trufant.

I love all the "Big 12 is all power running teams" stereotype that I keep hearing. Remind me again what team in the PAC10 put up more passing yards than the Red Raiders back when Newman was playing?

But I digress...

 

[KDWilliams85]

Again, I don't agree. Newman was considered to have more upside and physical skills. He was thought to project as the better CB but coming out, there was very little question about who was better. Trufant, coming out of the PAC10, his Jr. year, as a three year starter had much more experience and was considered the more polished of the two. Newman, on the other hand, playing in the Big12, a conference not known for it's wide open offenses was not as experienced. I don't dispute the fact that Newman was the highest rated prospect at CB in 2003. Key word here being prospect. If you asked the question, "who is the best CB right now?", The answer was Trufant.

I don't agree with the statement that you think Trufant is better. Statistically, he had the worst season. He was constantly thrown at and exposed even worse. His amount of tackles suggests that he was constantly getting beaten but able to converge on the ball. That still made him an exploit in that defense. If you take Newman's and Trufant's tackles and divide them over a 16 game season, you'll find that Newman had roughly four tackles while Trufant had closer to seven tackles a game. Trufant being aruond the ball more often than Newman states that he was often being picked on. Newman wasn't picked on as much.

So, if an offense clearly avoids an encounter with a defender, the defender has to be doing something right. Trufant is getting more balls thrown at him than Newman is. Therefore, there obviously has to be a lapse between Newman and Trufant in terms of coverage.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

That's exactly what makes it BS to begin with. When you're on the field, five yards isn't a lot. Five yards usually equates to about three strides. Furthermore, as a defender, you are not allowed to actively disrupt the pattern. You can't grip him in any manner because it will be defensive holding. All you can really do is yield and just step in his way.

Trufant can seemingly handle taller receivers better because he's a better tackler. But, if you look at his tackling stats, he has more assisted tackles than Newman. That's a bad thing. Newman doesn't have as many tackles as Trufant because Newman doesn't get tossed at a lot. Newman had only four assisted tackles. Out of his 68 tackles, 64 were solo. Out of Trufant's 96 tackles, 86 were solo. Ten assisted tackles to four assisted... which would you rather have?

When you get passed on, statistics will tend to get inflated because of either limited coverage skills or the receiver he's covering. If a DB gets exposed, the QB will exploit it.

I've mentioned it before. When you're a defensive back, being quiet is a good thing. If you're not being tested, then the QB doesn't want to throw at you. Newman has had that luxury for two years. Trufant hasn't had that luxury. Lots of tackles equates to lots of plays aimed at you. Lower tackle numbers equates to a low amount of plays aimed at you. That usually means that the QB wants nothing to do with you.

Newman has been the better player. Trufant may have more tackles and more passes defended but Newman has more INT's and less tackles, which means less plays thrown at him.

I'd rather not be thrown at then constantly under fire.

When your locked up man to man, especially on a bigger WR, you had better be able to move him off his stride. Obviously, you can't hold but the initial punch needs to be strong and physical. The more unbalanced you keep the WR, the more time and better position your able to get on any route. If his release is clean or minimuly unimpeded, your going to have a long day. You can have all the quicks in the world but if a big physical WR is on the same page with an accurate, strong armed QB, you don't have a chance. As Cowboy fans, we should know this better then anybody. A perfect example of what I'm saying is Darrell Green and Michael Irvin. Trufant is physical at the LOS. He plays bigger WRs in that fashion and, IMO, this is why he's more succesful against the bigger WRs. Has nothing to do with holding from the line.

The tackling stats on Trufant don't really tell much of a story. First of all, if your playing a physical corner, then your job is to force the stretch. When that happens, you typically should be getting help fromt he backer or the DE. In that scenario, you turn the play back inside as a primary responsability and you normally see alot of assists. There should be two guys there to make the tackle. As far as throwing at Trufant more then Newman well, think about it logically. Trufant plays with Hamlin, Taylor and Herndon. Think about who we've had playing in our defensive backfield the last few years. Who would you throw at in that situtation? Your trying to make the point that Trufant has a lot of tackles because he's constintly thrown at, if I understand you. This is not the case. Trufant plays in one of the most talented defensive back units in the league, IMO. He also plays a very strong run support style of CB. This is what accounts for his big tackle numbers. Not the fact that he's a weak link and making a lot of tackles after catches.

 

[AtlCB]

Again, I don't agree. Newman was considered to have more upside and physical skills. He was thought to project as the better CB but coming out, there was very little question about who was better. Trufant, coming out of the PAC10, his Jr. year, as a three year starter had much more experience and was considered the more polished of the two. Newman, on the other hand, playing in the Big12, a conference not known for it's wide open offenses was not as experienced. I don't dispute the fact that Newman was the highest rated prospect at CB in 2003. Key word here being prospect. If you asked the question, "who is the best CB right now?", The answer was Trufant.

I don't see a huge talent difference between the PAC-10 and Big 12. Both conference haven't been faring that well recently in bowl games. Also, cornerbacks that come out of better conferences do not seem to have a significant advantage in the NFL. Goodrich came from the SEC and still stunk in the NFL.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I love all the "Big 12 is all power running teams" stereotype that I keep hearing. Remind me again what team in the PAC10 put up more passing yards than the Red Raiders back when Newman was playing?

But I digress...

Perhaps you can teach me all about it in a break down of the championship game. You know, the over rated SC offense vs the all everything OU defense?

Further more, the Red Raiders play in the Big12 South. KState is in the Big12 North. It's not as if they face each other twice a year. Do me a favor and tell me how many teams, other then Texas Tech, are considered national powerhouses in the passing game. Perhaps you can help me understand how many QBs come out of the Big12, over the last few years, and make it big in the NFL.

You big your battles poorly.

 

[Henson7]

The two are pretty even so far. I think most people called it that way at the time of the draft. In fact some hoped that Dallas could some how trade down to gain a pick and get Trufant. There was no guarantee that it was possible for Dallas to do that at the time. Neither has played far better than the other.

Newman could have played better, but I just don't see where he played as poorly as some on the board make it out to be. He gave up two TDs covering Moss 1-on-1, but any DB would have trouble stopping Moss from 1 yard out on both scores. Moss finished with 4 catches for 27 yards in that game. He had 4 catches for 104 yards and 1 TD against Seattle.

Burris had 3 catches for 48 yards and 1 TD. That is not a big game. One catch was on a perfect throw for 32 yards. I think the TD came when Big Ben had to scramble a little to his right, but othewise had all day to throw.( He should have been sacked). Newman was looking back at the QB and lost track of Plaxico. Plaxico doesn't scare me for the Giants, Tiki does.

Walker had a big game with 8 receptions for 104 yards and 1 TD. One catch was early in the game against Newman for 44 yards. I don't know how many others or if the TD came against Newman.

Like I said, Newman can and should play better, but no way should he be looked at as a bust and that is what may be implied if you ask if Dallas made a mistake in drafting him over Trufant. There were three players I felt Dallas should grab that draft, Leftwich, Newman and Suggs. I knew they wouldn't go QB, so that left Newman and Suggs. I would have been happy with either, but I felt corners are more difficult to come by.

Thanks for the insight, I guess this season we'll be able to judge Newman fairly..Hopefully He isn't a bust as you say

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I don't see a huge talent difference between the PAC-10 and Big 12. Both conference haven't been faring that well recently in bowl games. Also, cornerbacks that come out of better conferences do not seem to have a significant advantage in the NFL. Goodrich came from the SEC and still stunk in the NFL.

The problem here is that talent and actual technical skills are being blended. If you have superior physical talent at CB, you will be drafted an there's a good chance you'll be succesful.

I'm talking about where your game is at when you come into the draft. Everybody knows that superior physical talent is drafted ahead of technical skills. If your a superior technical CB, it won't mean a thing if your don't have the physical to go with it. In this case, both have significant physical skills. At the time they were drafted, Trufant had seen more Pro Style passing and defended it then had Newman. Technically, he was superior. Simple as that.

 

[AdamJT13]

Trufant was never considered superior to Newman. Go back and look at any pre-2003 draft rankings.

And lots of Seahawks fans would be surprised to hear how "physical" Trufant is at the line of scrimmage, considering that they constantly complain about the huge cushions he gives receivers (although they usually blame Ray Rhodes for that).

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Trufant was never considered superior to Newman. Go back and look at any pre-2003 draft rankings.

And lots of Seahawks fans would be surprised to hear how "physical" Trufant is at the line of scrimmage, considering that they constantly complain about the huge cushions he gives receivers (although they usually blame Ray Rhodes for that).

Perhaps you can post them. I would be interested to read any evaluation on Newman that said he was technically better then Trufant coming out.

As far as the complaints, that's a cover2 thing. In a man to man or bump and run scheme, as you know, it is customary to play much tighter coverage.

 

[big dog cowboy]

NFLdraftcountdown.com..........


2003 CB's

1. Terence Newman, Kansas St.
2. Marcus Trufant, Washington St.
3. Andre Woolfolk, Oklahoma
4. Sammy Davis, Texas A&M
5. Eugene Wilson, Illinois
6. Dennis Weathersby, Oregon St.
7. Rashean Mathis, Bethune-Cookman
8. Bryan Scott, Penn St.
9. Nnamdi Asomugha, California
10. Drayton Florence, Tuskegee
11. Charles Tillman, Louisiana-Lafayette
12. Shane Walton, Notre Dame
13. Ricky Manning, Jr, U.C.L.A.
14. Chris Crocker, Marshall
15. Mike Lehan, Minnesota
16. DeJuan Groce, Nebraska
17. Kevin Garrett, S.M.U.
18. Torrie Cox, Pittsburgh
19. Roderick Babers, Texas
20. Asante Samuel, Central Florida

KFFL NFL Draft Cornerback Rankings......

Rank Cornerbacks University Size 40 Times Comments/Notes
1 Terence Newman Kansas State 5'11", 189 4.36 (RT)
2 Marcus Trufant Washington State 5'11", 199 4.37
3 Andre Woolfolk Oklahoma 6'1", 193 4.50
4 Charles Tillman Louisiana-Lafayette 6'1", 207 4.49 (FS)
5 Sammy Davis Texas A&M 5'11", 186 4.43
6 Donald Strickland Colorado 5'10", 185 4.48
7 Drayton Florence Tuskegee 6'0", 197 4.42
8 Chris Brown Alabama-Birmingham 6'0", 192 4.54 (FS)
9 Kevin Garrett Southern Methodist 5'9", 194 4.35
10 Dennis Weathersby Oregon State 6'1", 205 4.43 (FS)
11 Torrie Cox Pittsburgh 5'10", 179 4.48 (RT)
12 Asante Samuel Central Florida 5'11", 185 4.51
13 Shane Walton Notre Dame 5'10", 183 4.59
14 Eugene Wilson Illinois 5'10", 187 4.51
15 Blue Adams Cincinnati 5'10", 183 4.54
16 Calvin Carlyle Oregon State 6'0", 186 4.43 (FS)
17 Ricky Manning UCLA 5'9", 192 4.43
18 Roderick Babers Texas 5'8", 185 4.50
19 B.J. Tucker Wisconsin 5'10", 185 4.34
20 DeJuan Groce Nebraska 5'9", 188 4.51 (RT)

ProFootballWeekly Draft rankings by position: Cornerbacks.......

Rk.
Name
College
Ht.
Wt.
Sp.
Gr.
Com.

1
Newman, Terence
Kansas State
5103
189
4.38
6.55
Age, RS

2
Trufant, Marcus
Washington State
5111
199
4.44
6.45

3
Woolfolk, Andre
Oklahoma
6013
197
4.48
6.10
WR

4
Wilson, Eugene
Illinois
5103
187
4.49
6.00
RS

5
Davis, Sammy
Texas A&M
5116
186
4.46
5.80

6
Weathersby, Dennis
Oregon State
6005
204
4.38
5.60
MI, X

7
Asomugha, Nnambi
California
6023
210
4.38
5.50
S

8
Garrett, Kevin
Southern Methodist
5093
194
4.32
5.50

9
Florence, Drayton
Tuskegee
6002
198
4.44
5.41

10
Groce, DeJuan
Nebraska
5095
192
4.50
5.30
RS

11
Walton, Shane
Notre Dame
5105
184
4.67
5.29

12
Manning Jr., Ricky
UCLA
5085
180
4.45
5.25

13
Strickland, Donald
Colorado
5100
187
4.44
5.25
X

14
Babers, Roderick
Texas
5086
192
4.46
5.24

15
Goss, Jason
Texas Christian
5100
183
4.67
5.24

16
Tillman, Charles
Louisiana-Lafayette
6011
199
4.49
5.24
X

17
Brown, Chris
Alabama-Birmingham
6003
195
4.52
5.24

18
Cox, Torrie
Pittsburgh
5092
181
4.50
5.20
X

19
Elpheage, Lynaris
Tulane
5090
170
4.49
5.20
Jr., RS

20
Taylor, Ivan
Louisiana-Lafayette
6003
191
4.32
5.20

Just some rankings I found on Google in about 10 minutes.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

NFLdraftcountdown.com..........


2003 CB's

1. Terence Newman, Kansas St.
2. Marcus Trufant, Washington St.
3. Andre Woolfolk, Oklahoma
4. Sammy Davis, Texas A&M
5. Eugene Wilson, Illinois
6. Dennis Weathersby, Oregon St.
7. Rashean Mathis, Bethune-Cookman
8. Bryan Scott, Penn St.
9. Nnamdi Asomugha, California
10. Drayton Florence, Tuskegee
11. Charles Tillman, Louisiana-Lafayette
12. Shane Walton, Notre Dame
13. Ricky Manning, Jr, U.C.L.A.
14. Chris Crocker, Marshall
15. Mike Lehan, Minnesota
16. DeJuan Groce, Nebraska
17. Kevin Garrett, S.M.U.
18. Torrie Cox, Pittsburgh
19. Roderick Babers, Texas
20. Asante Samuel, Central Florida

KFFL NFL Draft Cornerback Rankings......

Rank Cornerbacks University Size 40 Times Comments/Notes
1 Terence Newman Kansas State 5'11", 189 4.36 (RT)
2 Marcus Trufant Washington State 5'11", 199 4.37
3 Andre Woolfolk Oklahoma 6'1", 193 4.50
4 Charles Tillman Louisiana-Lafayette 6'1", 207 4.49 (FS)
5 Sammy Davis Texas A&M 5'11", 186 4.43
6 Donald Strickland Colorado 5'10", 185 4.48
7 Drayton Florence Tuskegee 6'0", 197 4.42
8 Chris Brown Alabama-Birmingham 6'0", 192 4.54 (FS)
9 Kevin Garrett Southern Methodist 5'9", 194 4.35
10 Dennis Weathersby Oregon State 6'1", 205 4.43 (FS)
11 Torrie Cox Pittsburgh 5'10", 179 4.48 (RT)
12 Asante Samuel Central Florida 5'11", 185 4.51
13 Shane Walton Notre Dame 5'10", 183 4.59
14 Eugene Wilson Illinois 5'10", 187 4.51
15 Blue Adams Cincinnati 5'10", 183 4.54
16 Calvin Carlyle Oregon State 6'0", 186 4.43 (FS)
17 Ricky Manning UCLA 5'9", 192 4.43
18 Roderick Babers Texas 5'8", 185 4.50
19 B.J. Tucker Wisconsin 5'10", 185 4.34
20 DeJuan Groce Nebraska 5'9", 188 4.51 (RT)

ProFootballWeekly Draft rankings by position: Cornerbacks.......

Rk.
Name
College
Ht.
Wt.
Sp.
Gr.
Com.

1
Newman, Terence
Kansas State
5103
189
4.38
6.55
Age, RS

2
Trufant, Marcus
Washington State
5111
199
4.44
6.45

3
Woolfolk, Andre
Oklahoma
6013
197
4.48
6.10
WR

4
Wilson, Eugene
Illinois
5103
187
4.49
6.00
RS

5
Davis, Sammy
Texas A&M
5116
186
4.46
5.80

6
Weathersby, Dennis
Oregon State
6005
204
4.38
5.60
MI, X

7
Asomugha, Nnambi
California
6023
210
4.38
5.50
S

8
Garrett, Kevin
Southern Methodist
5093
194
4.32
5.50

9
Florence, Drayton
Tuskegee
6002
198
4.44
5.41

10
Groce, DeJuan
Nebraska
5095
192
4.50
5.30
RS

11
Walton, Shane
Notre Dame
5105
184
4.67
5.29

12
Manning Jr., Ricky
UCLA
5085
180
4.45
5.25

13
Strickland, Donald
Colorado
5100
187
4.44
5.25
X

14
Babers, Roderick
Texas
5086
192
4.46
5.24

15
Goss, Jason
Texas Christian
5100
183
4.67
5.24

16
Tillman, Charles
Louisiana-Lafayette
6011
199
4.49
5.24
X

17
Brown, Chris
Alabama-Birmingham
6003
195
4.52
5.24

18
Cox, Torrie
Pittsburgh
5092
181
4.50
5.20
X

19
Elpheage, Lynaris
Tulane
5090
170
4.49
5.20
Jr., RS

20
Taylor, Ivan
Louisiana-Lafayette
6003
191
4.32
5.20

Just some rankings I found on Google in about 10 minutes.

Now, if only we can find actual evaluations. Again, nobody is really questioning the fact that Newman was the highest ranked CB coming out in the eyes of the NFL. It was based on how he projects.

The point I'm strugling to get across is that from a technique point of view, Trufant was better coming out. His actual skills were better. He did not have the overall athletic ability that Newman did but I do believe he was technically more sound, more polished.

Sorry if I am sounding a bit borish on this. It is not my intent.

 

[playit12]

Perhaps you can teach me all about it in a break down of the championship game. You know, the over rated SC offense vs the all everything OU defense?

And you can tell me how those Vaunted Pac 10 DBs on the Pac 10's second best team did to stop the 5th best team in the Big 12 (Texas Tech). Of course it's always about one game right?

Further more, the Red Raiders play in the Big12 South. KState is in the Big12 North. It's not as if they face each other twice a year. Do me a favor and tell me how many teams, other then Texas Tech, are considered national powerhouses in the passing game. Perhaps you can help me understand how many QBs come out of the Big12, over the last few years, and make it big in the NFL.

Well back in 2002 Red Raider Kliff Klingsberry was rewritting the record books for passing... But Chris Simms, Josh Fields, and Seneca Wallace all up put up over 3000 yards.

By the way in 2002 K-State played

Pac 10 USC (Carson Palmer) holding him to just 20 points and winning the game.
Third Most prolific Big 12 Passer (Josh Fields) Holding him to just 9 points,
Second Most Prolific Big 12 Passer (Chris Simms) Holding him to just 17 Points,
Fourth Most Prolific Big 12 Passer (Seneca Wallace) Holding him to just 7 points,
And then went on to play Pac 10 Arizona State (With the third best Pac-10 QB behind Palmer and Pickett). They beat Arizona State while keeping Walter under 50% completion percentage.

So yeah I think he faced some passing teams. As for the Big 12 now... They are even more of a passing league with teams like Oklahoma using a pro-style offense and teams like Missouri and Colorado looking first to the pass as well.

Big 12 teams run the gambit of pass heavy teams to run first teams and certainly include well balanced teams. Maybe that's why we have such good DBs because we couldn't just sit back in 5 DB sets all year.

You big your battles poorly.

I Big My Battles Quite well Thank You

 

[Outlaw Heroes]

I don't dispute the fact that Newman was the highest rated prospect at CB in 2003. Key word here being prospect. If you asked the question, "who is the best CB right now?", The answer was Trufant.

Sorry, but I don't think this one is really open to debate. Tough to track down too many sources two years later, but the ones I did find were all quite clear that Newman was generally considered the best corner available at the time (some even say it was "unanimous" or use words like "consensus", which is pretty much the way I recall it). In contrast, I bet you would have trouble finding even one or two recognized sources that said otherwise.

"The best cover corner on the board..."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2003/draft/news/2003/04/26/round1_analysis/

"In terms of performance, Newman has no equals. He has sub-4.4 speed, intercepted five passes last season and played wide receiver in spots. Newman is also a big-play return artist. The only rap on Newman is that he is not a physical player and, therefore, suffers in run-support.

Trufant, 5-11, 199, has similar physical skills and also excels in the return game. Though he's judged to be a cut beneath Newman's level, Trufant is considered capable of being an immediate player of impact as a rookie."

http://www.jaguars.com/Story/2830.asp

"Newman is quite simply the best cover corner in this year’s draft..."

http://www.fantasyfootballcafe.com/2003/tips_2003_draft.php

"[Newman]is the consensus top prospect at cornerback and almost surely will be a top-five pick....[Trufant is] as explosive as Newman and a little bigger but not quite as good an athlete or cover man."

http://www.packersnews.com/cs_protected/archives/draft_2_9876884.shtml

"Terence Newman (Kansas State) was unanimously the top cornerback in the draft."

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/6339928

"Newman (first) is the draft's best corner."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/dr_z/news/2003/04/29/drz_insider/

"The cornerback position is one of the deepest in the 2004 NFL Draft. While the top prospects don't grade out as highly as last year's big dog, Terence Newman..."

http://sports.mcall.com/default.asp?c=mcall&page=nfl/draft/2004/def_Analysis.htm

"Overall, no one outshined Kansas State’s Terence Newman, who solidified his status as the top cornerback in the draft..."

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDraft/Draft+Insider/2003/CombineAnalysis3.htm

"And you aren't going to find a lot of corners as good as Newman. He's the class of the 2003 group of cover men..."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/clayton_john/1513366.html