Positives: Well-built athlete. … Good initial jam at the line of scrimmage. … Loose hips to turn and run with the receiver. … Can shadow the receiver due to very good lateral quickness and the ability to plant and go out of his cuts. … Late explosive burst to close on the ball. … Gets his hands on a lot of passes. … Natural playmaker with soft hands for the interception. … Times leaps well and can snatch the ball out of the air. … Good body control to make the catch outside of his frame. … Natural with the ball in his hands. … Good feel for the return. … Good vision to set up blocks. … Good agility and has a quick burst to accelerate. … Reliable open-field tackler. … Breaks down in space well and wraps his arms securely. … Willing to come up in run support. … Good bloodlines. … Father, Gil Byrd, was a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback with San Diego and recently served as Chicago Bears' DB coach.

Negatives: More quick than he is fast. … May lack the straight-line speed for a traditional man-to-man scheme. … Can be grabby in coverage, likely to lead to pass interference penalties in the NFL. … Reliable open-field tackler, but isn't an intimidating hitter. … Assisted by an aggressive pass rush and a veteran secondary at Oregon.

Byrd started each of his final 37 contests during a 39-game career at left cornerback, recording 203 tackles (143 solos) with six stops for losses of 17 yards, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries … Deflected 53 passes, ranking fourth in school history behind Alex Molden (60, 1992-95), Steve Smith (56, 1998-2001) and Rashad Bauman (55, 1997-2001) … Gained 113 yards on 17 interception returns (6.6 avg), as his 17 pass thefts tied Jake Leicht (1945-47) for second on the school career record list, topped by George Shaw (18, 1951-54) … Gained 383 yards with a touchdown on 33 punt returns (11.6 avg) … His seven interceptions in 2006 rank sixth on the Oregon single-season record list, surpassed by Shaw (13 in 1951), Leicht (10 in 1945), Steve Smith (9 in 2001), Chris Oldham (8 in 1989) and Woodley Lewis (8 in 1949) … Deflected a career-high 22 passes in 2007, tying Smith (2000) for second on the school annual record chart behind Smith's 2001 total of 28 breakups.

All-Pac 10 Conference first-team selection … The three-year starter had the best year of his outstanding collegiate career, capped by winning the Defensive MVP award at the Holiday Bowl … Byrd started all thirteen games at left cornerback and also handled the bulk of the punt return duties … Finished fourth on the team with 83 total tackles and second with 60 solo hits, adding 1.5 stops for minus 3 yards … Caused and recovered a fumble … Tied for the league lead with five interceptions, good for 52 yards in returns … Led the Ducks with 19 pass break-ups and ranked second in the league and third in the nation with a total of 26 passes defended (1.46 pg) … Finished third in the conference with a 12.31-yard average (20th nationally) on 26 punt returns for 320 yards and a touchdown … Benefited from tremendous strength as he joined a pair of current teammates in equaling the program's all-time power clean lift by a defensive back (330 lbs.) during the 2008 winter testing.

Washington … Byrd opened the season with nine tackles (8 solos), as he deflected two passes … He stripped the ball from receiver Jermaine Kearse after a 3-yard catch late in the fourth quarter, as Oregon recovered the pigskin and converted the turnover into a 2-yard touchdown run by the Ducks' receiver Chris Harper on a reverse … Also gained 78 yards on five punt returns, including a 51-yarder that set up an Oregon 31-yard field goal.

Purdue … Bryd delivered four solo tackles and broke up two passes … Also intercepted a Curtis Painter toss in the second quarter, returning the ball 7 yards to set up an Oregon 21-yard field goal … Raced 87 yards for a touchdown with a punt return in the third quarter to begin a late rally during Oregon's come from behind 32-26 win.

Boise State … Four of Byrd's nine tackles came on third-down plays, as he also gained 42 yards on three punt returns.

Southern California … Totaled nine tackles (8 solos), bringing out the USC punt unit after he batted down a Mark Sanchez second quarter, third-down pass intended for Patrick Turner.

UCLA … Byrd earned league Player of the Week honors after he collected nine tackles (6 solos), deflected three passes, returned two punts for 18 yards and picked off a Kevin Craft third-&-10 pass, returning the ball 6 yards to set up an Oregon 32-yard field goal … He had a third quarter end zone interception nullified when Byrd was called for pass interference and UCLA converted the penalty into a touchdown.

Arizona State … Tackled tailback Keenan Herring behind the line of scrimmage, as Byrd totaled five tackles (4 solos) and set up a scoring drive with a 41-yard punt return … Also picked off a Rudy Carpenter pass.

California … Byrd followed with six tackles (5 solos), as he caught a fourth-&-10 pass for a 7-yard gain in the second quarter, but also fumbled a punt return in the fourth quarter that Cal recovered to set up a touchdown drive in a 26-16 loss.

Arizona … Sniffed out a screen pass, tackling tailback Keola Antolin for a 2-yard loss, as Byrd collected nine tackles (6 solos) and broke up one pass.

Oklahoma State (Holiday Bowl) … Closed out his career with nine tackles (6 solos) and three punt returns for 34 yards … Intercepted a third quarter Zac Robinson pass that he returned 39 yards.

All-Pac 10 Conference honorable mention … Started all thirteen games at left cornerback, ranking fifth on the team with 64 tackles (43 solos) that included four stops for losses of 13 yards, three fumble recoveries and a quarterback pressure … Led the league and ranked ninth in the nation with seven interceptions for 31 yards in returns … His seven pass thefts rank sixth on the school season-record list … Led the Pac-10 with a career-high 22 pass deflections, tied for the second-best season total in school history … His total of 29 passes defended ranked third in the nation … Also returned seven punts for 63 yards (9.0 avg).

Picked off a Case Keenum pass and made five tackles in the season opener vs. Houston … Followed by intercepting a Chad Henne pass that he returned 22 yards in the Michigan clash … Sacked QB Tavita Pritchard for a 6-yard loss and posted seven tackles (4 solos) vs. Stanford … Followed with eight tackles (5 solos), including taking down tailback Justin Forsett for a 4-yard loss vs. California … Had a pass theft vs. Washington that set up a touchdown drive and delivered nine tackles (5 solos) with a stop for a 2-yard loss and a pass deflection in a 24-17 decision over Southern California … Produced six solo tackles vs. Arizona State and deflected three passes while intercepting another vs. Arizona … Had an interception, four tackles, two pass deflections and 34 yards on four punt returns vs. UCLA … Credited with two more pass break-ups, as he recovered a fumble and returned the ball 33 yards for a touchdown vs. Oregon State … Intercepted a pair of Matt Grothe passes for 9 yards in returns, adding a 26-yard punt return, a forced fumble, four pass break-ups and eight tackles (7 solos) to earn game MVP honors in a 56-21 rout of South Florida in the Sun Bowl.

Freshman All-American second-team pick by The Sporting News … All-Pac 10 Conference honorable mention and was named the league's co-Freshman Player of the Year, as he started the last eleven games at left cornerback … Recipient of the Lou Casanova Award, given to the team's top newcomer … Recorded 56 tackles (40 solos) and caused one fumble … Deflected twelve passes and ranked third in the conference with five interceptions for 30 yards in returns.

Credited with a season-high eight tackles vs. UCLA and Arizona, including seven solo stops vs. the Wildcats … Added seven tackles in the bowl loss to Brigham Young, in addition to intercepting one pass and breaking up two others … Forced a fumble at Fresno State.

Red-shirted as a freshman … Named the Ducks' scout team defensive player of the week while aiding preparations vs. Arizona State, before receiving offensive honors for the Washington game the following week.

2009: Suffered a right groin strain at the NFL Combine and could not participate in Pro Day activities (3/12).

Campus: 4.68 in the 40-yard dash … 1.53 10-yard dash … 2.68 20-yard dash … 4.10 20-yard shuttle … 6.75 three-cone drill … 35-inch vertical jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 22 times … 330-pound power clean.

Combine: Did not participate in drills due to a right groin strain … 32 5/8-inch arm length … 10 1/8-inch hands.

Attended Clayton (Mo.) High School, playing football for head coach Mike Musick … Named the Missouri 4A Offensive Player of the Year … Played a large role in leading the Greyhounds to the 2004 state championship, as the team compiled a 13-1 record … Competed as a quarterback, safety, wide receiver and on special teams to aid the march to the Suburban East Conference title … Ranked fourth in the state in scoring (158 points), as he rushed for 1,480 yards (seventh in the state) while averaging 8.76 yards per carry and scoring 26 touchdowns his senior season … In addition, he passed for another 1,038 yards (65-128) and 13 scores … On defense, Byrd was afforded first-team All-State honors as his team's second-leading tackler, posting 71 stops (60 solos), seven interceptions (fifth in the state), three sacks and two fumble recoveries … Came up with six catches for 125 yards (20.8 avg), 10 kickoff returns (30.1 avg), 15 returned punts (13.3 avg), in addition to punting the football 18 times for a 37.6-yard clip.

Political Science major … Son of Marilyn and Gill Byrd, Sr … Father was a 1983 first-round draft pick out of San Jose State and a two-time Pro Bowl selection while playing cornerback for the San Diego Chargers (1983-92). Gill Sr. went on to join the coaching ranks, serving as the secondary coach for the St. Louis Rams (2003-05) before joining the Chicago Bears staff as a defensive quality control coach in 2006 … Jairus' older brother, Gill, Jr., was a defensive back at New Mexico State (2004-06) … Born Jairus Keelon Byrd on 10/07/86 in San Diego, California … Resides in Clayton, Missouri.