Defensive back prospects: Top candidates intrigue rather than excite
Although there is nobody claiming to be the next Deion Sanders shut-down cornerback or the second coming of Ronnie Lott at safety, this year's group of defensive backs offers an interesting array of talent.
According to ratings by NFLDraftScout.com, as many as five cornerbacks could be selected in the first round, topped by Ohio State's physical Malcolm Jenkins, who uses excellent instincts to compensate for a lack of great speed.
It is the opposite situation for Illinois' Vontae Davis, who is an all-world workout warrior but lacks technique and play-to-play consistency and will be selected more on potential than past performance.
Western Michigan's Louis Delmas is at the top of most free safety charts, although most scouts believe he needs more bulk to survive in the NFL. Oregon's hard-hitting Patrick Chung is the best of a solid group of strong safeties.
One of the more intriguing defensive back prospects is Utah's Sean Smith, who has classic safety measureables -- 6-feet-3½, 214 pounds and 4.5-second 40-yard speed -- but has the cover skills to line up at cornerback.
Here is a closer look at the top defensive backs in the 2009 NFL Draft (players' heights and weights are listed; *denotes underclassmen).
Cornerbacks
1. Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State, 6-0, 204
Jenkins is a smart player who not only knows his assignments, but also those of each of his teammates. He plays with good instincts and is especially alert in zone coverage, doing a fine job of handling the switch-off. His fastest 40-yard time at the combine was 4.51 seconds (he clocked 4.58 and 4.55 on the fast turf in Columbus on his pro day), but he shows great reaction and explosion to the ball, which gives him the appearance of a lockdown corner even without the great top end speed. Despite being rated as a first-round pick by the NFL Advisory Committee in 2008, Jenkins returned for his senior season and won the Thorpe Award as the nation's outstanding defensive back.
2. *Vontae Davis, Illinois, 5-11, 203
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| Vontae Davis has the speed and athleticism to be a great cornerback, but does he have the drive and discipline? (US Presswire) |
3. Darius Butler, Connecticut, 5-11, 183
Here is the meaning of respect: Butler went without an interception in 2008 because he wasn't challenged that often after collecting 10 during the previous three years. He also earned respect at the combine with a 4.41 clocking at 40 yards and a vertical jump of 43 inches. He is a four-year starter and two-year captain with enough athletic ability and instinct to be trusted in man or zone schemes. Size and durability are a concern, especially after he missed the final two games last season with a sprained knee. But Butler looked healthy and played well in Senior Bowl practices and had a great combine workout.
4. Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest, 5-9, 193
He stood out at Senior Bowl practices, often jumping pass routes in step with receivers he covered and had three interceptions in three days. At the combine, his fastest 40 time was 4.47 seconds. Smith isn't big in stature, but can stand up to the competition thanks to great instincts, quickness and agility. On underneath patterns, Smith does a great job staying in position to triangulate so he can track the receiver and watch the quarterback. He entered college with a strong reputation after being runner-up as Florida high school player of the year as a high school quarterback and defensive back. He then made the Freshman All-American team and jumped to some All-American teams as a junior for the Demon Deacons.
5. *D.J. Moore, Vanderbilt, 5-10, 192
David James Moore exploded onto the scene as a playmaker in 2007 with 83 tackles, six interceptions and an average of 25.7 yards on kickoff returns. In 2008 he added six more thefts and showed versatility as a runner (76 yards on nine carries), receiver (143 yards, two touchdowns on seven catches) and returner (244 yards on punts, 407 on kickoffs). He is a natural in man coverage and is extremely aware of where everybody is in zone coverage. Moore is willing and aggressive in run support and makes sure, open-field tackles. He has the ability to help immediately.
6. *Sean Smith, Utah, 6-4, 214
The usual urge is to automatically move a player of this height to safety, where with his size, aggressive play would certainly be an asset. But he has rare skills that might allow him to stay at corner against the tall and talented NFL wide receivers. He bolstered that opinion at his pro day workout March 9 with a 40 of 4.43 seconds. His 40 time at the combine was 4.50. As a starter the past two seasons, Smith was quite productive with nine interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He actually began his career at wide receiver for all but two games of his redshirt freshman season.
7. *Jairus Byrd, Oregon, 5-10, 207
Byrd has the instincts scouts appreciate, and all they want to make them more comfortable is a decent time in the 40-yard dash. Unfortunately, he has yet to run in front of scouts due to a groin injury that kept him from working out at the combine and his March 13 pro day. Byrd's 17 career interceptions is only one short of the school record. He has quickness and agility, but lacks top-notch speed, although he does show another gear for at least a short distance when reacting to a ball in the air. Byrd is a willing, sure tackler, but doesn't rattle teeth. His father is Gil Byrd, a former Pro Bowl cornerback with the Chargers who has spent some time as an NFL defensive backs coach.
8. Victor Harris, Virginia Tech, 5-11, 198
Known as Macho Harris, he is a versatile athlete who has seen time at cornerback, free safety, running back, wide receiver and as a returner on kickoffs and punts. Harris was used all over the field for the Hokies and presents similar options for his future NFL employer. Harris was voted a second-team All-American in 2008 after he intercepted six passes and returned two of them for touchdowns. This vocal, flashy player does lack elite speed, as evidenced at the combine, where his best 40-yard time was 4.68 seconds.
9. Coye Francies, San Jose State, 6-1, 185
Francies has everything except blinding top speed. He clocked a best 40-yard time of 4.63 at the combine, but he did impress scouts at East-West Shrine Game workouts as an aggressive corner with coverage and return skills. He has a spotty history that began well enough as an All-American junior college player in 2005, when he had 11 interceptions at American River College. He transferred to Oregon State and looked outstanding in three starts until he was arrested for possession of a loaded firearm and dismissed from the team. Charges were dropped, but Francies transferred to San Jose State and last year earned all-WAC honors with 69 tackles and three interceptions.
10. Mike Mickens, Cincinnati, 6-0, 184
When he is healthy he has the ability to make quarterbacks hesitate before throwing near him, because he has explosive closing speed and the bold heart of a thief. He was slowed last year by a left knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery in November. He played in the Orange Bowl, but was less than 100 percent. He also did not work out at the combine after aggravating the injury at the Senior Bowl, but did post a 4.53 and 4.59 in the 40 at his March 19 pro day to go along with short shuttle (4.19), three-cone (6.96), broad jump (9 feet, 10 inches) and vertical (35½ inches) numbers. Tops school career lists with 14 interceptions and 296 interception return yards. His three interception returns for touchdowns tied Shawn Ferguson’s school record. Scouts are looking forward to his March 19 pro day workout.
Safeties
1. Louis Delmas, Western Michigan, 6-0, 202
Although he is a four-year starter and three-time all-conference safety, there are concerns about his ability to hold up physically in the NFL as a run defender. But he has been holding up just fine for a long time, going back to high school when in his senior season he played defensive back, wide receiver, kick returner and long snapper -- and never missed a play on offense, defense or special teams in eight games. Delmas is a natural playmaker in coverage, and despite concerns about his size, he plays a physical game.
2. Patrick Chung, Oregon, 5-11, 212
Chung is a strong safety prospect who has the unusual ability to play with agility and aggression. He wisely stayed in school last season and enters this draft with 51 career starts. He led the team with 117 tackles in 2007 and made 92 stops in 2008 along with 6½ tackles for loss and six pass breakups. He displays natural instincts in coverage and in run support, and his tackling technique is textbook and devastating. At the combine, his best 40 time was 4.49 seconds, but he was strong in his pro day with a 4.24-second short shuttle and 7.11 three-cone drill and looked strong in safety skills. He can be an enforcer despite being only average as a ball hawk and sometimes is a step slow helping out over the top.
3. William Moore, Missouri, 6-0, 221
Moore struggled early in his career; he showed more potential than production as he switched between strong and free safety. He enters this draft as a strong safety candidate after exploding onto the scene in 2007, intercepting eight passes and establishing himself as one of the elite playmakers in the country. He has a history of turning interceptions into touchdowns, with four of his 11 career picks returned for scores. Moore appeared too stiff for a safety in Senior Bowl workouts and scouts began discussing a possible move to linebacker. However, he did look fluid in position drills at his pro day, and added an impressive vertical jump of 37½ inches and a 40 time of 4.49 seconds.
4. Darcel McBath, Texas Tech, 6-0, 198
He is built like a strong safety and runs like a free safety. McBath reads, reacts quickly and arrives early to plays with startling closing speed. At the combine, he had a best of 4.58 seconds in 40 and a vertical jump of 38 inches. He became a more vocal leader as a senior and made first-team All-Big 12 with plays against the pass (seven interceptions) and the run (75 tackles). He earned all-conference honors in his sophomore and junior seasons, totaling 148 tackles and five picks in 2006 and 2007.
5. Rashad Johnson, Alabama, 5-11, 203
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| Rashad Johnson used his smarts to go from walk-on to all-SEC. But will he be physically overmatched in the NFL? (US Presswire) |
6. Chip Vaughn, Wake Forest, 6-2, 221
Although he is not as well known as teammates and top prospects Aaron Curry and Alphonso Smith, Vaughn quietly rose up draft boards during the past two seasons. Vaughn has a reputation for making big plays in crucial situations. In 2008, he ranked third on the Deacons with 87 tackles and pass breakups with six. In 11 starts, he had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. As a junior, Vaughn led the Demon Deacons with 105 tackles and was an Honorable Mention all-ACC selection.
7. David Bruton, Notre Dame, 6-2, 219
A team captain, Burton has the size, speed and athleticism to help immediately on special teams in the NFL as he matures into a starter. Scouts certainly took note at the combine, when he blazed through 40 yards in 4.40 flat and soared 41½ inches in the vertical jump. Bruton first showed up as a playmaker when he became a starter in 2007, collecting 85 tackles, three interceptions and 4½ tackles for loss. His production increased in 2008 (97 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles).
8. Michael Hamlin, Clemson, 6-2, 214
He is a strong-safety prospect who has been productive since his redshirt freshman season. Hamlin emerged as one of the most productive safeties in the country as a junior, earning second-team all-ACC honors after totaling 80 tackles and four interceptions. Last season, Hamlin received first-team all-ACC honors after collecting six interceptions to go with 97 tackles. At the combine, Hamlin ran 40 yards in 4.57 seconds and soared 37½ inches in the vertical jump.
9. Derek Pegues, Mississippi State, 5-10, 199
He already has impressed at corner and safety, but is being viewed in this draft as a free safety. As a first-year starter at cornerback in 2006, Pegues made second-team all-SEC with four interceptions. He made the first team as a free safety as a junior and a senior, picking off seven passes and breaking up 13 others during those two seasons. He also has return skills (10 yards per punt return and 22.3 yards on kickoff returns). His most impressive work at the combine was on the bench, where he hoisted 225 pounds 23 times.
10. *Emanuel Cook, South Carolina, 5-10, 197
One of the more physical strong safeties of the 2009 class, Cook was an immediate standout for the Gamecocks and earned all-SEC recognition all three seasons he spent at South Carolina. Plays somewhat in the mold of Indianapolis Colts star Bob Sanders as a run enforcer and using his physicality, but is not as athletic or explosive as Sanders. Maturity is a concern. He missed the Outback Bowl loss to Iowa due to academic suspension. He was arrested on a gun charge and suspended in 2007, but the charges were eventually dropped.
Frank Cooney is the Publisher of NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange, and has been covering the draft since the 1960s.
