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This is a very deep DB class with top talent available all the way to Round 3 IMO. That is why we need to resist the kneejerk reaction to draft a DB in Round 1 and pass on the best available player.
Some of the players who got attention on Tuesday
Some of the players who got attention on Tuesday
Tuesday Senior Bowl DB Rankings
This story originally published on PackerReport.com
By Bill Huber
[email="packwriter2002@yahoo.com"]packwriter2002@yahoo.com[/email]
Posted Jan 27, 2010
Who sits atop a deep and talented list of cornerbacks, and who is the best in a weak class of safeties? We've got the answers after the second day of practices in Mobile, Ala.
Patrick Robinson, Florida State
Cornerback is arguably the deepest position here, though there isn't a true lockdown corner in the bunch. Talk to three people, and you'd probably get either of these first three players listed as the top in the group. Robinson (5-foot-11) is smooth, athletic, is used to playing man coverage and isn't afraid to get physical. The hands that doomed him to one interception in his final two years in college seem pretty solid.
Devin McCourty, Rutgers
McCourty is an eyelash short of matching Robinson's 5-foot-11. McCourty, whose twin brother Jason was drafted by Tennessee last year, has a lot of the attributes as Robinson with better ball skills. He started the day by breaking up a pass, but was toasted on a deep route by impressive Andre Roberts of The Citadel.
Kyle Wilson, Boise State
Wilson's likeness can be seen on a big tour bus parked outside the stadium. That seems like overkill, because the scouts don't need silly props to recognize talent. Wilson really explodes out of his backpedal and closes quickly on receivers. He had one of the only interceptions.
Chris Cook, Virginia
Cook isn't too far below the other three. At 6-foot-1 1/2, he's got ideal size for the position, especially in this age of big receivers. During position drills, Cook was the best at high-pointing the ball -- getting the ball at its highest point rather than wait for the ball to come down. What he lacks is the top-line speed of the others.
Jerome Murphy, South Florida
At 6-foot, Murphy has the requisite size, and his 32-inch arms are the longest among the cornerbacks (other than Kentucky's Trevard Lindley), which give him extra length. Murphy hasn't stood out, either good or bad, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for a corner. He was in good position on a one-handed catch of a deep pass to Riley Cooper.
Javier Arenas, Alabama
Arenas didn't have a good day. He was victimized more than the other corners, and his frustrations appeared to get the best of him when he hit a running back well after the whistle. He did, however, jar a ball loose on a pass to Joe Webb. Arenas was a big-time punt returner for the Tide and those skills were evident on a sunny, blustery day with scattershot Matt Dodge kicking the ball here, there and everywhere.
Syd'Quan Thompson, Cal
Thompson gets the nod ahead of Kentucky's Lindley, Oklahoma State's Perrish Cox and Wake Forest's Brandon Ghee. This really is a terrific group. At 5-foot-9, Thompson certainly doesn't have ideal size, and he showed a case of the dropsies on Tuesday, but his history suggests that was just a bad day. He would be best in a zone scheme in which he can sit back, anticipate and make a play on the ball.
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Nate Allen, South Florida
As good as the cornerbacks are, the group of safeties leave plenty to be desired. The best of the bunch is the 6-foot-1 Allen, who does just about everything well. Like the rest of this group, though, he's been susceptible to giving up the big play by letting receivers get behind him.
Taylor Mays, USC
Mays was a star on Monday but was practically invisible on Tuesday. He's got all the physical tools but he's coming off a disappointing senior season, and Tuesday's ho-hummer looked like more of the same. At 6-foot-3 and 231 pounds with a thirst for hitting, you wonder if he might not make a better linebacker.
Myron Rolle, Florida State
Rolle, the former Seminoles standout who took last season off as a Rhodes Scholar, hasn't played football in about 14 months. So, not surprisingly, he hasn't been great, but there are some flashes. Early in practice, he resorted to holding to stop Dexter McCluster. At the end of practice, though, he hit Joe Webb to force an incompletion on a deep ball.
This story originally published on PackerReport.com
By Bill Huber
[email="packwriter2002@yahoo.com"]packwriter2002@yahoo.com[/email]
Posted Jan 27, 2010
Who sits atop a deep and talented list of cornerbacks, and who is the best in a weak class of safeties? We've got the answers after the second day of practices in Mobile, Ala.
Patrick Robinson, Florida State
Cornerback is arguably the deepest position here, though there isn't a true lockdown corner in the bunch. Talk to three people, and you'd probably get either of these first three players listed as the top in the group. Robinson (5-foot-11) is smooth, athletic, is used to playing man coverage and isn't afraid to get physical. The hands that doomed him to one interception in his final two years in college seem pretty solid.
Devin McCourty, Rutgers
McCourty is an eyelash short of matching Robinson's 5-foot-11. McCourty, whose twin brother Jason was drafted by Tennessee last year, has a lot of the attributes as Robinson with better ball skills. He started the day by breaking up a pass, but was toasted on a deep route by impressive Andre Roberts of The Citadel.
Kyle Wilson, Boise State
Wilson's likeness can be seen on a big tour bus parked outside the stadium. That seems like overkill, because the scouts don't need silly props to recognize talent. Wilson really explodes out of his backpedal and closes quickly on receivers. He had one of the only interceptions.
Chris Cook, Virginia
Cook isn't too far below the other three. At 6-foot-1 1/2, he's got ideal size for the position, especially in this age of big receivers. During position drills, Cook was the best at high-pointing the ball -- getting the ball at its highest point rather than wait for the ball to come down. What he lacks is the top-line speed of the others.
Jerome Murphy, South Florida
At 6-foot, Murphy has the requisite size, and his 32-inch arms are the longest among the cornerbacks (other than Kentucky's Trevard Lindley), which give him extra length. Murphy hasn't stood out, either good or bad, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for a corner. He was in good position on a one-handed catch of a deep pass to Riley Cooper.
Javier Arenas, Alabama
Arenas didn't have a good day. He was victimized more than the other corners, and his frustrations appeared to get the best of him when he hit a running back well after the whistle. He did, however, jar a ball loose on a pass to Joe Webb. Arenas was a big-time punt returner for the Tide and those skills were evident on a sunny, blustery day with scattershot Matt Dodge kicking the ball here, there and everywhere.
Syd'Quan Thompson, Cal
Thompson gets the nod ahead of Kentucky's Lindley, Oklahoma State's Perrish Cox and Wake Forest's Brandon Ghee. This really is a terrific group. At 5-foot-9, Thompson certainly doesn't have ideal size, and he showed a case of the dropsies on Tuesday, but his history suggests that was just a bad day. He would be best in a zone scheme in which he can sit back, anticipate and make a play on the ball.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nate Allen, South Florida
As good as the cornerbacks are, the group of safeties leave plenty to be desired. The best of the bunch is the 6-foot-1 Allen, who does just about everything well. Like the rest of this group, though, he's been susceptible to giving up the big play by letting receivers get behind him.
Taylor Mays, USC
Mays was a star on Monday but was practically invisible on Tuesday. He's got all the physical tools but he's coming off a disappointing senior season, and Tuesday's ho-hummer looked like more of the same. At 6-foot-3 and 231 pounds with a thirst for hitting, you wonder if he might not make a better linebacker.
Myron Rolle, Florida State
Rolle, the former Seminoles standout who took last season off as a Rhodes Scholar, hasn't played football in about 14 months. So, not surprisingly, he hasn't been great, but there are some flashes. Early in practice, he resorted to holding to stop Dexter McCluster. At the end of practice, though, he hit Joe Webb to force an incompletion on a deep ball.
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