6:36 a.m.
It's rare that an NFL Draft would produce two cornerbacks in the top 10 overall, but LSU junior Patrick Peterson and Nebraska senior Prince Amukamara are getting accustomed to being the standard-setting type.
Peterson is the top defensive back in the draft and sits atop NFLDraftScout.com's overall rankings. He has 4.31 speed -- the second-fastest at the scouting combine this month -- and is a physical freak with the body type of a safety but the athleticism of a wide receiver or cornerback. In a year with no clear No. 1 overall pick coming out of the combine, he's as strong a candidate as there is because he has the fewest holes in his game.
Amukamara silenced scouts questioning his timed speed at the combine. But his field speed is another story. Not all teams are convinced his 4.38-second stopwatch speed over 40 yards translates to the field, but he gets a high first-round price tag in a league in which most teams are desperate for a top cover man with Amukamara's size-speed combination. Compared to these prime cuts at cornerback, the safety class is plain as pot roast.
A proliferation of spread formations remains a topic of discussion for coaches looking to fill a need on the back end of their defense, but they'll find no elite hybrid cornerback-safety prospects in the 2011 draft. There are several reputable playmakers -- four of the top six had more than 10 career interceptions -- but none compare to Eric Berry, the fifth overall pick in 2010 out of Tennessee, or last year's 14th overall pick Earl Thomas.
NFLDraftScout.com ranks UCLA free safety Rahim Moore and Clemson strong safety DeAndre McDaniel as the top safeties in the class -- neither is valued in the first round and likely will come off the board in the middle of the second.
A closer look at the top defensive backs in this draft:
Cornerbacks
Rating, Player, Pos, School, Ht, Wt, Projected Round
* denotes underclassman
1. *Patrick Peterson, LSU, 6-0, 219, 1
The 2010 Thorpe Award winner as the nation's top defensive back, Peterson also earned the Bednarik award, All-American honors and was special teams and defensive MVP in the Southeastern Conference. It might not be the last time he finishes ahead of Cam Newton and Nick Fairley. Peterson compares physically and in overall skill to Charles Woodson, after whom he said he patterns his game. Peterson has the size to play safety, the speed of a cornerback. He has rare fluidity and straight-line speed for his size, which explains why he's so special as a return man. He only returned kicks in 2010, but averaged 16.1 yards on punt returns including two touchdowns and 29.3 yards on kickoffs (school-record 851 yards on 29 returns) for his career. Peterson has the confidence and "short memory" needed to survive on an island in the NFL and won't be the first pro in his family; Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden and wide receivers Santana and Sinorice Moss are Peterson's cousins.
2. Prince Amukamara, Nebraska, 6-0, 206, 1
Nebraska and Amukamara seemed a perfect marriage -- he was a coveted running back out of Arizona who produced 24 touchdowns as a senior. When coach Bo Pelini arrived in Lincoln, he convinced an initially resistant Amukamara he had a pro future on defense. The frequent critiques of Amukamara entering the scouting combine were that he lacked elite straight-line speed and was embarrassed in a one-on-one matchup against Oklahoma State All-American receiver Justin Blackmon last season. The speed question might have been abated with 40-yard dash times of 4.38 and 4.43 seconds. Amukamara's size, short-area quickness and ball skills should have already made him the second cornerback on NFL draft boards in April. He cemented that status with his blazing, and mildly surprising, 40 times. Consider Joe Haden, the top cornerback drafted in 2010, was clocked in the 4.5s at the '10 combine.
3. Jimmy Smith, Colorado, 6-2, 211, 1-2
Smith plays a physical brand of football, excelling in the man-to-man bump coverage Colorado prefers. He was one of the most impressive cornerbacks at the combine, with confidence bordering on braggadocio, at one point saying his hands are better than Nnamdi Asomugha's. "I've got great hands. I played receiver in high school ... 1,500 yards," he said. Smith threw up 24 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press and his wingspan approaches 70 inches; he also showed he has the footwork and enough fluidity to play in a zone scheme with the speed and burst to close on the ball. The Denver Post reported that NFL teams who interviewed Smith wanted answers about a failed drug test in 2007 and two arrests for possession of alcohol as a minor. His greatest hurdle to the first round might be convincing teams he's not a character risk. "These interviews," he said at the combine, "are really what's going to make or break me."
4. *Brandon Harris, Miami (Fla.), 5-10, 191, 1-2
Football was life for Harris growing up. His father, Tim, was the 2007 USA Today National Coach of the Year and both Brandon and Tim Jr., his older brother, ran track at Miami. Harris is no track athlete in a helmet and should pads. He was the most natural, free-moving cornerback in drills at the combine. Whereas the tightly wound Peterson and Amukamara did enough to be considered cornerbacks, Harris looked like the natural athlete who some scouts have also said has the best overall instincts at the position in the 2011 class. He had a lackluster bowl game against Notre Dame's Michael Floyd, but Harris' first-round ability makes his early jump to the NFL a wise move. He has quick hands and very quick feet to stick and turn with receivers, but had a tendency to get his head around late at Miami, where too few of the passes he got his hands on were intercepted.
5. *Aaron Williams, Texas, 6-0, 204, 1-2
Although he probably could have benefited from another year in college to improve his footwork and refine his technique, scouts covet Williams for his aggressiveness and size. The Parade All-American -- he played both ways and blocked 12 career kicks in high school -- received a second-round ground from the NFL Advisory Committee, in part because he won't be able to rely as heavily on his size against NFL wide receivers. He has 23 career starts and if he improves as a technician and plays with the physicality his size suggests, Williams could be a find in the late first round.
6. Curtis Brown, Texas, 6-0, 185, 2
The combine didn't put Brown on the map, but it did ensure NFL teams won't need a GPS to find him on draft day. His test results jump off the page -- 6.59 three-cone, 4.51 40, 10-foot-8 broad jump and 39 1/2-inch vertical -- but that wasn't a surprise, considering he was a far better athlete than cornerback for his first two seasons in Austin. The better news for Brown was that teams noted his soft, natural hands, tendency to high-point interceptions and smooth transition from backpedal to breaking on passes in front of him. He'll fit man or zone schemes, with the lateral and straight-line quickness to trail receivers downfield and start-and-stop agility to match any corner in this class.
7. Davon House, New Mexico State, 6-1, 200, 2
House had 11 career interceptions but might face a greater adjustment, as Boise State's Kyle Wilson did in 2010 with the Jets, than cornerbacks from power conferences do before his entire skill set shows up at the NFL level. House is every bit the physical corner Wilson was in the WAC and as a four-year starter teams will know what they're getting. His 4.44 time was more than acceptable considering he has added 17 pounds of bulk in the past two years. House said his durability and strength can set him apart in this class. "Nothing was given to me and I think it made me a better man and a better player," he said.
8. *Brandon Burton, Utah, 6-0, 190, 2
Immense potential could entice a general manager to draft Burton earlier than the mid-to-late second round. His signature performance in 2010 came in the season opener, when he locked down Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin with smothering press coverage despite giving up more than five inches height and almost 40 pounds. Burton started 25 games as a sophomore and junior before bolting Utah with only three career interceptions. His hands, not his read-and-react timing or burst to close, are the question. He had 18 passes defensed at Utah.
9. Ras-I Dowling, Virginia, 6-1, 198, 2-3
To Chris Cook fans, this might sound like a broken record: Dowling has great size and proved his speed with a stunning 4.40-second 40 time in Indianapolis. The surprising speed wasn't the story. Dowling injured his hamstring on his first 40 attempt, bringing to the forefront his lack of durability. Dowling played only five games in 2010 and 35 games in four years with the Cavaliers. He has the size, speed and ball skills of a wide receiver but might fall to the third round because of durability concerns. Similar questions followed Vikings 2010 second-round pick Cook, also a big, physical and gifted corner, from Virginia. He battled injuries, was hurt at the Senior Bowl and limped through much of his rookie season in Minnesota on a bad knee.
10. Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State, 6-0, 191, 2-3
Chekwa severely dislocated his right wrist in the first quarter of the Sugar Bowl, and after surgery he was still wearing a soft cast in late February and wasn't cleared medically to perform fully at the combine. He was present long enough to register a 4.38 40, one of the 10 fastest times at the 2011 event. Chekwa doesn't have great hands and, while he has proven to be more than a "track guy," he doesn't easily wrap up bigger ballcarriers. He'll need to be more disciplined in maintaining his assignment to be consistently successful in the NFL.
11. Johnny Patrick, Louisville, 5-11, 191, 2-3
Patrick was first-team All-Big East as a senior, when teams generally avoided throwing to his side of the field. Rutgers didn't abide by that strategy and lost in the 2010 regular-season finale that gave the Cardinals a bowl bid -- thanks two Patrick's two interceptions. He was a wide receiver entering the Louisville program and has a burst to close, sustains his speed trailing downfield and displays excellent ball skills. As you might expect with only a few years of defensive experience, he's a light-tackling corner and his technique is a bit raw.
Safeties
Rating, Player, Pos, School, Ht, Wt, Projected Round
1. *FS Rahim Moore, UCLA, 6-0, 202, 2
Being the top safety in the 2011 draft class isn't an honor to be cherished relative to recent No. 1-ranked safeties. For scouts to decide is whether Moore's 2009 sophomore season -- he led the nation with 10 interceptions -- or the junior season in which he wasn't around the ball enough (three interceptions) was the aberration. Moore has the character and confidence teams want and based on his ball skills and range, he should be an adequate center fielder. His strength (measly 11 reps of 225 at the combine), average instincts and open-field tackling aren't NFL-grade.
2. S Quinton Carter, Oklahoma, 6-1, 208, 2-3
Athletically, Carter warrants a second-round grade, but his 4.57 timed speed in Indianapolis was pedestrian. He has valuable versatility, enough to be used at either safety position and even slide inside in "big nickel" packages that became more common in the NFL last season. For some Cover 2 defenses, he'll be viewed as a cornerback. Carter's closing speed and bone-jarring tackling are consistently evident on game film.
3. FS *Robert Sands, West Virginia, 6-4, 217, 3
Sands might be built like a tall, wiry receiver, but he relishes the physical nature of the safety position. He's a hard hitter, and that style has led to shoulder injuries that will concern some teams worried about his durability. At 6-4, Sands is quite tall for the position, but that length also enables him to affect passing lanes. He plays with aggression and can reach either sideline. That height can work against him when forced to change directions quickly, but he works hard to be in the right position. Sands closed his Mountaineers career with 151 tackles (88 unassisted), 1.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
4. SS DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson, 6-0, 217, 3
The No. 1 defensive back coming out of high school according to some recruiting services, he became a highly productive and durable three-year starter for the Tigers, where he matured into captain material after a difficult childhood. Despite 14 career interceptions, McDaniel enters the NFL with doubts about his coverage skills. He has the biggest hands among safeties in this class -- 10 1/8-inch width -- and the size and reach to disrupt in pass coverage. He's lauded for top instincts, but McDaniel was a rover or fourth linebacker at Clemson and his 4.63 and 4.65 times at the combine underlines questions about his ability to cover the deep half of the field.
5. *S Tyler Sash, Iowa, 6-0, 211, 3-4
Sash started 37 games in three seasons and made enough big plays in the passing game -- 13 interceptions, total of 392 return yards -- to be known as Sash-and-Dash. His best performances came in Iowa's biggest games -- two interceptions, including 48-yard return in the 2009 Outback Bowl win over South Carolina; three picks in 2009 against Iowa State -- and he's a natural leader with excellent strength for the position. The Hawkeyes' scheme, heavily based in two-deep coverage, put him in good position. It also required him to read and react quickly, cover quality tight ends and running backs and make plays downfield. As a strong safety, his short arms -- 30 inches, shorter than all other safeties at the combine -- will force him to run around blocks near the line, which will leave him out of position. If he slightly tempers the aggressive nature that so often made him Johnny on the spot, Sash could be a longtime starter in a zone defense.
6. FS Chris Conte, California, 6-2, 197, 3-4
Conte arrived at Berkeley as a big, tall and physical cornerback. He also arrived with a gold stripe dyed down the middle of his dark hair as a true freshman, seeking to prove to his teammates and his coaches that he was "ready to be crazy." He impressed from the outset, but spent most of his first three seasons as a reserve cornerback. Conte found his comfort zone as a senior, putting his instincts and sure tackling to good use. He closed his career with 157 tackles (four for loss), two interceptions, 11 pass breakups, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble and a blocked kick for a touchdown, with 12 of his 17 career starts coming at safety.
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