Defensive Backs
Note: For more current rankings, go to the defensive rankings page.
Dave-Te's Look at the Cornerback and Safety Crop
= Player on the rise
= Player on the slide
1... Fred Smoot School: Mississippi St.
Smack talker extraordinaire. Talks the talk and often walks the walk. And even when he doesn't, he still yaps.Very confident and gifted. Has a quick plant and drive. At times will look like he and the receiver are joined at the hip. Sticks like glue to his man. Very quick reflexes allow him to make plays on the ball and his long arms come in handy when battling for jump balls. Plays smart and can play zone or man2man. Has good speed and won't be out hustled. Very competitive. Has a short memory when beaten. Not the best at run-support near the line, but is decent when called upon to make an open field tackle. Reminds me of Samare Rolle. Had a strong showing in Mobile; getting the better of Chad Johnson.2... Nate Clements School: Ohio St.
Has more god-given tools than Smoot, but has not been as consistent. His size/speed ratio is ideal and he has solid ball-skills. A pro at attacking screens, he has the toughness often lacking in CB prospects. He has an exploisve closing burst and can recover when out of position; he shows great range. Has good instincts, but will have a game or two in which you wonder if he is paying attention to details. He is alittle raw and needs some technique work, but secondary coaches will relish trying to mold this guy into a complete CB. An "upside" type who may need time. Joel Buchsbaum of PFW has him ranked #1.3... Jamar Fletcher School: Wisconsin
A ballhawk who likes to take it to the house. People question his height, but it has yet to be a problem and his production speaks for its self. Equally adept at zone or man2man. Very smart and aware player whose backpedal is fluid and quick. Takes great angles on the ball in flight and has the hands to make the big interception. He is a reliable tackler who knows his responsibilities on the field. Although slight, he is able to effectively hand-fight against bigger opposition. Has been durable and can play through pain. Tremendous confidence in his abilities. His height will no doubt drop him on many boards.4... Ken Lucas School: Mississippi
Has that all important size/speed ratio scouts crave. Shows good hands and makes plays on the ball. Has a knack for timing his jumps and deflecting the pass. He is a strong bumper at the line. His jolt often gets the WR off his route. Plays intelligently and aggressive. Needs work in zone coverage and lessons on proper footwork. Can get turned around. He is not an accomplished take-on tackler yet. He is more of a drag-down type. He should get better at it in time- he played alot of widereceiver and needs more tackling experience; he is willing.
5... Will Allen School: Syracuse
A true blazer. He has rare speed and quickness. He seems to get better every year and is an eager student. He sticks to his man and plays the run well for a guy his size. Not a very good bump corner. Can get pushed around. Can cut on a dime and recover. Although he is always around the action and in position he does not come up with the ball enough. With his speed, deep passes should be very hard to complete, but he mis-judges the ball too much and will give up the big-play more than you would like. He is an excellent return man.6... Willie Middlebrooks School: Minnesota
Might have the best combination of size/speed/strength in this DB class. Likes to mix it up and get rough at the line of scrimmage. Loves to bump. A good striker who attacks the run and blows up screens. Has a fluid stride and superior speed which gives him great range. Had an ankle injury this past year and his absence proved very damaging to the Gophers down the stretch. Needs work in zone coverage and has somewhat sloppy footwork that gets him off balance. A raw player who is getting by on natural gifts but needs to workout the kinks. Teams will not feel good about starting him right away unless he becomes a quicker learner.School: Florida St.
Has prototype tools. Size, speed, strength, and toughness. Drops bombs on opponents. Lights out hitter who has the look of a solid SS, but could play FS with more tutelage. Smooth runner who covers alot of ground in a hurry. Explosive closing burst when tracking down the ball carrier. Good space player; not easily faked out when in the open field. Some scouts are convinced that this athletic specimen will become a solid player for the next ten years while others question his instincts. He does show inconsistency in his reads and will overpursue on occassion. He also drops more balls than you would like. Had some off-field problems and teams are dropping him for it, so he could be a steal for a team that thinks they could bring out the best in him.8... Gary Baxter School: Baylor
Scouts are having a hard time figuring this guy out. He is a tweener; between a safety and a CB. I believe he will be a FS in time. Loves to bump. Can deliver a jolt that messes up the timing between the QB and WR. Solid tackler that displays a "don't try to run on me" attitude. Cocky. Can jump with the best of them. Good quickness, but marginal speed. Good hands and anticipation. Very good work ethic and leadership ability. Will need to learn to take better angles when in zone. Has problems with quick smurf types when playing backed off. He should get better in that area because he is just starting to learn the safety position after playing bump CB for a long time. For his size he has good agility, allowing him to sidestep and maneuver around blocks to make a play.9... Adam Archuleta Arizona St. Many feel that he will make a smooth transition from LB to Safety. He will lay the wood ala John Lynch. He has good hands and top level instincts. His speed is good and his strength is more than excellent (31reps). He is a leader who wen't from a walk-on to a tough and reliable tackling machine. He gets off blocks well and flows naturally to the ball with little wasted motion. He will need time before he can play man2man in the NFL. 10.. Tay Cody Florida St. Solid man2man skills. Has a fluid backpedal and turning motion. Plays intelligently and works hard. Shows superior technique that should allow him to play right away. Better than most tackling even though slight in size. Helped himself at the Senior Bowl. His height and less than ideal long speed will drop him. Feisty, poor man's Antoine Winfield. 11.. Andre Dyson Utah Excels in man2man. Fast athlete who always seems to be around the ball. Fluid hips and quick closing burst allows him to stick to his man tightly. Good instincts and awareness. Brother of Kevin Dyson. Improved his stock in Mobile. Needs to get more physical and improve his tackling. 12.. Hakim Akbar Washington Physical intimidator. Likes to mix it up and get rough. Seems to be fired up all game long. Very good speed and ball skills. Very disruptive playing near the line. Can close quickly in the open field. Good stamina. Needs to improve zone awareness and cut down on the times he overruns plays. 13.. Idrees Bashir Memphis A rising talent who has scouts intrigued. Size/speed combo jumps out at you right away. He covers alot of ground with his long strides and is like a hawk swooping down on its prey. Needs to work on his footwork and improve his open field tackling. Has ball skills that some think will land him in round 2. 14.. Marlon McCree Kentucky Covers very well for a safety that has been converted from the LB position. Has suddeness and a nice burst that has scouts buzzing. Likes to hit. Can deliver a blow but can get sloppy at times and miss some tackles. Won't win too many jump balls. Instincts are good and although short, he is built sturdy. 15.. Adrian Wilson North Carolina St. Quickly rising up many boards. Rangy, textbook wrap-up tackler who can drop the hammer on WRs. Fluid hips allow him to react to the run in a flash. He covers the short to intermediate areas very well. Does not like to give cushion. Built solid. Team MVP for Wolfpack. Needs deep coverage work to round off his game. 16.. Michael Stone Memphis Physical marvel with speed and hops. Still learning the position but showing great strides. Has the ability to recover and get deep. Not a finished product by any means, but he is rated highly by some because they are confident that in time he will be a well rounded talent. 17.. William Peterson Western Illinois Solid combination of skills. Dismissed from Michigan for various reasons. May have character problem. Has a natural feel for coverage and a smooth change-of-direction. Physical player who has the athletic talent to rank much higher, but the off-field history makes him somewhat of a risk. 18.. Jarrod Cooper Kansas St. Has good size/speed package that got even better when he ran awesome 40s for scouts recently. Intense competitor who delivers jarring hits to anyone in his path. Like a LB. Works hard but needs to work to improve his coverage and footwork or he could be targeted by QBs. 19.. Bhawoh Jue Penn St. Many are saying patience will pay off for this prospect. He is a quick learner that is a bit raw with his coverage techniques. His size is good and his speed is adequate. He is drawing raves for his toughness and ability to react to the run without hesitation. May not be able to play right away. A leader. 20.. Ligarius Jennings Tennessee St. Athletic student of the game. Aggressive and knows how to play the ball in flight. Good change-of-direction and plant and drive. Intense competitor who is not scared to throw his body around. Will blow tackles occasionally. Has average deep speed. Knows how to play in several schemes. 21.. Jimmy Williams Smooth runner who can turn and run naturally. Has good hands and can return kicks. Looks fluid in his movements and shows good coordination judging balls in flight. Loses his concentration too often. 22.. Tony Dixon A hammer verse the run. Almost like another LB. Has good timing and takes good angles to the ball. Very smart and instinctive. Needs work playing the ball and must get better at dropping into zones. 23.. James Boyd Penn St. Likes to go for the kill shot. Seemed to improve as the season wen't along. Not afraid to throw his body around. Shows alot of hustle and stamina. Does not have great foot quickness and is not ready to play man2man. 24.. Brock Williams Notre Dame Recent workouts showcased athletic ability people overlooked during the season. Has fine technique and can cover man2man when on his game. Agile and quick. Has had off the field problems and is an average jow verse the run. 25.. Dwight Smith Akron Exploded as a senior; picked off ten passes. Very strong; can give a receiver quite a jolt. Good at playing the ball, even if he is being bodied by the receiver. May not have the speed of a CB. Must show more maturity.
Quarterbacks| Runningbacks& Fullbacks| WideReceivers & TightEnds| Offensive Line
Defensive Line| Linebackers| Secondary
