Cornerbacks
STRENGTH: 6
A cornerback has not been drafted in the Top 10 since 2005. The Class of 2009 likely will extend that drought to four consecutive drafts. There's plenty of size and speed on the cornerback board but so few of the prospects have both.
Player School Ht. Wt. Noteworthy
Malcolm Jenkins Ohio St 6-0 204 Thorpe Award winner
Vontae Davis Illinois 5-11 203 4.40 speed in the 40
Darius Butler Connecticut 5-10 183 4-year starter
Alphonso Smith Wake Forest 5-9 193 21 career interceptions
Jairus Byrd Oregon 5-10 207 Son of former NFL CB Gill Byrd
Sean Smith Utah 6-31/2 214 Biggest corner in the draft
Kevin Barnes Maryland 6-0 187 4.45 speed in the 40
Bradley Fletcher Iowa 6-0 196 152 career tackles
Jerraud Powers Auburn 5-9 188 16 career passes broken up
Chris Owens San Jose St. 5-9 1/2 181 13 career interceptions
Asher Allen Georgia 5-9 1/2 194 Also returns kickoffs
Keenan Lewis Oregon St 6-0 1/2 208 Started 47 college games
Coye Francies San Jose St. 6-0 185 Oregon State transfer
Brandon Hughes Oregon St 5-10 1/2 182 4.40 speed in the 40
D.J. Moore Vanderbilt 5-8 1/2 192 Two-time All-SEC
Potential first-round draft picks in bold
Spotlight on
Chris Owens, San Jose State
Competition brings out the best in any athlete. It certainly brought out the best in San Jose State cornerback Chris Owens.
Owens started for three seasons - two opposite his former roommate Dwight Lowery and last year opposite Coye Francies. They all drove each other to become better.
"We were really competitive,"
Owens said. "In practice we'd really go at it, see who could get the most picks, who had the most hits, who had the most tackles. ... Then we just carried it over into the game."
Lowery led the NCAA with a school-record nine interceptions in 2006. Owens picked off four passes on the other side of the field. Lowery intercepted four passes in his senior season in 2007 and Owens led the WAC with six.
Lowery became a fourth-round pick of the New York Jets last April and wound up starting 10 games as a rookie, intercepting one pass. Owens benefited immensely from playing those two seasons with a future pro.
"I saw his work ethic and study habits,"
Owens said. "We'd go home and watch film and that was something new to me. Dwight helped make me a better player."
Owens served as team captain as a senior and earned All-WAC honors, despite intercepting a career-low one pass. Francies earned second-team All-WAC acclaim with his three interceptions. Both project as mid-round draft picks.
The Best
Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
Malcolm Jenkins started three years at Ohio State and was an All-Big Ten pick each season. He has the size the NFL covets to line up against players like Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson. Because of the physical nature of his game (173 career tackles) and borderline speed (4.51), some NFL teams project him as a safety. But cornerback or safety, Jenkins is all about winning. In his last six football seasons as a starter, he played in three state title games in high school and two national championship games in college.
Sleeper
Don Carey, Norfolk State
Carey started 42 games in his four seasons and was a two-time All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference selection. He also was a three-time academic All-MEAC. He started his first 1 1/2 seasons at safety, then moved over to corner. His ability to play two positions increases his value on draft day. So does his productivity - he intercepted 10 career passes.
Best of Texas
Brice McCain, Utah
The Terrell product started three years and was selected second-team All-Mountain West in 2008. He's the fastest cornerback on the draft board with a 4.33 clocking in the 40-yard dash at his campus workout. McCain (5-9, 181) also returns kickoffs, averaging 22.8 yards in his career.
DRAFT PROJECTION: Mid-rounds
Notable
Family affair: Jairus Byrd isn't the only CB in this draft with a father who played in the NFL. Western Michigan CB Londen Fryar is the son of Irving Fryar, the NFL's 13th all-time leading receiver. Others with family connections: Vontae Davis is the younger brother of San Francisco TE Vernon Davis. Darius Butler is the nephew of former Saints S Gene Atkins and the cousin of Ravens RB Willis McGahee. Miami's Bruce Johnson is the nephew of Seahawks CB Kelly Jennings.
In a rush: Virginia Tech's Victor "Macho"
Harris was a 2,346-yard rusher in high school at Highlands Springs, Va., and Boston College's Kevin Atkins was a 2,065-yard rusher as a prep in Lansdale, Pa.
Underclassmen: Eight juniors bolstered the cornerback board: Asher Allen, Jairus Byrd, Vontae Davis, D.J. Moore, Jerraud Powers, Sean Smith, Captain Munnerlyn of South Carolina and Donald Washington of Ohio State.
Legends: Alphonso Smith leaves Wake Forest as the leading interceptor in school history and the leader in ACC history with 21. Central Florida's Joe Burnett and Cincinnati's Mike Mickens were also their school's all-time leading interceptor.
Top 10: Smith also set marks for passes broken up (40) and passes defensed (61). Here's a list of the top interceptors in this draft:
Player School Int.
Alphonso Smith Wake Forest 21
Jairus Byrd Oregon 17
Joe Burnett C. Florida 16
Macho Harris Va. Tech 15
Mike Mickens Cincinnati 14
D.J. Moore Vanderbilt 13
Chris Owens San Jose 13
DeAngelo Smith Cincinnati 12
Malcolm Jenkins Ohio St. 11
Speed to burn: Malcolm Jenkins was a state 400 meters champ as a high schooler in New Jersey and Mike Mickens won the 300 meters as a prep in Ohio. Stanford's Wopamo Osaisai was the Pac 10's 100-meter champ in 2008.
Mr. Versatility: D.J. Moore was an all-state performer at wide receiver in football, point guard in basketball and as a high jumper in track at Broome High School in Spartansburg, S.C. He won state championships in all three sports.
The schedule
Sunday: Wide receivers
-Today: Cornerbacks
Tuesday: Tight ends
Wednesday: Defensive line
Thursday: Quarterbacks
Friday: Linebackers
Saturday: Offensive line
April 19: Safeties
April 20: Running backs
April 21: Special teams
FIND PREVIOUS installments of the draft series.
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