Tuesday Notes/ Reports

Cornerbacks & Safeties

WHO HELPED THEIR STOCK:

Eric Berry CB/Safety  Tennessee

Berry, nicknamed "The Fifth Dimension", was very multi-dimensional in his performance at the NFL Combine Tuesday.  Standing 6'0" 211 lbs, Berry's combination of size and speed (4.47/40 yd dash-second among safeties) laid claim to him being the most versatile defensive back in this year's draft.  We were most impressed with his ease of movement in the DB drills that tested hip flexibility and change of direction.   With the combination of his explosion (10'10") broad jump {first},(43" VJ) {first} and body control, Berry left GM's and coaches salivating over his measurables and playmaking ability.

Taylor Mays S Southern Cal

We knew Mays was explosive (41" VJ) and fast (4.43/40 yd dash (1st among DBs), but he showed that he had done inordinate amount of work with his footwork in positional drills.  While he still has some issues tackling in space, he solidified his standing as DraftNasty's 31st overall rated player on our board.  Mays projects as a poor man's Adrian Wilson (Arizona Cardinals) type for the next level, without the movement or coverage ability Wilson had coming out of NC State. 

Devin McCourty CB Rutgers

McCourty, 5'11" 193, continues his strong postseason, with yesterday only adding to its impressive resume'.   He showed fine hip explosion and flexibility in DB drills, while posting some of the top numbers in the forty yard dash (4.48), 3-Cone (6.70 ranked 2nd), Broad Jump (10'6"-tied for 3rd) and the 20 yd short shuttle (4.07).  The one area of the physical testing that impressed us the most was the short shuttle, as McCourty continued to show the quickness that has made him a hot prospect on many team's draft boards.  McCourty also has fine arm length (32") and is built well physically.

AJ Jefferson CB Fresno State

Jefferson, a relatively inexperienced corner in the WAC, had a very uneven week at the Texas vs The Nation All-Star game practices.  Scouts will certainly be enamored with his incredible leaping ability (44" VJ-one of the best in the last ten years) and fine athleticism, but teams should caution about overdrafting the 6'0" 193 lb corner.  He has first round ability and is an elite special teams prospect, but has some work to do with transition ability in and out of cuts vs receivers with wiggle. 

Chris Cook CB Virginia

Cook continues his strong climb up the charts during this year's postseason, with Tuesday possibly serving as his final statement.  Blessed with safety size, 6'2" 212 lbs, he has unique movement ability for his frame.  His 11' broad jump was one of the top five athletic feats at this year's combine and he was able to clock in the mid-4.4s in the forty yard dash.  Cook uses his impressive length (32 ½" arms) to consistently get his hands on WRs at the line of scrimmage when you watch him on tape. 

Myron Lewis CB Vanderbilt

Lewis, who had to answer plenty of questions about his shoulder going into the combine, showed lower body explosion (10'6" broad jump) and ran well at 6'1 5/8" 203 lbs.  His 34" arms are longer than Iowa offensive tackle Brian Bulaga's, a potential first rounder in this year's draft.  While he measured up physically, Lewis needs to answer more questions about turning and running in his upcoming workouts for NFL teams. 

Kyle McCarthy S Notre Dame

McCarthy displayed much of the underrated athleticism that he displayed all year at the combine. He looked very smooth in some of his individual drills and showed good solid technique on plant-n-drives in DB drills.  While he didn't run great (4.6s), he didn't disappoint either.  His overall athleticism (4.13/20 yd SS, 11.13/60 yd SS and 6.74/3 Cone) was very impressive.  He also threw up an impressive 24 reps at 225 pounds.  We are excited for McCarthy, who we feel is a fine football player.   Unlike many of the defensive backs in attendance, McCarthy showed endurance throughout yesterday's action.

WHO HURT THEIR STOCK:

Joe Haden CB Florida

Haden, who we gave a high second round grade going into the combine, didn't surprise us with his pedestrian speed (high 4.5s/40 yd dash).  He is a quick twitched athlete with play anticipation and compares favorably to former Virginia Tech CB Brandon Flowers, albeit not as smooth an athlete.  Flowers, who likely would have been a Top 10 pick if not for concerns about timed speed (4.58), brought the same type of physical nature that Haden brings to the NFL.  Haden showed lower body explosiveness (10'5" broad jump) and upper body strength (18 reps), but he continued to look even more tightly wound than we expected in drill work.  As teams go back to watch the competitive corner more on film, they will have issues with his overall hip flexibility.  We still think he's a fine football player.

Chad Jones S LSU

Jones, ranked 14^th on DraftNasty's overall board heading into the combine, didn't show the athleticism in testing we saw on tape this past season.  He was only able to muster 9 bench press reps at 225 lbs, which begs questions about his overall strength.  This may explain why Jones has a tendency to lunge at the ankles of offensive players after displaying fine initial burst from depth when in the open field.  He ran about as well as we expected (high 4.5s/low 4.6s) and moved well in the individual DB drills at 6'2" 221 lbs.  While he will remain solid on our board, he will have a very tough time moving up teams' draft boards after a mediocore Indianapolis combine.  He needs a strong campus Pro Day to justify his decision to declare early for the 2010 NFL Draft.

Perrish Cox CB Oklahoma State

Cox continues to have an uneven postseason.  After being suspended for the 2010 Cotton Bowl, Cox had a relatively solid Senior Bowl week.  However, with his spectacular return ability throughout his career, we expected to see him run far better than the pedestrian times he posted during Tuesday's workout (4.5s/40 yd dash).  We already had major concerns on his overall movement ability and he continued to struggle with flexibility at the Indianapolis combine. 

What Else Caught DraftNasty's Eye?

As expected, DraftNasty's #1 corner for the 2010 NFL Draft, FSU CB Patrick Robinson, moved exceptionally well in all of the DB drills.  He showed outstanding overall hip flexibility and body control.   He also put 15 bench press reps and showed some lower body explosion with a 39"VJ.  

Boise State CB Kyle Wilson's 25 reps at 225 lbs...

Taylor Mays' 34" arms and 10 ¼" hands could invoke NFL teams to look at him in workouts as an edge rush specialist at the safety position in the mold of Adrian Wilson. 

Florida S Major Wright's 4.48 time in the forty yard dash.

We were surprised that Ole Miss S Kendrick Lewis could only post a 4.72 forty yard dash time...he looked much smoother and quicker on game tape and in person as a safety off the hash. 

Toledo's S/LB Barry Church struggled to turn-n-run in some of the movement DB drills, but showed a lot of impressive athleticism in other drills.  The S/LB ran in the high 4.6/low 4.7 range, ran an impressive 6.65/3 Cone and posted an 11.18 in the 60 yard short shuttle. 

Kansas S Darrell Stuckey ran well (4.5s/40 yd dash) and showed some extreme lower body explosiveness with his 39.5" VJ.  He is a fine football player and had a solid combine workout.  He did exhibit some stiffness when changing directions, something that did not surprise us. 

We were disappointed that Iowa CB Amari Spievey was unable to finish the workout, along with several of the other defensive backs in attendance.