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NEWS AND INFORMATION ON THE NFL DRAFT |
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NEWS AND INFORMATION ON THE NFL DRAFT |
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2013 DRAFT PREVIEW: CBsOverview: CB should be one of the
more interesting positions to watch in the lead-up to the 2013 draft as
there is a lot of talent there. At the same time, though, the position
has as many question marks as any in the upcoming draft field. The one
certainty at the position - or at least as certain as one can be this
far out from the draft - is that North Carolina State junior David
Amerson, who intercepted a remarkable 13 passes last fall, is the only
CB currently considered to have top 10 potential. Amerson lacks pure
track speed, but he is a
physical player with ideal height and length for the position, as well
as outstanding instincts and ball skills. Meanwhile, Johnthan Banks of
Mississppi State and Florida State junior Xavier Rhodes are later
first-round candidates. Like Amerson, both have excellent size for a
CB, although neither is suoper fast. Then there is enigmatic Tyrann
Mathieu of - sort of - LSU, tcollege football's defensive player of the
year in 2011 who won't play this fall after being kicked off the team
reportedly for failing multiple drug tests. Mathieu, known
affectionately as Honey Badger, opted to remain at LSU this fall and
undergo drug counseling in the hopes of being re-instated to the
program next fall, although failing that he could still enter the 2013
draft where he would represent a challenge for pro scouts regardless of
his current off-field woes. No question that Mathieu has been a rare
impact player at LSU who also can return kicks, he isn't all that big
or fast and may has never been asked to handle a lot of man coverage
resonsibilities in the Tigers' scheme.
As well, just about every year, a CB or two emerges from the middle of the pack and inserts himself into the opening round discussion and this year may be no exception. Candidates to make that kind of move include Johnny Adams of Michigan State and Oregon State's Jordan Poyer, along with juniors Dee Milliner of Alabama and Texas' Carrington Byndom, each of whom is projected to run in the low 4.4s at pre-draft testing. In fact, it appears there could again be a lot of depth at the corner position this coming April with a lot of solid players currently figuring in the middle rounds. That includes productive veterans like Micah Hyde of Iowa, Desmond Trufant of Washington, Oklahoma's Demontre Hurst, and Terry Hawthorne of Illinois, as well as juniors like Logan Ryan of Rutgers, Southern Cal's Nickell Robey, and Kyle Fuller of Virginia Tech. The 2013 CB class also has more than its share of sleeper types including UConn's Blidi Wreh-Wilson who is coming off a knee injury that limited him last fall, but has nice length and speed and is just starting to scratch the surface as he didn't play football until his senior year in high school. Other second-tier CBs with some upside include undersized, but feisty, Brodrick Brown of Oklahoma State and Nigel Malone of Kansas State ,who picked off 5 and 7 passes respectively last fall, along with the Leon McFadden of San Diego State and the UCLA duo of Sheldon Price and Aaron Hester, while Troy Stoudemire of Minnesota and Wisconsin's Devin Smith are under the radar after missing much of the 2011 season with injuries, but the have the physical tools and work ethic to become factors if healthy. Meanwhile, B.W. Webb of William & Mary and Robert Alford of Southeastern Louisiana are the top true small-school prospects at the position. Top 20 CB Prospects
If you have comments or suggestions, e-mail the Editor, Great Blue North Draft Report. The GBN can also be reached by phone at (613) 692-1088 or regular mail at 320 Shadehill Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2J 0L6. Great Blue North Draft Report Privacy Policy. The GREAT BLUE NORTH DRAFT REPORT is a division of SQUITERLAND ENTERPRISES, Ottawa, Ontario,Canada |