2012 DRAFT CB PROFILES

*Note players not necessarily listed in order of grade

Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama, 6-1.5, 195, 4.50, JR … Emerging shut-down corner with good size and athleticism; almost 6-2 with long arms, but is also very smooth and agile; is very fluid in his back-peddle and breaks suddenly on the ball; has good, but not great recovery speed, but is very quick and instinctive with excellent balance and  body control; also a good leaper with the size to win battles in the air; not generally a huge hitter, but an excellent wrap-up tackler who seldom misses in the open field; hard worker in the film room; not all that physical at the line of scrimmage, though, and has been pushed around a bit by some of college football’s elite receivers;  had 53 tackles in 2010 along with three picks and 7 other pass break-ups; has excellent hands and ball skills and could be a top prospect at WR.

Chase Minnifield, Virginia, 5-11, 185, 4.48, SR … Arguably a better prospect than either of former teammates Chris Cook and Ras-I Dowling, both of whom were early second round picks in 2009 and 2010 respectively; instinctive cover corner with good balance and body control; also has outstanding ball skills and picked off 6 passes last fall despite being slowed by an anle injury the final month of the season; better in zone than man coverage; has sub-4.5 speed, but isn’t all that quick and doesn’t find the ball that well running away from the pocket; not very big, but will come and support the run defense; son of former Pro Bowl CB Frank Minnifield of Cleveland.

Alfonzo Dennard,  Nebraska, 5-10, 205, 4.45, SR … Played opposite Prince Amukamara, the 19th player taken at the 2011 draft this past spring, but more than held his own; not overly, but a thick, well-built corner who is very physical in press coverage; technique is not always the smoothest and will over-extend and lose his balance at times, but can turn and run, tracks the ball well, and has good ball skills; also is very quick with good balance and body control, can change direction on the fly and is a good leaper; still pro scouts probably would like to see a little more production; had only 30 tackles last fall and while he had 4 picks had only three other pass break-ups; also not as consistent playing in reverse as he isn’t that smooth coming out of the break, but does close quickly; has some durability issues as he had problems early in his career with a shoulder injury and was knocked out for a game last year with a concussion.

Morris Claiborne, LSU, 5-11, 180, 4.45, JR … Takes over from Patrick Peterson, the 5th player taken at the 2011 draft, as the Tigers’ shut-down corner; very good athlete was a star option QB in high school where he was also a state champion at 100M with a PB of 10.75 seconds; very quick with excellent recovery speed; also can flip his hips and is very smooth in transition; tracks the ball well and has good hands, but isn’t necessarily a great leaper; also somewhat spindly and isn’t all that physical or aggressive in run support; had 37 tackles last fall while making 5 interceptions and breaking up 6 other pass attempts; can also return KOs.

Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina, 6-0, 195, 4.52, JR … Former "Mr. Football" in South Carolina as a dual-threat QB has started every game on the corner since he arrived on campus; physical player led the team in tackles last fall with 79; likes to get in the face of receivers at the line of scrimmage; also can turn and run, but has only average recovery speed; tracks the ball and has good hands, but could make more plays when the ball is in the air; experienced player gets to battle with Gamecocks’ WR Alshon Jeffery, arguably the best receiver in college football every day at practice; outstanding athlete ran for over 1,300 yards and passed for another 1,700 while accounting for 37 TDs as a high school senior 23  touchdowns and has worked some as a wildcat QB at USC; still may lack the pure foot speed to be a lockdown corner at the next level, but has the overall tools to be a solid #2 and could also get some looks at FS.

Xavier Rhodes, Florida State, 6-2, 205, 4.55, RSO … Emerging redshirt sophomore with all the tools to be a shutdown corner at the next level; well-built player with long arms is effective jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage; can also turn and run and does a nice job finding the ball in the air; also has good ball skills and picked off a couple of passes last fall, while breaking up 14 others; lacks sprinter speed, but is a long strider with an extra gear when the ball is in the air; plays the run like a safety.

Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama, 5-11, 190, 4.52, SR … Was considered a lock to be a mid-to-late first round pick at the 2011 draft, but opted to remain in school after undergoing post-season shoulder surgery; then was booted from the team and transferred to North Alabama following two arrests for marijuana possession within the span of a couple months; was also involved in a previous off-field incident in 2009 when he was tasered and arrested after being involved in a fight; experienced player with 36 career starts; has adequate size and will come up in run support, although he will miss the occasional tackle going for the big hit; also sometimes get overpowered by more physical wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, but generally held up very well against big-time SEC receivers like A.J. Green of Georgia and Alabama’s Julio Jones; lacks sprinter speed, but has good quickness and change of direction along with fluid hips, as well as great balance and body control; also reads routes very well and has an excellent feel for the game; also has excellent hands and a decisive break on the ball and has 8 career interceptions and 17 other pass breakups; effective in both man and zone coverage; will gamble at times, though, and give up a big play; despite the myriad of red flags remains a legitimate fist-round prospect with the physical tools to be a shut-down corner at the next level especially if he runs under 4.5 seconds for the 40 at pre-draft testing. He is a fluid athlete with very light feet and swivel hips to turn and run downfield, but also shows the closing burst and physical nature to attack what's in front of him. At practice on Wednesday, Jenkins showed impeccable timing and explosion to plant, drive and blow up the play, knocking the ball and North Carolina receiver Dwight Jones to the ground in one of the drills. At times his lack of size and length will show in man coverage (only 5-93/4" tall), but he has a natural feel for the position that NFL teams covet

Cliff Harris, Oregon, 5-11, 180, 4.42, JR ... Very talented, albeit somewhat enigmatic cover corner and punt returner; had a remarkable year in 2010 in which he averaged almost 19 yards per punt return and brought back 4 for scores, while picking off 6 passes (one of which he returned for a TD) and breaking up 17 others, but was suspended indefinitely for after being charged with excessive speeding while driving with a suspended license this summer; for the record, it was not his first such violation and there are also questions as to how the rental car in question was acquired; also skipped some summer workouts; has bulked up to close to 180 pounds, but still is still somewhat frail and is something of an indifferent tackler in run support; also not that physical in coverage, but is a quick-twitch athlete with great anticipation and instincts; also very fluid and can change direction of a dime, can turn and run without missing a step, and breaks crisply out of back-peddle; also has the timing and ball skills of an all-star receiver; has the speed to outrun some mistakes, but will gamble at times and give up the big play.

Donnie Fletcher, Boston College, 6-0, 200, 4.53, SR … Smooth cover corner with good size and athleticism; effective jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage and will battle for the ball in the air; also an aggressive tckler who had 56 stops last fall, although he fail to break down and miss the odd tackle in the open field; has fluid hips and can turn and run, but lacks elite recovery speed; solid in zone where he reads field well and breaks nicely on the ball, although tends to give up too much cushion at times; has good hands and picked off 4 passes and broke up four others last fall.

Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech, 5-10, 172, 4.52, JR ... Ball-hawker extraordinaire led the nation with nine interceptions as a sophomore last fall; lacks sprinter speed, but is very quick, can turn on a dime and has fluid hips; reads the play well and breaks crisply out of his back pedal; has outstanding ball skill and is explosive with the ball in his hands; also a very good punt returner who averaged 13 yards per return last fall and already has a couple of TD returns on his resume; not very big or physical, but a good open-field tackler, although he isn’t that aggressive coming up in run support and had just 39 tackles last fall; also too small to be effective jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage and can be bumped off the play downfield; also can be inconsistent in coverage as he will gamble and give up big plays when he misses; likely a top 50 prospect if he enters the upcoming draft, but lack of elite measurable could keep him out of first round.

Coryell Judie, Texas A&M, 5-10, 190, 4.42, SR … Former junior college All-American has the tools to be a solid shutdown cover corner at the next level, however, has some issues with a shoulder; missed the entire 2009 campaign after undergoing season-ending surgery and continues to have problems with the joint; still had 57 tackles and 4 picks last season; indeed, if healthy has the size to play a physical brand of ball close to the line of scrimmage and the speed and athleticism to turn and run with just about any receiver in the country; also has great hands, but struggles at times to pick up the ball in the air; doubles as an explosive KO returner who averaged over 30 yards a try last season two of which he returned for scores.

Shaun Prater, Iowa, 4.50, SR … Veteran CB with 22 career starts; not all that big or physical and not effective jamming at the line of scrimmage, but a willing tackler who had 68 stops last fall; reads the field well and breaks nicely on the ball, but is more quick than fast and will probably be better suited to a Cover-2 scheme; has good ball skills and picked off 4 passes and broke up 6 others last season; one of 13 Iowa players afflicted with rhabdomyolysis this winter caused by excessive workouts but appeared to be fine in spring practice.

Brandon Boykin, Georgia, 5-9, 185, 4.45, SR … Quick cover corner doubles as one of the better KO returners in the country, but coming off a down year on the corner when he gave up too many big plays; not very big, but a solid wrap-up tackler who had 44 stops last fall; reads play well and will make plays in the backfield; not all that strong and is not that physical on the jam, but is a good leaper with a reported 42-inch vertical; also has good recovery speed with a 40-clock in the mid-4.4 range and has fluid hips and can plant and change direction with a burst; however, tends to give up too much cushion, needs to improve overall  footwork and has only average hands and ball skills; probably best as a slot defender at the next level where his overall lack of functional strength won’t be exposed; excellent KO returner with 4 returns for TDs in his career.

Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt, 5-11, 190, 4.53, SR … Physical corner who has also played some FS in his career; former high school option QB has started the past 24 straight games and led the SEC with 6 interceptions and 11 other pass breakups last year; aggressive tackler with adequate size has over 120 tackles the past couple of seasons; not super fast, but can jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and can flip hips and turn and run; reads routes well and has excellent ball skills; sees the field well in zone coverage and breaks nicely out of back pedal.

Emanuel Davis, East Carolina, 5-10, 190, 4.50, SR … Underrated cover corner is a two-time All-CUSA pick with 27 career starts, although draft status will be hurt somewhat by recent arrest for public drunkenness that will result in a suspension from the Pirates’ season opener versus South Carolina; in the process loses chance to help grade going up against SC WR Alshon Jeffrey, arguably the top receiver in college football these days; still a good all-around CB with decent size; assertive run defender had 54 stops last fall and 69 the previous year; will get up in the face of receivers and can turn and run, but lacks elite recovery speed; more quick than fast gets out of breaks in a hurry and will battle for the ball in the air; has decent hands and ball skills and has 8 career picks including two last fall when he also broke up and nine other pass attempts; missed 3 games in 2009 with a shoulder injury; slightly older player will turn 24 during his first NFL training camp.

Omar Bolden, Arizona State, 5-10, 195, 4.45, SR … Experienced cover corner with 35 career starts, but will miss the rest of the season after suffering a second torn ACL in spring practice; also missed the entire 2009 season because of an earlier knee injury; if healthy is a tough, physical corner who excels in bump and run coverage, although he wil overreach on occasion and let receiver get behind him; has good straight-line speed with decent quickness, but isn’t necessarily all that agile and isn’t that smooth changing direction; can read routes and gets a good break on the ball when it’s in the air; also has excellent hands and ball skills and as a former star prep RB is dangerous with the ball in his hands; also an outstanding KO returner who has averaged over 30 yards per try; had 52 tackles and 3 picks in 2010.

Keith Tandy, West Virginia, 5-10, 200, 4.55, SR … Ball-hawking corner with 27 career starts who could ultimately play safety at the next level; solid all-around corner who can play the run; physical tackler had 57 stops last season; also comfortable in both zone and man schemes; sees the field and breaks well on the ball; has good-size and matches up well physically with most receivers; has excellent ball skills and picked off 6 passes last fall and broke up 5 others; good athlete who was a record-setting QB in high school and was also a basketball prospect; more quick than fast, though, and lacks top-end recovery speed and has been beaten deep on occasion.

Cameron Chism, Maryland, 5-10, 190, 4.43, SR … Underrated player with the tools to become a shutdown corner at the next level; physical tackler had 70 tackles in each of the past couple of seasons; has sub-4.45 speed and the fluid hips to turn and run with top receivers; also reads the field well, has good change of direction skills and breaks crisply on the ball when coming out of zone coverage; doesn’t have the longest arms, though, and has limited ball skills, although he did pick off 4 passes in 2009, but had none last fall when opposing teams tended to avoid his area; could also get a little stronger to improve jam at the line of scrimmage.

Trevin Wade, Arizona, 5-10, 185, 4.52, SR … When on his game is a true ball-hawking cover corner, but slumped badly last fall when he was beaten deep on a regular basis and was even benched a couple of times; not overly fast with a projected 40 time just over 4.5 seconds, but very quick with fluid hips and nimble feet; has adequate size and does not shy away from contact; is a solid tackler who had 120 tackles the past couple of years; comfortable playing man coverage on an island, but also has the athleticism to work on inside slot receivers; breaks well on the ball and has good ball skills; as noted, though, almost disappeared in 2010 when he had but one pick and two pass break ups after recording 9 interceptions and 12 other PBUs in his first two years.

D’Anton Lynn, Penn State, 6-0, 210, 4.53, SR … Solid all-around who could ultimately end up at FS at the next level; has good size with a thick body and is very aggressive coming up in run support and is also an excellent tackler in the open field; had 75 tackles last fall including 2.5 for loss; also effective jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage, but is somewhat stiff for a corner and lacks elite speed and quickess; has good hands though and picked off three passes last fall while breaking up 4 others; son of Jets’ RB coach Anthony Lynn.

Trumaine Johnson, Montana, 6-2, 200, SR … Talented D1AA corner with excellent size, although he isn’t all that physical coming up in run support; good athlete who was a star prep QB and basketball player; can jam receivers at the line of scrimmage; also can turn and run, but needs to improve break on ball in zone; has good hands with 9 career picks and is a dangerous runner after the catch. 

Leonard Johnson, Iowa State, 5-10, 195, 4.45, SR … Physical two-way corner has started since his freshman year; has good size and is very aggressive coming up in run support with 175 career tackles and 5 forced fumbles; good athlete who was a star option QB in high school; runs well and decent ball skills with 5 career interceptions and 13 other pass break-ups, but is not all that instinctive in coverage and gives up too many big plays.

Quinton Porter, UNLV, 5-9, 185, 4.45, SR … Experienced corner with 32 career starts, but missed all but one game in 2010 after tearing ACL in opener; not all that big at barely 5-9, but a solid tackler with 166 career stops including 72 in 2009; has good speed and quickness, but isn’t all that instinctive or disciplined in coverage and has limited ball skills.

Mike Harris, Florida State, 5-10, 185, 4.52, SR … Tends to get lost in the FSU secondary playing behind star CBs Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes, but played well nickel situations last fall after transferring in from the junior college ranks; in fact, had 41 tackles and 4 interceptions last fall despite not starting; not huge, but solidly built and an aggressive, physical tackler; instinctive, disciplined player; has fluid hips and is very smooth into and out of his backeddle; is a former star high school option QB with good ball skills; only real issue is the lack of sprinter recovery speed.

Charles Brown, North Carolina, 5-9, 205, 4.55 … One of several Tar Heels who did not play last fall because of the NCAA investigation of improper benefits; physical corner who had 66 tackles in 2009; former prep WR has decent ball skills and had 3 picks and 6 other pass breakups in 2009, but did get picked on at times; lacks sprinter speed, but has a quick first step; not the most instinctive player and can be beaten deep; missed 4 games in 2008 with an ankle injury.

Tashaun Gipson, Wyoming, 6-0, 205, 4.45, SR … Physical corner with decent recovery speed; experienced three-year starter has started 37 straight games; has good size and will come up in run support posting 155 career tackles; can jam receivers at line of scrimmage, but is a little stiff and doesn’t turn and run all that well; also doesn’t break that well on the ball in zone coverage; will also gamble at times and give up the big play; has decent ball skills, though, with 6 career picks and 16 other pass breakups.

Josh Pleasant, Kent State, 5-9, 185, 4.40, SR … Very quick corner with close to 4.4 recovery speed; breaks well on the ball in zone, but has only average ball skills; can run with most receivers, but isn’t all that physical jamming at the line of scrimmage and when the ball is in the air; has been exploited by better receivers; had 2 picks in 2010 after notching one the previous year when he also had 11 pass breakups; not very big but an aggressive tackler who had just under 120 tackles over the past two year.

Terrence Frederick, Texas A&M, 5-10, 185, 4.52, SR … Steady cover corner if healthy after being hampered by a shoulder injury just about all last season; still had 57 tackles along with an interception and nine broken up passes; not all that big, but has the toughness to match-up physically with opposing receivers; lacks sprinter speed, but is quick with fluid hips and can turn and run; also breaks well on balls in front of him.

Robert Blanton, Notre Dame, 6-0, 200, 4.53, SR … Good-sized corner who can be very physical jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage; good leaper who has high jumped over 6-6; decent tackler who can get into the backfield had 52 stops last fall including 7 for loss; also had 2 picks and broke up 5 other passes; not overly athletic, though, and lacks elite recovery speed.

Josh Norman, Coastal Carolina, 6-1, 190, 4.60, SR … Long small-school ball-hawker had 8 picks in 2009; production dipped to just one interception last fall as opponents stayed away, but still broke up 9 other passes; lacks sprinter speed and isn’t all that quick coming out of breaks, but is a long strider with an extra gear when the ball is in the air; good tackler and special teamer with several blocked kicks on his resume.

Jamell Fleming, Oklahoma, 5-10, 195, 4.55, SR … Unheralded cover corner who had 5 picks and 9 other pass breakups last fall; has good size and very good strength and can jam receivers at the point of attack; more quick than fast, though, but has good instincts and ball skills; also a very good special teamer; left the team this winter for undisclosed personal reasons believed to be an academic issue, but returned this summer; also missed spring drills in 2009 to focus on academics.

Jordan Mabin, Northwestern, 5-10, 180, 4.57, SR … Productive veteran corner had a pick and 14 pass break-ups last fall; not very big or physical, but an aggressive tackler who also had 63 stops last fall; tends to get overmatched physically in man coverage and lacks prototype recovery speed; better in zone where he reads the play well and has a decent break on the ball, but footwork can be inconsistent.

Troy Woolfolk, Michigan, 6-0, 195, 4.40, SR … Versatile DB has played both CB and FS, but did not play at all last fall after suffering an ugly ankle injury; if healthy is a fast cover corner with decent size and very good long speed;; also has run sprints for the Wolverines with a 100M PB of 10.6; still more of a track guy than a football player; isn’t all that instinctive and lacks much in the way of elite ball skills; indeed, started all 12 games in 2009, but had all of one pass break-up and has never had an interception in his career; son of former Michigan All-American RB Butch Woolfolk, a first-round pick by the Giants in 1982.

Ryan Steed out of Furman has shown he belongs here this week, competing at a high level in every drill. His inexperience will show at times as he still needs to develop his instincts and read/react ability, but he has shown the smooth athleticism to play the position in the NFL. Steed looked natural in his transition, turning and running with receivers downfield with smooth flexibility. He needs some work before he's ready to cover pro receivers, but he has looked promising this week

Dwight Bentley out of Louisiana-Lafayette. He has a lean, wiry build at 5-10 and 176 pounds, but has hasn't backed down at all, staying physical and competing with bigger, stronger receivers. Bentley is obviously most comfortable playing in off-coverage where he can rely on his athleticism, but that hasn't stopped him from putting his hands on receivers just enough keep them from separating. After an inconsistent senior campaign, Bentley