CB Crezdon Butler- Clemson UP
A very impressive 4.41 at 6-0 191, plus he did well in his positional drills, which I find to be the most important thing from him as a late round prospect.
CB/FS Chris Cook- Virginia UP
He has free safety size, but he’s looked like a natural corner in this draft preseason, impressing as a big corner in the Senior Bowl and during Senior Bowl practices. A 4.43 40 surprised me a ton at 6-2 212 and is just the cherry on top for a guy who is quietly moving himself up very quickly. He could be a 3rd rounder.
CB Brandon Ghee- Wake Forest UP
Ran a very impressive 4.37 at 192. He’s an even better athlete than I believed and has a ton of upside if the coaches can bring it out of him. He probably isn’t going to slip out of the first 50 picks.
CB Joe Haden– Florida DOWN
Not going to knock him down too much, but the 4.57 at 5-11 193 hurts his chances to go in the top 10 as he competes with Derrick Morgan, Rolando McClain, and Jason Pierre Paul to go 7th to Cleveland. I do expect him to run a little better at his Pro Day, but really his lack of speed today can be attributed to his running style, which shouldn’t hurt him on the football field. He doesn’t have good track speed, but he has football speed.
CB Kareem Jackson- Alabama UP
Not necessarily known as a speed guy, but a 4.41 40 at 5-10 196 could have moved him up into the 2nd round. He ran over an entire tenth of a second faster than teammate Javier Arenas, who was always known as the speed guy.
CB/FS Myron Lewis– Vanderbilt UP
Kind of like Chris Cook, a cornerback with free safety size who had questions about his athleticism and speed. A 40 time alone won’t kill all of those concerns, but a 4.45 at 6-2 203 certainly helps as he tries to get drafted on day 2.
CB Trevard Lindley– Kentucky DOWN
Only benched 9 reps of 225 pounds and had a 4.53 40 at 5-11 183, but he was one of the worst cornerbacks in the cornerback drills. He has really disappointed in this draft preseason and has fallen from one of my favorite underrated prospects, to a 4th or 5th round guy.
CB Devin McCourty- Rutgers UP
Had the fastest (official) 40 time of any defensive back (though tape suggests Taylor Mays did run faster and the Combine measures just messed up) running a 4.34 at 5-11 193. He could be the Raiders’ pick in the top of the 2nd round and he could actually go higher than that. He was impressive in the Senior Bowl and combine drills as well.
CB Stephen Virgil- Virginia Tech DOWN
A 4.73 would be a decent time, if he were a 260 pound defensive end. Unfortunately, it won’t do anything but hurt you if you’re a 5-11 183 defensive back like Virgil.
CB Donovan Warren- Michigan DOWN
Didn’t come out and impressive at all today like I was expecting. I’m a big supporter of his, but I have to knock him down a bit after a poor day which started with a 4.59 40 at 5-11 183.
CB Kyle Wilson– Boise State UP
He didn’t run, but he didn’t need to. First he benched 25 reps of 225 pounds at 5-10 194. Then he ended his day by being, by far, the most impressive cornerback in the drills. If his 40 time is under 4.5 at his Pro Day, which it should be, he could be a first round pick lock.
S Eric Berry– Tennessee UP
Of all the good things we could say about Berry, freakish athleticism was not one of them. That is no longer the case as he ran a 4.40 at 6-0 211, benching 19 reps, and flying 43 inches into the air. He’s still a risk in the top 3 because of his position. If he were drafted in the top 3, he’d absolutely have to be a perennial Pro Bowler, otherwise it was a waste of a pick. That being said, he’s one of the few safeties I’d say is deserving of a top 5 pick and if the Chiefs didn’t need a left tackle so badly, he’d be a lock to go 5th overall. He still could if Russell Okung is off the board at 5.
S Chad Jones– LSU DOWN
A 4.57 isn’t bad at 221 pounds, but he measured in 10 pounds skinnier than expected and didn’t appear to be any faster. He also struggled somewhat in drills and only put up 9 reps on the bench press. He’s still an early 2nd rounder in my book, though, but barely.
S Taylor Mays– USC NEUTRAL
First he came out and ran an unofficial 4.24, tying Chris Johnson’s record and making Al Davis rise from his grave a few months early. However, officially he was listed at 4.41. Now, thanks to some work with modern technology, comparing Mays’ run side by side with other low 4.3 high 4.2 runs, it’s apparent that both times were wrong and Mays really did run somewhere around a 4.31 (ish?). This is good, but this was exactly what we were expecting from him.
S Dennis Rogan- Tennessee DOWN
What was he thinking coming out early?! He was never a standout on the field and a 4.69 at 5-9 185 is really bad. He is a longshot to get drafted in this strong safety class.
S Myron Rolle– Florida State DOWN
He had two questions around him coming into this draft preseason: is he committed to the sport and how would he fare after a year away from the game? He answered the first questions alright and, from his interviews, appeared committed, but a 4.68 40 at 6-2 215 shows he may not be quite in football shape yet.
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