Safety 

Florida State

6-2 215

40 time: 4.68

Draft board overall prospect rank: #91

Draft board safety rank: #10

Overall rating: 75*

3/2/10: 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.  

1/30/10: He didn’t play a ton or have any signature moments, but he really did show that he is still in great shape on the plays when he did play and in his interview he really seemed committed to the sport. Both of these are good things for him. There was never an issue about his ability to play the game, just about how he would bounce back physically after a year off, and about his commitment.

1/26/10: Good to see he stayed in shape in his year away from football. 

1/23/10: A big question mark after taking a year off of football to study at Oxford. He has top 15 pick talent, but taking a year off of football, isn’t unclear how he’ll respond. We’ll get a chance to see him at the Senior Bowl next week and his stock could end up anywhere from a 2^nd to 5^th round prospect based off of the results of his Senior Bowl week, his combine, and his workouts. There’s also a possibility that he’s not fully committed to football as he has aspirations of being a neurosurgeon (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and that’s a red flag to NFL scouts, but just showing up to the Senior Bowl could cool that red flag a bit.

            7/23/09: Myron Rolle is a complicated prospect. On paper he should be a first round lock. He’s big, 6-2 218, fast, mid 4.4s 40, smart and a great leader on the field from the safety position. There are no holes in his game. However, I don’t think he is going to go in the first round. Rolle skipped his senior season of college, though he had already graduated, and his last season of NCAA eligibility, to go attend Oxford, after winning the Rhodes Scholarship, in hopes of being a neurosurgeon. Not that this is a bad thing at all, but he has shown on several occasions that academics means more to him than playing football. While the average person would say that he is a good kid with his priorities in order, NFL scouts see that as a red flag. Does he really want to play in the NFL? Is he committed to the game? On one occasion, he skipped a game to interview for the Rhodes Scholarship. Who’s to say that he won’t retire after 2-3 years in the league to become a neurosurgeon? If you use a first round pick on him, that could happen and you’d essentially be out a pick. Also, if he actually does declare for the NFL draft, as that is not a given at this point for him, he will have been out of football for a year, and who knows what that could do to him. I am giving him a 2^nd round grade for now, as I see him as a game changer who could be a real steal in the 2^nd round, but the risk is definitely still there. He has top 10 pick talent, the question is, is he committed to using it on the football field? 

NFL Comparison: Brian Dawkins (if Rolle commits to football, this is the type of special player he could be)

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here