Cornerback

Nebraska

6-0 205

Draft board overall prospect rank: #7

Draft board overall cornerback rank: #2

Overall rating: 95 (Top 10)

40 time: 4.37

4/21/11: 9 years out of 10, Prince Amukamara is the top cornerback in the class. Unfortunately, he is coming out during the same year as Patrick Peterson. Still, Amukamara is only a notch below him. He’s been a key shutdown corner on Nebraska’s talented defense for the past two years and he’s done it with and without Ndamukong Suh.

This year he shined without Suh, with Suh having moved on to the NFL. He’s got a great size/speed combination and is very instinctual. Ball skills are a question. He had 5 picks last year, but none this year, though a lot of that has to do with the fact that he wasn’t thrown on very often.

In addition to his coverage skills, he’s tough, gritty, and the best run stopper of any cornerback in this class. He’s a tremendous tackler and really likes to hit guys. He’s an incredible competitor. If he fails at cornerback, free safety is a fallback position of his just like it is for Patrick Peterson. He doesn’t have Peterson’s open field ability on returns and interceptions however.

He does get a little too high in backpedal and he doesn’t have the elite recovery speed to make up for it, though his track time is very good. He doesn’t play in the 4.3s. He’s better in man press than zone and he’s a little stiff in the hips. He also gave up a few too many big plays on broken coverages last year. His footwork and hand use in press are really his best assets. He also is good vertically and has a great motor.

NFL Comparison: Marcus Trufant