2007 NFL Draft: Man On Man Action

When it comes to cornerbacks in the draft, the busts seem to pop out almost as much as the successful players. For every Champ Bailey there is a Jamar Fletcher. For every DeAngelo Hall there is a Mike Rumph. You get the idea. There isn’t a bigger crap-shoot in the draft than taking a cornerback.

To perfectly illustrate that point, we bring you the 2007 cornerbacks in the NFL draft! In the best rated players, there is a surprising lack of real speed. Even so, these guys were great players in college who could be good in the NFL. This class of corners has been called weak, but more than any other position, it’s hard to tell how these guys will turn out.

Leon Hall – Michigan
5’11″ 193 4.39, 3 INT 15 Pass-Breakups
The first of several guys who was a great corner in college, but might not be NFL-fast. He busted out a 4.39 to shock a few folks at the combine, but that may not translate into top end speed on the field. He had trouble with two of the top receivers in college. Luckily one of those guys was Ted Ginn, who doesn’t run clean routes or really play the position all that well, he’s just fast. USC’s Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith made him look horrible in the Rose Bowl. Then again, USC made the entire Michigan defense look horrible in that game, so maybe we don’t need to single Leon out.

What makes Hall a high first round pick is that he’s just fast enough to not get burned by absolutely everyone and he’s as physical a cornerback as there is. No matter what knocks there are on him, he’s still the best corner in this draft. A team that desperately needs a cover guy will have to take a chance on him.

Prediction: Top 15

Darrelle Revis – Pittsburgh
6’0″ 183 4.53, 2 INT 4 Pass-Breakups
Revis is making noise as a returner as well, but like Hall, he’s not one of those freakishly fast players. He has good size for a cornerback and is a real threat to intercept the ball when it’s thrown to his side. It will also help him that so many teams in the NFL zone-blitz these days too, because he’ll be much better in zone coverage than in man-to-man. Basically, Revis is the poster-boy for this year’s cornerbacks: he’s got things to like about him, but compared to past first-round corners, he’s underwhelming.

Prediction: Late first round

Aaron Ross – Texas
6’0″ 192 4.47, 6 INT 19 Pass-Breakups
Ross is the one corner in this class that has both the size and speed that teams look for. 4.47 isn’t a mind-blowing 40, but it’s a full tenth of a second faster than most other players available at this position. He also played extremely well for Texas in his senior season.

So why is he ranked below Leon Hall, Darrelle Revis and others? The short answer is: because his strength and physicality at the position are suspect. He doesn’t have great upper-body strength, which probably leads to him being less-than-stellar at jamming receivers at the line. However, if anything can be fixed at the professional level, it’s strength and technique. Ross has real potential, and the team that takes him could be pleasantly surprised.

Prediction: Late first round

Daymeion Hughes – Cal
5’10″ 192 4.54, 8 INT 11 Pass-Breakups
I was a bit surprised by Hughes’ 40 time, he plays much faster than that. He’s the biggest play maker out of the group this year, but that also means he is probably the most susceptible to giving up big plays. In college, he got away with taking chances and having bad footwork, but that’s not going to fly in the NFL. He’s also not particularly big or strong either. It’s possible that my general dislike for Cal is clouding my thoughts (hate is an enemy of the Jedi), but he’s not a first round pick and may not be too great in the NFL.

Prediction: Mid second round

Marcus McCauley – Fresno State
6’0″ 200 4.38, 0 INT 7 Pass-Breakups
Marcus McCauley has all the physical tools that NFL teams will want. He’s big, fast, and a physical presence on the field. But what’s keeping him from being the top corner in the draft, is that he’s not polished at all. He has bad footwork and takes too many chances. He got beat deep a lot during his last season in college, against competition that wasn’t even on the level of the major conferences, let alone the NFL. Still, some team is going to take a chance on McCauley because he has all the things that teams can’t teach anyone. He’s a project, but a team with the time to develop him could end up with a great player.

Prediction: Late first round

Chris Houston – Arkansas
5’11″ 188 4.37, 3 INT 13 Pass-Breakups
Yet another refugee from Houston Nutt and his program, Chris Houston left Arkansas after his junior year, which was also his first year as a starter. He did play a lot even when he didn’t start, but still, after his first year as a full-timer? Yeesh, things must be even worse than we thought down there in Fayetteville.

He obviously played well this past season against a few premier receivers such as Dwayne Jarrett and Robert Meachem. He even held his own against them. Houston’s stock has been steadily rising since he declared for the draft. In any other year, he’d be a low-tier prospect, but this is 2007. So, thanks to a remarkable performance at the combine, he’s racing up the draft boards.

Prediction: Top 20

Tanard Jackson – Syracuse
6’0″ 192 4.55, 2 INT
Jackson is one of the most polished corners in the draft. The problem is that polished is about all he is. He’s not particularly fast or physical and he won’t be a play-maker in the NFL. He’ll also need to be protected against deep routes. However, his polished skills and experience will make him good in zone coverage, and a first day pick as well.

Prediction: Late second, early third round