Fourth in a five-part series leading up to the May 8-10 NFL Draft. This week, cornerbacks and safeties. Next week: Quarterbacks.
The NFL being the copycat league that it is, look for tall, lanky cornerbacks in the Richard Sherman mold to be popular this time of year for as long as the Seahawks stay dominant.
That would seem to be potentially ominous news for Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard, considering the top-rated corner in this year's NFL Draft doesn't have long arms and is neither tall (5 feet, 11) nor lanky (200 pounds). You won't find Dennard talking on the field, either.
Though he never will be confused with the 6-3, 195-pound Sherman, Dennard's talent looks considerable enough to make teams — at least this year — forget about the new prototype for an outside cover man.
How good was Dennard his final two seasons for the Spartans? Think "Darrelle Revis in his All-Pro prime," only on the college level.
According to the NFL's draft statistical service, Dennard was almost always in man coverage against the opponent's top receiver yet quarterbacks completed just 35 of the combined 211 passes they threw into Dennard's area the past two years.
Not only did that translate to a microscopic completion rate of just 17 percent, but the result was just 242 yards and two touchdowns — total. That line is more impressive than the four interceptions Dennard posted last season en route to the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top college corner.
"Dennard is the best cornerback in this year's draft in terms of overall play and being able to compete at the position," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said in a conference call this week. "He's an in-your-face, tough, aggressive corner. He's the kind of guy who fits that bill very effectively."
That tenaciousness and aggressiveness are why Kiper and every other draft observer rate Dennard — a cousin of Patriots corner Alfonzo Dennard — the head of the class in a good-but-not-great year for the position.
Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert, Bradley Roby of Ohio State, Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller and Jason Verrett of TCU round out the top five corners, but Dennard is considered the most NFL-ready of the group despite missing the scouting combine with a hamstring injury.
Not bad for a Georgia native who was so quiet and overwhelmed at times early in his college career that Michigan State teammates nicknamed Dennard "Country."
"I was rough around the edges when I first arrived," said Dennard, who started every game his final three seasons after an injury-shortened freshman campaign.
But Dennard's rapid development and maturation both surprised and impressed his teammates. Dennard was a model citizen in college, making him even more attractive to NFL teams wary of recent player scandals.
"Darqueze has changed a lot," Michigan State linebacker Max Bullough told reporters this offseason. "He's got an unbelievable amount better at football and socially, too. He's more open. He's able to handle the media. He's an unbelievable athlete. He'll never cause trouble. He's never out at night or has an issue. He is there to work, do his job and win football games."
The Seahawks' defense isn't just changing how teams think about corners, though. Seattle's emphasis on safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor both playing a hard-hitting style also is rubbing off on other clubs.
The top two safeties in this year's class, Calvin Pryor of Louisville and Alabama's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, are both known for their willingness to lay the wood on receivers as well as provide fearless support against the run.
A fondness for the big hit is a common trait among the rest of the top five at safety, with Washington State's Deone Bucannon, Jimmie Ward of Northern Illinois and Florida State's Terrence Brooks all known for their physicality.
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