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NFL Draft preview: Defensive backs, special teams

Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 27, 2007 at midnight

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Overview

It's a tough life for safeties. It is one of the most difficult positions for a player to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and usually the league's decision makers select no more than two in the first round. That could change this year with a safety-first group of defensive backs that includes Louisiana State's LaRon Landry, Florida's Reggie Nelson, Miami's Brandon Meriweather and Texas' Michael Griffin. All have first-round grades.

Awards

• Thorpe: Aaron Ross, CB, Texas.

• Lott: Daymeion Hughes, CB, California.

• Tatum: Reggie Nelson, S, Florida.

Life in the fast lane

Several of the defensive backs in the draft have flashed top-shelf speed and athleticism on the track.

• Travarous Bain, Hampton: Ran track at Miami before his transfer.

• A.J. Davis, North Carolina State: Set North Carolina high school record in long jump.

• Jonathan Wade, Tennessee: Ran a 10.35 100 meters at NCAA regional.

• Josh Gattis, Wake Forest: High school All-American in track.

Numbers game

23 tackles for Texas safety Michael Griffin, along with a blocked punt, against Texas A&M in 2005. He followed that with 15 tackles against the Aggies last season.

Wait up

Texas cornerback Aaron Ross is fast — fast enough to have won the Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back. Just not as fast as his girlfriend.

Ross is dating Sanya Richards, who holds the American record for the 400 meters and was part of the U.S. gold-medal 4x400 relay team at the Athens Olympics. She is training for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

"That's something big, that's like winning the Super Bowl," Ross said.

Asked who is the better athlete of the two, the soon-to-be first-round pick said with a smile: "She is."

Wise choice

The funny thing is, Reggie Nelson didn't go to Florida State because the coaches there wanted to make him a cornerback. But here is the Florida Gator, in the draft as a cornerback, with a national championship ring on his finger and a 4.35-second 40 on his résumé. Coming out of high school as a quarterback, he shunned the Seminoles because he wanted to stay on offense. The Gators moved him to receiver during his redshirt year in 2002, so he spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons as a wideout, catching only five passes combined in those two years. He begrudgingly moved to cornerback in 2005.

"The first three years there, receiver wasn't working for me," Lewis said. "So I looked at myself in the mirror and knew I had to make a change."

He said it

""I've hit in practice from 70 yards. I feel confident anywhere inside of 65, 60 yards, something like that."

Mason Crosby, Colorado kicker, on his range.

Rating the defensive backs

After discussions with scouts, general managers and other personnel executives around the league, as well as video review, staff writer Jeff Legwold ranks the top prospects at defensive back and on special teams for this year's draft. (* indicates best verified 40 time in predraft workouts).

OVERALL CLASS: Strong

Player School Ht. Wt. 40*

1. Leon Hall (CB) Michigan 5-11 1/4 193 4.39 Lowdown: Started 37 games for the Wolverines. Broke up 43 passes in his four-year career and had 12 interceptions .

2. Darrelle Revis (CB) Pittsburgh 5-11 1/2 204 4.39 Lowdown: Some teams have him as the top corner on the board. Started all three of his seasons with the Panthers.

3. LaRon Landry (S) Louisiana State 6-0 1/2 213 4.35 Lowdown: His 12 career interceptions rank third in school history. He had at least one tackle in 51 consecutive games.

4. Reggie Nelson (S) Florida 5-11 3/8 198 4.36 Lowdown: Ran far better (4.36) at his on-campus workout than he did at the combine. Had six interceptions in 2006.

5. Aaron Ross (CB) Texas 6-0 1/2 193 4.44 Lowdown: An in-demand player given he is a top cover corner as well as a quality returner. He returned two punts for touchdowns in 2005.

• Other names to keep handy: Michael Griffin (S), Texas; Chris Houston (CB), Arkansas; Brandon Meriweather (S), Miami; Jonathan Wade (CB), Tennessee; Marcus McCauley (CB), Fresno State; Tanard Jackson (S), Syracuse; Eric Weddle (S), Utah.

• Small-school hero: Michael Coe (CB), Alabama State.

• First local call: Scouts have said Colorado safety J.J. Billingsley, a little undersized at 5-10 5/8 and 189 pounds, helped his cause some with a quality pro day in Boulder last month that included a 4.48-second 40-yard dash. Colorado State cornerback Robert Herbert had drawn some interest from scouts before he was one of the players suspended after being charged in a bank fraud case. Wyoming safety John Wendling, who had one of the best workouts at the combine, certainly will hear his name called.

• Broncos breakdown: With Nick Ferguson coming back from knee surgery, the Broncos will take a look at safeties. By all accounts, Ferguson is progressing well in his rehabilitation and the Broncos also like what Hamza Abdullah has done in the team's offseason conditioning program. However, with Sam Brandon also coming back from a right knee injury, they might look for depth.

Rating the special teams

OVERALL CLASS: Poor

Player School Ht. Wt. 40*

1. Mason Crosby (K) Colorado 6-1 1/4 212 DNR Lowdown: Powerful leg and showed well at sea-level conditions at Senior Bowl.

2. Yamon Figurs (KR) Kansas State 5-11 1/4 174 4.30 Lowdown: Had a 76-yard punt return against Rutgers in Texas Bowl.

3. Michael Griffin (KB) Texas 5-11 3/4 202 4.40 Lowdown: Blocked eight punts in his career, second-most in NCAA Division I-A history.

4. Ted Ginn Jr. (KR) Ohio State 5-11 1/4 178 4.35 Lowdown: Had eight return touchdowns in career, six on punts, two on kickoffs.

5. Daniel Sepulveda (P) Baylor 6-2 7/8 229 DNR Lowdown: Won Ray Guy Award in 2005 and 2006. Career average was record 45.6 yards.

• Other names to keep handy: Justin Medlock (K), UCLA; Adam Podlesh (P), Maryland; Aaron King (LS), Texas-El Paso; Terry Washington (Cover), Colorado.

• Small-school hero: Jacoby Jones (KR), Lane.

• First local call: Crosby will need a little good fortune to go on the draft's first day. His ability to kick off deep helps his cause. Crosby had 68 percent of his kickoffs go for touchbacks and he had 11 career field goals of at least 50 yards. Washington, too, has opened eyes with his strength, conditioning and workouts. Several special teams coaches see him as a potential impact player on coverage units.

• Broncos breakdown: They will look for a returner to compete for the kickoff or punt return job in training camp. Special teams coach Scott O'Brien has said he wants to give Domenik Hixon a look, but the Broncos likely will add someone else in this draft.

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