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Prince Charming
Amukamara Cool With Mocks' Consensus
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - This time of year, everybody's got a mock draft, and 100 percent of the time, everybody is wrong. Predicting the first round correctly in February is about as likely as winning the lottery.
But one lucky number many of the fortune tellers seem to agree on is No. 9, the pick that a near-consensus of the mocks has the Cowboys selecting Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara. Sports writers, bloggers and an ever-expanding breed of would-be draft gurus seem to agree that the Cowboys' need for defensive upgrades, particularly in the secondary, make a perfect fit for Amukamara, who most project as this year's second-best defensive back prospect.
Though it's anything but a foregone conclusion, Amukamara seemed to be familiar with the wave of speculation connecting him to the Cowboys when he met with media members covering the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday.
"I'm not someone who Googles themselves," Amukamara said. "But if I see it on ESPN then I'll pay attention to it. But I know those are just like preseason polls, so nothing is set in stone yet."
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-America as a senior in 2010, Amukamara measured in at 6-0, 206 pounds in Indianapolis. He had yet to have any interviews with prospective clubs as of Sunday afternoon, but will sit down for brief chats with as many as 20 over the next couple of nights.
One of those teams, almost assuredly, is the Cowboys.
"I think it would be a very good opportunity just to play for the Cowboys," Amukamara said. "I'm not foreign to that stadium. I've played in that stadium twice and it's a really nice stadium. ... It's an amazing stadium. It has a big jumbotron."
Amukamara's Cornhuskers played in the Big 12 Championship at Cowboys Stadium in both 2009 and 2010. If it is to be his home stage at the next level, the Cowboys will have to find a place for him. Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones has stressed the importance of the first-round pick playing a lot, if not starting, this season.
The Cowboys have expressed some confidence in returning cornerback starters Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins, but acknowledge a big need at safety. Conveniently enough, some of the same draft-gurus who see Amukamara as a perfect fit in Dallas believe he could play safety in the NFL, too, because of his strength as a tackler.
"If safety is what the team wants me to play, I would be more than happy to play it," Amukamara said. "However, I do think I'm a better corner. ... I'm definitely not trying to redshirt in the NFL. Yes, on whatever team I play on, I'm definitely looking forward to competing for a starting spot."
Amukamara Cool With Mocks' Consensus
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - This time of year, everybody's got a mock draft, and 100 percent of the time, everybody is wrong. Predicting the first round correctly in February is about as likely as winning the lottery.
But one lucky number many of the fortune tellers seem to agree on is No. 9, the pick that a near-consensus of the mocks has the Cowboys selecting Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara. Sports writers, bloggers and an ever-expanding breed of would-be draft gurus seem to agree that the Cowboys' need for defensive upgrades, particularly in the secondary, make a perfect fit for Amukamara, who most project as this year's second-best defensive back prospect.
Though it's anything but a foregone conclusion, Amukamara seemed to be familiar with the wave of speculation connecting him to the Cowboys when he met with media members covering the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday.
"I'm not someone who Googles themselves," Amukamara said. "But if I see it on ESPN then I'll pay attention to it. But I know those are just like preseason polls, so nothing is set in stone yet."
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-America as a senior in 2010, Amukamara measured in at 6-0, 206 pounds in Indianapolis. He had yet to have any interviews with prospective clubs as of Sunday afternoon, but will sit down for brief chats with as many as 20 over the next couple of nights.
One of those teams, almost assuredly, is the Cowboys.
"I think it would be a very good opportunity just to play for the Cowboys," Amukamara said. "I'm not foreign to that stadium. I've played in that stadium twice and it's a really nice stadium. ... It's an amazing stadium. It has a big jumbotron."
Amukamara's Cornhuskers played in the Big 12 Championship at Cowboys Stadium in both 2009 and 2010. If it is to be his home stage at the next level, the Cowboys will have to find a place for him. Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones has stressed the importance of the first-round pick playing a lot, if not starting, this season.
The Cowboys have expressed some confidence in returning cornerback starters Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins, but acknowledge a big need at safety. Conveniently enough, some of the same draft-gurus who see Amukamara as a perfect fit in Dallas believe he could play safety in the NFL, too, because of his strength as a tackler.
"If safety is what the team wants me to play, I would be more than happy to play it," Amukamara said. "However, I do think I'm a better corner. ... I'm definitely not trying to redshirt in the NFL. Yes, on whatever team I play on, I'm definitely looking forward to competing for a starting spot."
