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Updated: April 20, 2011, 12:03 PM
Royal Wedding
Prince Wants To Make Instant Impact
Amukamara was voted the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2010.
IRVING, Texas - Picking as early as the Cowboys are - and coming off a season as disappointing as their 2010 campaign - the team will be looking for talent that can step in and help immediately.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones confirmed as much way back in January at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., at a time when most mock drafts were projecting Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara to fall to the team at pick No. 9 overall. That trend has since faded, and Amukamara's name has been replaced by that of USC tackle Tyron Smith as the consensus.
While the Cowboys' need for a tackle cannot be denied, it's also fair to say that the team's biggest problem last season was in the secondary. The defense ranked 26th in passing yards allowed per game, and the player likely to be available when they pick, who can help turn that around the fastest, is Amukamara.
Still.
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season, Amukamara visited Valley Ranch for a private meeting with coaches and team officials last week. It's still unclear how the club would alter its cornerback depth chart to find playing time for Amukamara, but there would be ways to get him on the field right away.
"That is my plan," Amukamara said. "I'm definitely not trying to redshirt in the NFL."
After logging 31 starts in 49 appearances in the pass-happy Big 12, might Amukamara come as NFL-ready as last year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, former Cornhuskers teammate Ndamukong Suh?
"I learned a lot from Suh," Amukamara said. "His leadership and just his attitude toward practice and games. ... Suh has been giving me tips about this process."
Among those pointers about draft season, the Detroit Lions defensive lineman told Amukamara to treat the NFL Scouting Combine as a business trip. It was there in Indianapolis that Amukamara silenced a number of his critics by posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.43 seconds, the fifth fastest among corners participating in the workouts.
While in Indy, Amukamara met with the Cowboys. The team has a 33-year old, Terence Newman, as its starting left cornerback, and 26-year-old Mike Jenkins manning the right side. Both went to the Pro Bowl following the 2009 season, but had down campaigns in 2010. Third cornerback Orlando Scandrick is due to hit free agency after the coming season while Jenkins is signed through 2012 and Newman's deal runs through 2014.
If the Cowboys want to give their corners a chance to rebound while still getting Amukamara on the field, they could try him at free safety. Amukamara feels he is a better fit at cornerback, but does have good size for a center fielder and is a willing tackler.
"That's something Nebraska touched on a lot - good tackling technique and just wrapping up," Amukamara said. "If safety is what the team wants me to play, I'm more than happy to play it. However, I do feel I'm a better corner."
So good a corner is Amukamara, most say, that he is widely expected to be the second to come off the board, following only Patrick Peterson of LSU. However, Amukamara has a superior attitude at one of the positions that demands the most confidence.
"Patrick Peterson is an amazing player," Amukamara said. "Whatever attention or notoriety he's getting, he deserves it. ... Every corner should have that confidence because they are on an island.
"And yes, I do feel I'm one of the best corners in the draft."
Royal Wedding
Prince Wants To Make Instant Impact
Amukamara was voted the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2010.
IRVING, Texas - Picking as early as the Cowboys are - and coming off a season as disappointing as their 2010 campaign - the team will be looking for talent that can step in and help immediately.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones confirmed as much way back in January at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., at a time when most mock drafts were projecting Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara to fall to the team at pick No. 9 overall. That trend has since faded, and Amukamara's name has been replaced by that of USC tackle Tyron Smith as the consensus.
While the Cowboys' need for a tackle cannot be denied, it's also fair to say that the team's biggest problem last season was in the secondary. The defense ranked 26th in passing yards allowed per game, and the player likely to be available when they pick, who can help turn that around the fastest, is Amukamara.
Still.
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season, Amukamara visited Valley Ranch for a private meeting with coaches and team officials last week. It's still unclear how the club would alter its cornerback depth chart to find playing time for Amukamara, but there would be ways to get him on the field right away.
"That is my plan," Amukamara said. "I'm definitely not trying to redshirt in the NFL."
After logging 31 starts in 49 appearances in the pass-happy Big 12, might Amukamara come as NFL-ready as last year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, former Cornhuskers teammate Ndamukong Suh?
"I learned a lot from Suh," Amukamara said. "His leadership and just his attitude toward practice and games. ... Suh has been giving me tips about this process."
Among those pointers about draft season, the Detroit Lions defensive lineman told Amukamara to treat the NFL Scouting Combine as a business trip. It was there in Indianapolis that Amukamara silenced a number of his critics by posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.43 seconds, the fifth fastest among corners participating in the workouts.
While in Indy, Amukamara met with the Cowboys. The team has a 33-year old, Terence Newman, as its starting left cornerback, and 26-year-old Mike Jenkins manning the right side. Both went to the Pro Bowl following the 2009 season, but had down campaigns in 2010. Third cornerback Orlando Scandrick is due to hit free agency after the coming season while Jenkins is signed through 2012 and Newman's deal runs through 2014.
If the Cowboys want to give their corners a chance to rebound while still getting Amukamara on the field, they could try him at free safety. Amukamara feels he is a better fit at cornerback, but does have good size for a center fielder and is a willing tackler.
"That's something Nebraska touched on a lot - good tackling technique and just wrapping up," Amukamara said. "If safety is what the team wants me to play, I'm more than happy to play it. However, I do feel I'm a better corner."
So good a corner is Amukamara, most say, that he is widely expected to be the second to come off the board, following only Patrick Peterson of LSU. However, Amukamara has a superior attitude at one of the positions that demands the most confidence.
"Patrick Peterson is an amazing player," Amukamara said. "Whatever attention or notoriety he's getting, he deserves it. ... Every corner should have that confidence because they are on an island.
"And yes, I do feel I'm one of the best corners in the draft."
