In today's chat with the National Football Post's Wes Bunting, Wes runs down the post-Combine rankings of the corners projected to go off the board in the top three rounds.
Cowboys Nation: Morris Claiborne didn't post the fastest times at Indy, but I doubt he hurt himself, because he wasn't slow. Dre Kirpatrick tested well. Where is his ceiling now?
Wes Bunting: I think he could be in play for the Jags at 7, the Panthers at 9. I don't think now he lasts to 14.
CN: You don't think he lasts until 14?
WB: No, because you look at the needs. So many teams need corners, and this is a 6'2'' guy who can run. I think the only reason he could have dropped into Dallas' range is if he had run somewhere in the mid 4.5s, but now he's run in the 4.4s and he was faster than Claiborne. On tape he's not as fast, but I think he goes top-10, to be honest.
Everyone thinks that Janoris Jenkins... I talked to people who thought Jenkins was a talented as Morris Claiborne. I know a lot of scouts gave him a 2nd round grade. I disagreed with them but they made some good points -- it's because of how short he is and the character questions, and more and more character stuff keeps coming out. But we talked about this with Jimmy Smith last year. Good cover men don't last long, but the character concerns will cause him to fall.
I think he's a top 10-15 talent, but we'll just have to see how far those off-field questions cause him to fall.
CN: Let's move to the 2nd round group. They all tested well. Focus on Brandon Boykin, Chase Minnifield, Jamell Fleming and Josh Norman. Did anyone in this group work himself into the late 1st?
WB: Norman didn't run as well as I expected. Being from a small school, he could still go in the 2nd round, but I'll say 2nd-3rd on him now. I think those other three all go in the 2nd round.
Boykin didn't run. Minnifield didn't run. Fleming ran very well and worked out well. I think Fleming is a lock for the 2nd. Minnifield could fall a bit if he doesn't run well at his pro day, but I expect him to, and Boykin is a better football player than Fleming, so I'd say he's a lock for the 2nd as well.
CN: Based on buzz and based on what you've seen, how would you rank these guys? Add Casey Heyward to this list. He looked good in Indy.
WB: Heyward's a little different because he's scheme limited. He's a cover-2 guy, but he's good at that. I would say:
Boykin, Fleming, Minnifield, Heyward, is how I would grade it.
CN: Where does Stephon Gilmore go now? He's another guy who tested really well.
WB: I had him high and then I was worried about the overall scheme, where he fit, and his athleticism. I don't think he's a man-to-man corner in the NFL. I really don't. I don't see that natural lateral quickness to bump, but he's a heck of a zone player.
I could see a team like the Patriots, that plays a lot of zone, might be interested in him. They took Ras-I Dowling with the first pick in the 2nd last year and I think Gilmore is a much better player than Ras-I Dowling. I could see him in that back half of the first round. He's 6'1'', 195 and ran a legit 4.4, high 4.3s. He's got good ball skills, he can play zone, he can be physical and he tackles like a monster. I think Gilmore is the second best tackling corner in this draft, after Dre Kirkpatrick. I could certainly see him going in the back half of the 1st round.
I'm going to have to raise him in my rankings now. He's a bit lower on the current board than he should be.
CN: Coryell Judie tested well. If he's healthy, where does he land?
WB: He did. I'd say 3rd round right now. But when he's healthy, he's a really good football player. He's a really good player, but were his injuries freak things, or is he one of those guys who's always going to be hurt? Coming into this year I thought he was one of the best cover men in the draft. He's a bit better in zone, but he has great range, great ball skills, fluid, quick feet, could re-direct. He has a really nice package of skills. He just didn't play really well because he was never healthy.
CN: Was he injured as a junior, or was this a one-year thing?
WB: That's a good question. I don't think so, other than some minor nicks and dings.
CN: The NFL Network guys ran through his list of injuries and they were all over the place. He had a hand injury, and a shoulder injury, and a foot injury, I think. I would be far more concerned if he had a tricky hamstring that kept acting up, or an Achilles problem, or one single problem that the trainers couldn't hold together.
WB: This is a really good corner crop, and somebody is going to fall. If you can get a guy like Judie in the 3rd, or the 4th, you might have found yourself a starter.
CN: You think he's a starting caliber NFLer?
WB: If he's healthy. I would have had him at a 6.8 had he been clean all year, but I have him at a 6.5 because of the health problems. I can't predict the future. I don't know, but if he's healthy, you've got a pretty good football player.
Cowboys Nation: Morris Claiborne didn't post the fastest times at Indy, but I doubt he hurt himself, because he wasn't slow. Dre Kirpatrick tested well. Where is his ceiling now?
Wes Bunting: I think he could be in play for the Jags at 7, the Panthers at 9. I don't think now he lasts to 14.
CN: You don't think he lasts until 14?
WB: No, because you look at the needs. So many teams need corners, and this is a 6'2'' guy who can run. I think the only reason he could have dropped into Dallas' range is if he had run somewhere in the mid 4.5s, but now he's run in the 4.4s and he was faster than Claiborne. On tape he's not as fast, but I think he goes top-10, to be honest.
Everyone thinks that Janoris Jenkins... I talked to people who thought Jenkins was a talented as Morris Claiborne. I know a lot of scouts gave him a 2nd round grade. I disagreed with them but they made some good points -- it's because of how short he is and the character questions, and more and more character stuff keeps coming out. But we talked about this with Jimmy Smith last year. Good cover men don't last long, but the character concerns will cause him to fall.
I think he's a top 10-15 talent, but we'll just have to see how far those off-field questions cause him to fall.
CN: Let's move to the 2nd round group. They all tested well. Focus on Brandon Boykin, Chase Minnifield, Jamell Fleming and Josh Norman. Did anyone in this group work himself into the late 1st?
WB: Norman didn't run as well as I expected. Being from a small school, he could still go in the 2nd round, but I'll say 2nd-3rd on him now. I think those other three all go in the 2nd round.
Boykin didn't run. Minnifield didn't run. Fleming ran very well and worked out well. I think Fleming is a lock for the 2nd. Minnifield could fall a bit if he doesn't run well at his pro day, but I expect him to, and Boykin is a better football player than Fleming, so I'd say he's a lock for the 2nd as well.
CN: Based on buzz and based on what you've seen, how would you rank these guys? Add Casey Heyward to this list. He looked good in Indy.
WB: Heyward's a little different because he's scheme limited. He's a cover-2 guy, but he's good at that. I would say:
Boykin, Fleming, Minnifield, Heyward, is how I would grade it.
CN: Where does Stephon Gilmore go now? He's another guy who tested really well.
WB: I had him high and then I was worried about the overall scheme, where he fit, and his athleticism. I don't think he's a man-to-man corner in the NFL. I really don't. I don't see that natural lateral quickness to bump, but he's a heck of a zone player.
I could see a team like the Patriots, that plays a lot of zone, might be interested in him. They took Ras-I Dowling with the first pick in the 2nd last year and I think Gilmore is a much better player than Ras-I Dowling. I could see him in that back half of the first round. He's 6'1'', 195 and ran a legit 4.4, high 4.3s. He's got good ball skills, he can play zone, he can be physical and he tackles like a monster. I think Gilmore is the second best tackling corner in this draft, after Dre Kirkpatrick. I could certainly see him going in the back half of the 1st round.
I'm going to have to raise him in my rankings now. He's a bit lower on the current board than he should be.
CN: Coryell Judie tested well. If he's healthy, where does he land?
WB: He did. I'd say 3rd round right now. But when he's healthy, he's a really good football player. He's a really good player, but were his injuries freak things, or is he one of those guys who's always going to be hurt? Coming into this year I thought he was one of the best cover men in the draft. He's a bit better in zone, but he has great range, great ball skills, fluid, quick feet, could re-direct. He has a really nice package of skills. He just didn't play really well because he was never healthy.
CN: Was he injured as a junior, or was this a one-year thing?
WB: That's a good question. I don't think so, other than some minor nicks and dings.
CN: The NFL Network guys ran through his list of injuries and they were all over the place. He had a hand injury, and a shoulder injury, and a foot injury, I think. I would be far more concerned if he had a tricky hamstring that kept acting up, or an Achilles problem, or one single problem that the trainers couldn't hold together.
WB: This is a really good corner crop, and somebody is going to fall. If you can get a guy like Judie in the 3rd, or the 4th, you might have found yourself a starter.
CN: You think he's a starting caliber NFLer?
WB: If he's healthy. I would have had him at a 6.8 had he been clean all year, but I have him at a 6.5 because of the health problems. I can't predict the future. I don't know, but if he's healthy, you've got a pretty good football player.