University of Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant will not attend the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York on April 25 because of his grandfather's illness, NFL.com's Gil Brandt reported Friday.
Taking Trufant's place will be Mississippi State cornerback Darius Slay, Brandt said.
Trufant (whose brothers Marcus and Isaiah play in the NFL) was one of 23 players who will attend the first round of the draft. The NFL announced the 23 names last week.
NFL.com draft analyst Mike Mayock ranks Trufant as the fourth-best cornerback in the draft. NFL.com's Bucky Brooks projects that Trufant will be taken by the Chicago Bears at 20th overall, and fellow former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah has Trufant going 30th overall to the Atlanta Falcons.
Slay ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine, but few draft experts have rated him as a first-round pick.
