Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard has visits scheduled with the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals and St. Louis Rams and already has visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"I think I'm the best cornerback in the class because of a lot of things, really," Dennard told the Boston Herald, which also reported about his visits.
Dennard and Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert widely are considered the two best corners in the draft. Dennard is NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock's No. 1 corner.
Dennard is known for his physical nature and measured 5-foot-11 and 199 pounds at February's NFL Scouting Combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds at the combine.
St. Louis owns two first-round picks, at Nos. 2 and 13, and Dennard could be in play at 13th for the Rams, who would seem to need a safety more than a corner. What the Rams do at No. 2 obviously will impact their choice at No. 13; St. Louis looks to also need a wide receiver and an offensive tackle more than a corner.
The Steelers, who pick 15th, need a cornerback, while the Jets (18th pick) and Bengals (24th) also should be in the market for a corner. But wide receiver and perhaps tight end would seem to be a higher priority for the Jets, and Dennard seems likely to be off the board when the Bengals pick at 24. He also could be gone by the time the Jets pick.
Last month, Dennard told NFL.com that "a lot of people see me as just a man-to-man corner, but I can do everything else. I know how to play zone. I know how to play man-off. I know how to do other things as well. There's really not a scheme that doesn't fit me. I'm a versatile player."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
