DRAFT TRACKER 2012

Kirkpatrick is an early-entry junior who started for three years since stepping on campus in Alabama. He is a very lengthy corner, who will come into the league as one of the tallest alongside the Seahawks' Richard Sherman and Brandon Browning. These two players, coincidentally, showed why teams may want to develop Kirkpatrick as a corner at the next level, as they have found success at the position and been valuable by being able to cover the league's tall receivers in the red zone. Kirkpatrick could also be moved and developed at safety, where some teams might see his length and ability to play in zone more transferable, and he wouldn't be a tackling liability despite his thin frame.

Jenkins was a three-year starter at Florida before transferring to North Alabama after multiple run-ins with the law and the Gators' coaching staff. While there are some character concerns, Jenkins is a natural cover corner who has strong instincts and athletic ability to cover top wideouts. Size is also a concern for Jenkins, but he has shown the ability to match up with big-time SEC talent through the years. He looks comfortable with the ball in his hands as a returner and projects to contribute there, as well. If teams can overlook his off-field transgressions, Jenkins has the natural abilities to be a bonafide first-round talent and potentially could be selected in the first 15 picks.

The Jim Thorpe award winner as the country's premier defensive back as a junior opted to forgo his senior year to enter the draft after displaying elite ability during the 2011 season. He is huge for the position and has track speed. A very explosive athlete, Claiborne should easily pressure for a starting role early on in training camp. He covered top talent in the SEC and is as polished as corners come in this year's draft. He has first-round value and shouldn't last long.

Hosley is an early-entry junior who was statistically a very productive corner for Virginia Tech throughout his career. He is undersized but plays with tenacity and a sense of urgency when around the ball. Hosley is an extremely scrappy player who finds a way to make an impact from the boundary corner position. He could be a late riser in the draft and needs to prove that he can add weight to his frame to compete with NFL size, but he has late first-round value and should find playing time in nickel packages right away.

Like his classmate Jared Crick, Dennard played alongside premier talent (New York Giants' 2011 first-round pick Prince Amukumara) early in his career and also missed some playing time as a senior due to injury (leg). But unlike Crick, Dennard was less tested as a senior once back from injury because he lost that elite player on the opposite side. He has some of the same traits as Prince in that he is smart, plays with instincts and understands how to support in run defense and play the role of a staunch football player at the corner who does more than just cover. While he is not particularly stellar with any singular trait, he has the size, athletic ability, and overall above-average skills that blend together to make a nice prospect. He is the type of corner who could contribute heavily on special teams in his rookie year, and although he has not been tested much working in the slot, could likely be picked in the late first or early second round.

Gilmore is a dynamic athlete who made a lot of plays at corner for South Carolina. He has the skill set to move to safety but is talented enough to challenge for a starting role at the corner position as a rookie. He is a football player who makes big plays and was among the SEC's finest athletes.

Fleming lines up in the boundary for Oklahoma and has a great combination of size, speed and technique that makes him a premier prospect at corner. His speed and athletic ability allow him to recover quickly off the line of scrimmage. He can get caught looking at the quarterback at times, but he usually can stay with receivers in man coverage. He is a physical and explosive athlete who can jam receivers and bring down running backs with ease. Fleming has played at a high level for the past four years and projects to start early at the next level as a second-round selection.

Johnson is arguably one of the best and most polished NFL prospects to come out of the Big Sky Conference in quite some time. He is a big, athletic cover corner who has completely dominated his competition to this point in his career. He has the speed and agility to stay with receivers and also the height -- a shade over 6-foot-2 -- to match up in the red zone. Despite playing in the Football Championship Subdivision, Johnson is an NFL-ready corner who is projected to be picked in the second round.

Wade has had an interesting career, riding a three-year roller coaster leading up to the draft. Initially touted as a top corner prospect after a stellar sophomore season in which he blanketed future pros throughout the Pac-12, Trevin had a down junior year and fell off many radars. He has shown many flashes again as a senior that have propelled him back into the discussion of the draft's top cornerback prospects. In the end, Wade is a productive cover corner who has the size, footwork and skills to make an impact as a potential starter at the next level. He could be taken as early as the second round.

Minnifield is a savvy and polished corner who may not electrify a defense at the next level but projects to be serviceable as a starting corner and a stalwart in both defending the pass and run. Minnifield clearly understands how to play to his strengths. While it can seem at times like he has a "just don't get beat deep" mentality at the position, he is an effective player who will fill in run support and also cover in both man and zone. Minnifield would likely excel in a zone scheme at the next level and does not quite possess the speed and athletic ability to be taken in the first round of the draft. Expect him to be taken at some point in the second and contribute early.

Bolden was a productive three-year starter at left corner for Arizona State. He missed the final eight games of the 2009 season due to injury and sat out in 2011 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, so his recovery and return are integral to his value. When healthy, he is a big, athletic cover corner with second-round value and the ability to start immediately.

Boykin started for three years at cornerback for the Georgia Bulldogs. He is a superior athlete, even in the SEC, and relies on his speed and quick-twitched feet to cover. He is a very flexible and athletic mover who needs to improve his technique to cover at the next level the way he did in college. He is an intriguing prospect for teams who want to develop his technique and are willing to overlook his stature. He has value as a nickel corner immediately and should be selected near the middle of the third round.

Harris' value took a major shot in the months following a sophomore year at Oregon in which he was considered a top kick returner and was developing nicely at the corner position. After some off-the-field issues during the spring, Oregon's Chip Kelly suspended Harris indefinitely, and he never fully made his way out of the doghouse after returning to the field this year. He played sparingly in six games and never started, and he will have to do a lot throughout the pre-draft process to convince teams that he's the athlete and dynamic playmaker he was as a sophomore.

Menzie has some hitches in his athletic ability that will make for a tough transition to the NFL. He is consistently around the ball, however, and making splash plays for the decorated Crimson Tide defense. He is the type of player whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts in terms of the type of player he will be on Sundays. He is a playmaker and savvy cover man who has second-round value.

Blanton has been a reliable, if not flashy, corner for Notre Dame throughout his career. He is the type of athlete who could get an NFL team through a game at the position but has work to do to qualify as a starter at this point. He is a heady prospect who plays to his strengths and understands footwork and technique while working in man, although he is not the natural type of athlete who can run freely with any receiver. Blanton has third-round value as a backup option as an outside corner or possibly even at the nickel spot.

Harris started at corner for only one year for Florida State after rotating in nickel packages. He is a transfer from El Camino Community College and has great speed to excel at the position at the next level. He has a ton of experience covering in the slot and should contribute early there at the next level.

Johnson started for four years (five games as a freshman) at cornerback for Iowa State. He has played both the field and boundary corners and is a good lateral mover and overall athlete for the position. He is not a speed guy and can struggle in transition, but he is a strong player and is patient playing both man and in zone. He is reliable to keep his side of the field covered and with his experience, has late third round value.

Jackson is a four-year starter from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. While there are a limited amount of prospects out of SLO in the past few years, Jackson projects to be the best. He has strong footwork and understands how to cover in man. The level he has been displaying his skills could hurt him, but there is little denying his speed and athletic ability give him a great shot to compete at the next level, and the potential factor in his game could affect his value from a mid-round pick to even higher.

Brown was a three-year starter for the Tar Heels who returned for his senior season after missing 2010 due to a suspension for NCAA violations regarding contact with agents. Brown is a great player in run support who brings power into his tackles and also displays physicality when defending man-to-man in the pass game. He is a quick-twitch player who can struggle when turning to let loose and run on a straight line. He is a bit undersized, but this is less of a concern for Brown than others considering the physical nature of his play. Brown has a tendency to play cautiously to prevent getting beat deep, which can affect his play in zone coverage. He is far from an electric athlete. Expect him to be selected in the fifth or sixth round.

Norman is a solid prospect from small-school Coastal Carolina. He has great size for the cornerback position and parlays this with an ability to move fluidly and match up with big, athletic wide receivers. He reminds some of a young Ike Taylor, a tall and athletic big corner from a smaller school. Norman does not quite possess the blazing speed that Taylor did when coming into the NFL, however. Teams will be worried about the level of competition he has been playing at for the past four years, but look for Norman to be selected in the fourth round to a team looking to develop a young, big, athletic corner, and contribute early on special teams.

Steed was a three-year starter for Furman. He has decent size for the corner position and is a prospect who relies heavily on his technique to be able to cover man to man. He is a natural athlete who looks smooth and fluid when back pedaling but also can stick his foot in the ground and explode to recover if he loses a step. He can struggle when coming in to support the run and can play too hesitant and cautionary at times. All things considered, his athletic ability and man coverage skills playing press from the line of scrimmage give him value at the position in the NFL. Look for certain teams to fall in love with his ability to jam and stay in tight coverage through man and potentially see his value higher, but the soft nature of his play in run support and zone coverage give him fourth-round value.

Hardin is a physically imposing corner who is an intriguing prospect considering the little play time he has received the past two years because of multiple injuries. While these injuries are a concern, if teams can look past this and into the potential aspect of Brandon's game, he will likely be picked in the mid-rounds as a developmental defensive back who could potentially move to safety.

Pellerin is a small-school, athletic prospect who has started as the field corner for Hampton for three years after transferring from Southern Mississippi. He displays his athletic ability when working to defend once the ball is in the air. He will need some developmental time covering bigger and faster receivers at the next level, but at 6 feet tall he won't get beat physically and is a strong player in all facets of the game.

Robinson was a three-year starter with good ball skills and athletic ability. Has prototypical size and speed and has special-teams value. Will need to run well in the pre-draft process to stand out from countless other defensive back prospects; fifth-round value.

Judie has been a two-year starter for Texas A&M but struggled with injuries in 2011 and will get rotated out at times. He is a man cover corner who does not play instinctively. He has good length in his arms to make recover plays and is effective working out of press. He would be a good player in a man scheme and makes flashy plays on the ball. Judie could compete to make the team based on his reliability as a return man, and has sixth-round talent because of that.

Reed is a tough cornerback out of Pitt who started for two years. He usually plays the field and is a decent cover man who still needs to develop his ball skills if he is going to be effecting at the next level. He is good to read a man's hips and not get beat deep, but he employs a bail technique on nearly every play to be able to stay with receivers. The fact that he turns his hips and runs immediately off the snap, even in press, shows that he doesn't quite trust his speed. He is an all-around player who is reliable to make a tackle but won't make many special plays.

Brooks is an undersized corner who has never found a starting role amongst a stacked defensive backfield at LSU. He has been an influential player throughout his four years (after a freshman developmental redshirt year) and is a consummate playmaker from the nickel corner position. He is an attractive selection in the late rounds to a team who wants a defensive back who has the athletic ability and experience to cover out of the slot and be a zone blitzer. He isn't the most physical tackler, but he is explosive and is effective rushing from the edge in all-out blitz looks. He was never able to break into a starting role playing behind the likes of first rounders Patrick Peterson and Morris Claiborne and other younger, more athletic players; but playing second fiddle to the likes of those players should give him a shot to compete at the next level.

Sensabaugh has seen his value rise in the past season since starting for Clemson. He is the cousin of Cowboys starting safety Gerald. Displayed good athletic ability, and has value as a sixth-round pick.

Prater is an athletic corner who has the quickness and mental makeup to play early at the next level. He was a three-year starter at Iowa and has been a good player against some strong talent throughout his career. He will be hindered by a poor finish to his senior year that culminated in a rough showing against Oklahoma in the Insight Bowl against some NFL-caliber talent, but in the end he has put a lot of good years on film.

Frederick is an undersized corner who started for Texas A&M and played a variety of roles for them throughout his career. He is slow-footed, and this can be his defining attribute as he struggles off the line playing close in man coverage; he is much more of a zone player. He has played in the slot in nickel looks a lot in his career, which will help him early on in his NFL voyage as younger corners are often called upon to fill this void in defenses. He gets the most out of his athletic ability by being a smart player who takes good angles on the ball.

Stoudermire is a bit undersized but physical enough to overcome that at the next level, and is an all-around athlete who has the speed to run with just about any NFL receiver. Has only been on the defensive side of the ball since his junior year, but has been effective. A low-cut tackler and prime candidate to play special teams early. A late-riser who is a gamer and always around the ball. Has late-round value.

Powell is a late-rising prospect who only moved over to the defensive side of the ball during the 2010 season after failing to solidify himself as a receiver. Has an impressive frame for the position and has shown potential as a cover guy. Brings value to a team as a return specialist. Has the type of natural ability to be a hidden gem late in the draft.

Jones comes from unheralded Wayne State (located in Detroit, Mich.) and has decent size for the corner position. He is a very savvy corner who understands how to play the position and plays well in zone coverages. He is fast and athletic, and shows a good burst when he is working in and out of his pedal. He shows the toughness and willingness to play special teams early on at the next level, and could go in the seventh round to a team needing corner depth and willing to help develop his skills.

Bethel has started four years for the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. He is athletic and possesses good size for the position, but is also regarded as a very heady player who influences receivers with physicality from the boundary corner spot. He is an interesting late-round prospect based on his athletic ability and skills supporting the run.

Davis has had an up-and-down career for the Pirates of ECU, but has good speed and has displayed the skills at times that make him worthy of a late-round draft pick. It is a crap shoot as to whether teams will want to take a shot on him being that he has just an average skill set, but for teams who are in need of defensive back depth, Davis is a viable option.

Presley started one game at QB as a freshman, one game at WR as a sophomore, started every game at QB as a junior, and moved to corner out of team necessity as a senior. He is an explosive athlete who has starter-like talent for the NFL once he hones his skills on the defensive side of the ball.

Bentley has started for four years at Louisiana-Lafayette and is a classic, undersized corner from a small school that has displayed the athletic ability to contend for an NFL spot. He is very quick in short movements and is an instinctual player. He could definitely be knocked for his size and the conference he played in, but he is a good option for a team that needs to bring corners into camp and let them compete. He could have trouble in man coverage, but teams might take a flier on him in late rounds to see if they can continue to develop a good athlete at the position.