The cornerback position is easily becoming the most important position on defense. Often at times, cornerbacks will be left on an island against opposing receivers. In the NFL, many teams use man coverage defenses so they have more bodies to get after the quarterback. Today, I will talk about Darqueze Dennard. This cornerback won the Jim Thorpe award, which is the award that is annually given to the nation's top cornerback. Let's take a look at eDraft's official scouting report on the prospect.

College: Michigan State

Ht: 6'0"

Wt: 205 pounds

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Strengths

Length: Although he is only 6'0", Dennard has a long frame that allows him to press receivers off the line of scrimmage. Press coverage is becoming important in the NFL, and this is something that Dennard can do with ease.

Physical: To go along with his elite frame, Dennard plays with a lot of energy. He is not a player you want to line up across from. He gets in your head, and he bumps you hard at the line of scrimmage.

Ball skills: In my opinion, having a good frame and good ball skills is incredibly valuable for a cornerback. Even if he gets beat off the line of scrimmage, Dennard uses his ball skils to make plays on the ball from behind.

Weaknesses

Speed: Dennard is a good player, but he lacks top-end speed like Justin Gilbert and Jason Verrett have. Although he is being billed as the top cornerback in this year's draft, there are concerns over his acceleration speed off the ball.

Tackling: When he did come up to make plays in the backfield, Dennard whiffed a ton. He needs to learn how to wrap up before he becomes an every-down starting cornerback.

Lacks size: Dennard is barely 6'0", and the problem about that is that he plays like he is 6'3". In the NFL, many cornerbacks thrive on being physical at the line of scrimmage. These cornerbacks are also not fast, like Dennard. But these cornerbacks are tall, and that is something that Dennard is not.

NFL Comparison: Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks: I have made this comparison dozens of times before, and I will continue to stand by it. Like Dennard, Sherman is physical and he gets in the heads of his opponents. Both play extremely similar, and Dennard has ball skills that are like Sherman. Unlike Dennard, Sherman is an excellent tackler though.

Draft Outlook

Dennard will most likely go before the end of the first round. But, that doesn't mean he couldn't go in the second round either. There are a ton of cornerback-needy teams in the middle of the first round, and that's why I believe Dennard will end up being a day one pick.

Best Fits

I look at a team like the Cincinnati Bengals who could take Dennard with their first-round pick. Terence Newman and Adam Jones are on their last legs in the NFL, and getting a player like Dennard would help the transition towards the future. Dennard would play across from Dre Kirkpatrick who is also a tall cornerback.
Other possible fits include the San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Detroit Lions.