HE TOP FIVE
1. Chris Houston, Arkansas. He might not have been a household name to fans before the NFL scouting combine, but SEC offensive coordinators noticed his standout play against top-rated receivers such as Dwayne Bowe and Robert Meachem last season.
Houston, with decent size at 5-foot-10¼, 188 pounds, runs well, shows keen awareness against the pass, and displays a fair amount of aggressiveness with his willingness to support the run. His eye-opening workout at the combine includes 4.32-4.37 times in the 40-yard dash, a 36-inch vertical, 4.08 short shuttle, 6.90 3-cone and an amazing 27 bench reps of 225 pounds.
Houston has very good ball skills, accelerates with receivers while the ball is in the air and is able to latch on the hip of a receiver and then reach his hands up to deflect or impair a receiver's vision. However, he still needs some work on his back pedal as he can get too tall and will allow inside release too easy at times and then try to use his speed to come back over the top and jump the route.
Some teams might be scared off by a prospect, especially an underclassmen, who comes on so strong and so fast in the postseason. There's a fear based on history as they have seen others over-draft players who then fail to play up to their workout results. However, this will not be the case with Houston, who combines both rare physical tools with the natural instincts and mental makeup to star at this position.
2. Leon Hall, Michigan. While he disproved the notion that he lacks the true straight-line speed to hang with most of the top-rated receivers in this draft, the best scenario for him is getting selected by a team that uses more zone than man coverage.
Hall, also used as the team's primary punt returner, is very good at attacking shorter routes, but he can get a little tall in his back pedal and get beaten by double moves. His 37.5” vertical and impressive short shuttle times indicate to teams while he was beaten deep a few times during the season, especially against USC, he may be more fluid than previously thought.
He will be a solid pro because of his work ethic, instincts and ability to read/see the ball early and make plays. He's smart and aggressive, is adept at creating turnovers, is willing to come up in run support, and is a steady open-field tackler. However, you cannot leave him alone in man coverage all day without having a big play or two occur.
His better-than-expected 40-times (4.44/4.48) at the combine likely will keep him among the top 12-15 picks. His maturity and experience of being a four-year starter in the Big Ten could help him challenge for a starting spot very early in his career.
3. Aaron Ross, Texas. His eye-opening senior campaign has driven up his stock more than expected thanks to his aggressiveness and terrific natural ball instincts.
Ross' ideal height (6-1), long arms and ability to stick on the hip of most receivers gives him the blend of talent to come off the board very early in the draft. His ability to make good reads and judgment when the ball is in the air should continue to grow since he spent the early portion of his career sitting behind guys such as Michael Huff, Nathan Vasher and Cedric Griffin.
He has an extra burst of closing speed on shorter routes and when coming up in run support. Even better, he is a willing and physical tackler in the open field – a lost art for most man cover guys. He was a little stiff in some of the agility and positional drills, but still posted very good times.
Ross, doubling as one of the team's primary return men, will provide instant help on special teams and could challenge for playing time right away because he plays mistake-free football. He's also a very coachable kid. Over time, he will develop into a solid NFL starter equal to that of the aforementioned Longhorns players.
4. Darrelle Revis, Pittsburgh. He's a good-sized defender (6-0, 200) with excellent speed, long arms, good ball skills, good instincts and the added bonus of possessing top-notch return skills.
Revis gets a very good break on the ball, can create breakups and has the hands to cause turnovers. For a bigger corner, he is decent in transition, but can get a bit tall in his back pedal and takes a few choppy steps at times. When he fails to use ideal technique, he draws penalties or gets beat inside to the spot. He shows good strength, is capable of playing bump-and-run and also knows how to time his leaps.
His added dimension of being an elite punt returner should also contribute to his final grade. A quick decision-maker, he uses his instincts, size and aggressiveness to contribute in run support.
5. Marcus McCauley, Fresno State. An All-American as a junior, McCauley was a bona fide candidate to challenge for top-10 draft spot this year. However, he regressed in many, most notably his aggressiveness.
He has long arms, big hands and moves better than most smaller defenders – 4.12 short shuttle and 6.68 3-cone to go along with 4.38 40-time and 36” vertical.
As a junior, he would jump up and jam receivers at the line, bully them some down the field and either cause the quarterback to throw to the other side of the field or go up and challenge for the ball or break up the play. Last season, he played with far less emotion and at times looked like he was just going through the motions or trying not to get injured. His back pedal and technique are still raw too often, he gambles too much, gets too tall or even gets caught flat-footed and then tries to use his burst to the ball. He struggled with double moves and tried to be more of a hitter than wrap up tackler this past season.
The positives are that these are all correctable flaws, but the fact that he is a world-class athlete at just under 6-1, 205 will not escape position coaches or West Coast area scouts on draft day. He was still inconsistent at the Senior Bowl practices, but lit it up at the combine and even looked better in the drills portion of the workout. If there is a run on corners in the mid-to-late portion of the first round, he could very well still be chosen between picks 20-32.
