Draft guru thinks Trufant could sneak into first round
Apr 24, 2013, 12:59 PM | Updated: Apr 8, 2016, 10:51 am
By Brent Stecker
Coming off a senior season where Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant was named first-team All-Pac-12, the Tacoma native is the Huskies’ clear top prospect in this week’s NFL Draft. The question is, just how soon will he be taken?
 UW’s Desmond Trufant was a first-team All-Pac-12 cornerback last season. (AP) |
Russ Lande of the National Football Post told “Bob and Groz” Tuesday that he thinks Trufant won’t have to wait long to be drafted, though there are a few hurdles in his way.
“He’s a guy that’s probably gonna go between 20 and 35,” Lande said. “He’s a really athletic corner. He’s willing to put his hands on guys and play physical. He’s got loose hips. He can change directions. There’s a lot to like about him.”
There’s a lot to like about several other cornerback prospects, though. Alabama’s Dee Milliner and Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes have emerged at the top options at the position, and Lande expects Trufant to be lumped into a second tier with Houston’s D.J. Hayden, Boise State’s Jamar Taylor and Georgia’s Sanders Commings.
“I think the problem (Trufant) is gonna have is, when you get beyond some of the elite guys, whether it’s Dee Milliner and Xavier Rhodes, you have a bunch of intriguing guys like D.J. Hayden, Trufant, Sanders Commings and Jamar Taylor. All four are generally bunched in a lot of teams’ rooms very similarly.
“It all depends which one of those four the team that’s picking a cornerback (first) likes the most. So he’s in a good spot to be drafted early, it’s just a matter of how early. … Trufant could go 15-20, he could go 40 or 45.”
