NFL DRAFT PREVIEW -- DEFENSE

TOP CORNERBACK PROSPECTS

Player; School; Ht; Wt; Comment (projected round)

Terence Newman; Kansas State; 5-10; 190; The shut-down corner all teams covet, instant starter. (1)

Marcus Trufant; Washington State; 5-11; 200; Anticipates as well against the run as in pass coverage. (1)

Sammy Davis; Texas A&M; 6-0; 185; Deceptively strong for his size, breaks to the ball well. (1)

Dennis Weathersby; Oregon State; 6-0; 205; Bright player, matches read ability with outstanding speed. (2)

Eugene Wilson; Illinois; 5-10; 192; Ball magnet, must get stronger in order to handle physical NFL receivers. (3)

SNEAKING UP

Andre Woolfolk; Oklahoma; 6-1; 197; Former receiver, will reward a patient team. Still learning position. (3)

Asante Samuel; Central Florida; 5-11; 185; Fluid backpedal and turn gives him natural cover ability. (3)

Ricky Manning; UCLA; 5-8; 185; Plays bigger than his size, always around the play. (4)

TOP SAFETY PROSPECTS

Player; School; Ht; Wt; Comment (projected round)

Troy Polamalu; USC; 5-10; 205; Warrior mentality, loves to mix it up along the line, must improve in coverage. (1)

Mike Doss; Ohio State; 5-10; 207; Terrific character, consistently comes up with big plays. (2)

Ken Hamlin; Arkansas; 6-2; 209; Big hitter, with more than 100 tackles each year as a starter. (2)

Rashean Mathis; Bethune Cookman; 6-0; 202; Classic ‘tweener. Will have to bulk up for the NFL. (3)

Terrence Holt; North Carolina State; 6-2 ; 208; Solid all-around fundamentals. Brother of Rams’ Torry Holt. (3)

SNEAKING UP

Gerome Sapp; Notre Dame; 6-0; 216; Smart, alert, sheds blockers well and finds the ballcarrier. (4)

Julian Battle; Tennessee; 6-2; 205; Versatile player with decent coverage skills. Character issues loom. (4)

Colin Branch; Stanford; 5-11; 200; Lacks experience, good cover skills, needs to wrap up better. (4)

TOP OUTSIDE LINEBACKER PROSPECTS

Player; School; Ht; Wt; Comment (projected round)

Boss Bailey; Georgia; 6-3; 230; Is as outstanding an athlete as his brother, Champ Bailey. Future Pro Bowl starter. (1)

Nick Barnett; Oregon State; 6-2 ; 235; Fast enough to play safety, remarkably adept in coverage. (2)

Pisa Tinoisamoa; Hawaii; 6-0; 231; Headhunter with a penchant for the big play. Just plain mean. (2)

Gerald Hayes; Pittsburgh; 6-1; 238; Strong, silent type with sound football instincts. Defensive captain. (2)

Cie Grant; Ohio State; 6-0; 228; Perhaps the best cover linebacker in the draft. (3)

SNEAKING UP

Bradie James; Louisiana State; 6-2; 238; Locker-room leader with 129 tackles last season. (4)

Chaun Thompson; West Texas A&M; 6-2; 240; Boom or bust player. Great athlete who has yet to grasp the game. (4)

LaMarcus McDonald; Texas Christian; 6-1; 227; Pure playmaker despite his lack of size and speed. (4)

TOP MIDDLE LINEBACKER PROSPECTS

Player; School; Ht; Wt; Comment (projected round)

E.J. Henderson; Maryland; 6-1; 245; 175 tackles his senior year despite coming off back surgery. (1)

Terry Pierce; Kansas State; 6-1; 251; His affinity for the rough stuff makes up for his lack of athleticism. (2)

Kawika Mitchell; S. Florida; 6-1; 253; Thick and strong build makes him difficult to block. (3)

Victor Hobson; Michigan; 6-0; 252; Great read-and-react linebacker. Not pretty but effective. (3)

Clifton Smith ; Syracuse; 6-2; 253; Good player on a bad defense. (3)

SNEAKING UP

Lance Briggs; Arizona; 6-0; 242; Ex-fullback has excellent range for an inside linebacker. (4)

Tony Gilbert; Georgia; 6-0; 250; Plays hard on every down, faster than he looks. (4)

Hunter Hillenmeyer; Vanderbilt; 6-4; 238; Lean, chiseled athlete with exceptional football sense. (4)

TOP DEFENSIVE TACKLE PROSPECTS

Player; School; Ht; Wt; Comment (projected round)

Dewayne Robertson; Kentucky; 6-1; 324; Ideal run plugger, should be very good for a very long time. (1)

Jimmy Kennedy; Penn State; 6-4; 322; Durable defensive anchor is very agile for his size. (1)

William Joseph; Miami; 6-5; 308; Terrific size and ability, flows well to the ballcarrier. (1)

Kevin Williams; Oklahoma State; 6-5; 304; Got better every year in college, avoids traffic, quick enough to play end. (1)

Johnathan Sullivan; Georgia; 6-3; 313; Thinking lineman with uncanny ability to read where play is headed. (1)

SNEAKING UP

Ty Warren; Texas A&M; 6-4; 307; Can be dominant when motivated. Must develop better instincts. (2).

Nick Eason; Clemson; 6-3; 298; Disruptive player, strong enough to take on a double team. (3)

Kenny King; Alabama; 6-3; 281; Undersized in every department but desire, will need to bulk up for the NFL. (3)

TOP DEFENSIVE END PROSPECTS

Player; School; Ht; Wt; Comment (projected round)

Terrell Suggs; Arizona State; 6-2; 262; Pure sack artist with moves to go along with his blazing quickness. (1)

Jerome McDougal; Miami; 6-4; 264; An explosive bull rusher who closes quickly. (1)

Michael Haynes; Penn State; 6-4; 278; Great first moves gets him to the quarterback, shows little mercy once there. (1)

Chris Kelsay; Nebraska; 6-4; 273; Unrelenting and dependable, future team leader. (2)

Kenny Peterson; Ohio State; 6-3; 298; Plays hard until the whistle, versatile, can play all four line positions. (2)

Antwan Peek; Cincinnati; 6-2; 246; Undersized end with a great burst off the line. (2)

SNEAKING UP

Corey Redding; Texas; 6-3; 279; Animated player, consistently sheds blockers and gets to the ball. (3)

Tyler Brayton; Colorado; 6-6; 277; Outstanding raw ability, still developing his football instincts. (3)

Dewayne White; Louisville; 6-2; 273; Outstanding against the run, excels at shooting the gap. (3)

TOP PUNTER PROSPECTS

Player; School; Ht; Wt; Comment (projected round)

Eddie Johnson; Idaho State; 6-3; 232; Booming punter can hold or play quarterback. (6)

Nate Fikse; UCLA; 5-9; 188; Versatile, can punt, kick and kickoff. Very accurate. (6)

Mat McBriar; Hawaii; 6-0; 195; So strong he often outkicks his coverage. (6)