Broncos Draft – Countdown To No. 2: #7, Prince Amukamara

Nebraska defensive back Prince Amukamara makes a catch as he runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The 2011 NFL Draft is now just a week away and unless they trade down, the Denver Broncos will be selecting second overall. Over the next seven days, we are going to count down the top seven prospects to be selected by the Broncos with their first pick.

Number seven:  Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Prince Amukamara(pronounced ah-MOO-kuh-mare-uh).  A 6-0 foot, 206 pound defensive back, Amukamara is considered one of the top defensive prospects in this year’s draft.

As a junior in 2009, Prince was a first-team All-Big 12 selection after recording 60 tackles, two sacks, and five interceptions.  He was named an All-American his senior year, and though he did not record any interceptions, opposing teams only completed 18 of 52 passes thrown towards him. 

A young prospect (21), Amukamara recorded a 4.38 timed 40-yard dash, 15 reps in the bench press and a 38 inch vertical jump at the NFL’s annual scouting combine.  He is projected to be anywhere from a top-ten pick to a mid-first-round selection next Thursday.

My opinion:  Personally, I haven’t been tooimpressed by Amukamara.  My cornerback standards are pretty high, probably because we’ve been so spoiled by having Champ Bailey over the past few years.  Prince has not shown a very physical side in the film that I’ve seen, is slow to get off blocks, doesn’t have the greatest tackling skills and is occasionally beat deep (but what cornerback isn’t).

With that said, he plays the ball very well, plays smart, has ideal size, he makes big plays and rarely allows completions.  His pros outweigh his cons and he is easily the second best cornerback in this years’ draft.

Likelihood of him being selected second overall: Very low.  Denver is more likely to address the front seven than the secondary with their first pick.  If they do decide to go with a cornerback, it will be LSU’s Patrick Peterson.

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