INDIANAPOLIS -- Hall of Fame quarterback and new Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway looks at players, especially cornerbacks, in a different prism than traditional personnel men.
LSU CB Patrick Peterson is a threat on defense and special teams.
The two-time Super Bowl champion looks at them through the lens of the pocket.
"If a guy can't catch the ball, he never really scared me,'' Elway said.
LSU CB Patrick Peterson is the type of corner who would almost surely scare Elway ... and intrigue him at the same time with the Broncos choosing second overall in the 2011 draft.
Peterson is a two-way threat in the mold of a young Charles Woodson, the former Michigan standout who came into the league as a shutdown corner and punt returner after his 1997 Heisman Trophy campaign in Ann Arbor.
In fact, the 6-foot, 219-pound Peterson models himself after Woodson, the Green Bay Packers veteran who has been something of a mentor to this draft's elite corner prospect.
 |
| By Chuck Cook, US Presswire |
"He is a great athlete, and not only as a (defensive) player, but as a returner,'' Elway said. "He is special as a returner. ... He is a guy that can do a lot of different things for you.
"Athletically, he is as good as anybody in the draft.
"He is a guy that can make some big plays. Especially at the cornerback position, you like those guys that can make those plays, because those are game changers.''
Peterson's combination of size, power and speed -- he hopes to run a sub 4.3 40-yard dash Tuesday -- will almost certainly make him a top-five pick according to NFL Network chief draft analyst Mike Mayock.
"I don't want to be the next Charles Woodson. But I want to pattern my game after him," said Peterson. "He can play each and every defensive position on the field. ... If they need me to play dime, if they need me to play corner, strong safety, rover, I'm definitely down for it.''
No comments:
Post a Comment