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Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke sees some Troy Polamalu in Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard.
It was enough to make Dennard the Steelers' pick at No. 15 in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Burke writes:
Imagine Troy Polamalu as a cornerback. That’s not an across-the-board comparison, but Dennard brings a lot of those Polamalu traits to the field. Namely, he plays with an edge, a trait highlighted in how aggressively he dives down to pitch in against the run. Pittsburgh’s corners were putrid at times in 2013, so the value of finding Dennard all the way down at 15 would be a godsend.
That seems a tad extreme. Or perhaps Burke is suggesting Dennard as safety coverage skills, and that's the level of play Dennard would bring as a cornerback.
Dennard is a physical player, which is a requirement for a Steelers cornerback, and the current question of depth at the position is a fair and valid one - they almost certainly have to get at least one cornerback in this draft, and may peck around in free agency as well.
The question will be whether the sum of his whole is worth the 15th pick in the draft.
Odds are good we'll be hearing Dennard's name linked with the Steelers in the coming months.
