Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
If there is one thing you can count on when it comes to the final hours and minutes leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft, it is that the rumor mill goes into full force. Suddenly every player that was a first round pick isn’t and there are always a few guys who become first round picks, at least in the eyes of the media that no one expects. And in 2013 that’s no different.
This year as we count down to the start of the draft, the rumor is that University of Houston cornerback DJ Hayden is on the draft radar of multiple teams in the first round and could end up a top 10 pick. Obviously when you talk about stuff like this it’s all about those mythical “sources” and so all this sort of information has to be taken with a grain of salt.
My take-Nothing will shock me at this point, so if some team takes a shot on Hayden, who I concede is a prospect with a high ceiling but not great film, I won’t be shocked. But in a draft class that has so many talented cornerbacks with excellent game tape against top competition, I struggle to think there is any franchise that sees Hayden as such a perfect fit that they cannot pass on him.
It’s not unprecedented for a Houston Cougar cornerback to make a big rise close to the draft. Back in 2005, former Cougar Stanford Routt was a very late round pick until the NFL scouting combine. But one 4.27 40 yard dash later and every media outlet put him firmly into the to of the draft. He ended up going from relative obscurity to a top 40 pick. Hayden has certainly come on strong this offseason, and after reviewing several games I had him with a low 2nd round grade, but a top 10 selection? C’mon man!
Curt covers the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL draft, and college football for Rant Sports. Connect with Curt on Twitter @nfldraftboard.
