If Prince Amukamara Runs Good, he will be Great

Prince Amukamara, a cornerback for the University of Nebraska is my favorite cornerback in this year's draft.  The only thing that needs to be seen is if he can run with NFL wide receivers.  You might be able to get by at the college level with 4.5 speed, but that won't work at this level no matter how good your hips are.  The draft experts like Patrick Peterson, who I think is solid, but I think he is too tall to be a great cornerback.  Much like Antonio Cromartie, tall cornerbacks have the speed and height to cover taller receivers with more straight line speed such as Randy Moss or Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but have trouble covering shifty guys such as Desean Jackson of the Eagles.  One of the main reasons for this is the rapid shift in what the NFL was looking for in wide receivers.  Just a few years ago, it seemed that unless you were 6'5" and ran at least a 4.4, you weren't getting a look in the draft.  Now, with the success of guys like Wes Welker and Steve Smith of the Panthers, teams have been shifting back to these types, which has been a problem for taller cornerbacks.  Prince Amukamara, who is close to 6 feet, does not play as tall as Patrick Peterson and has better hips.  Peterson seems to rely mostly on his speed, which with out proper coaching could hurt at the next level.  Mark my words, if Prince can run a good forty, he could become an instant starter much like Devin McCourty of the Patriots did this past season.  Any coach would be happy to have that kind of result.