Buchsbaum's top 10
(as of March 10)

1. Ahmed Plummer
2. Ike Charlton
3. Rashard Anderson
4. Deon Grant
5. Deltha O’Neal
6. Lewis Sanders
7. Hank Poteat
8. Kareem Larrimore
9. David Barrett
10. Mario Edwards

Positives: Has excellent size and good speed for his size. Can also play safety. Has some man-on-man coverage skills and ball reactions. Can play bump-and-run coverage. Can break on the ball and close. Shows some deep catch-up speed. When on top of his game, Anderson can take some receivers out of the game when he is playing bump-and-run. Seems to want to play. A competitor.

Negatives: Is a little stiff. Gets twisted up at times when turning to run with a receiver, in part because of poor footwork and technique. Does not have great backpedal techniques. Has a lot of trouble playing backed-off, man-on-man coverage, where his lack of refinement and lack of technique really show. Quick and nifty receivers can give him trouble unless he gets a good jam on the line. Struggled in pass coverage in Jackson State’s SWAC championship game vs. Southern-Baton Rouge and seems to have lost confidence since then.

Summary: A big corner with a lot of potential as a bump-and-run type who still needs a lot of development and refinement and is not a sure thing. May have to be a safety if he does not go to a team that plays mostly bump-and-run.

Positives: A fine competitor who is tough and intense. Really seems to like playing the game. Generally covered the opposition’s best wide receiver. Has learned how to vary his coverages to keep the receiver off-balance. Can be a physical press corner who makes it hard for the receiver to get off the line of scrimmage. Is a strong, aggressive tackler who hits with authority. Runs well and has good movement skills. Looked faster and more athletic at the end of his senior season. May be coming on. Had an excellent Combine workout.

Negatives: On the stumpy side. Is built more like a running back than a cornerback. Generally played press coverage or in a zone, so I do not know how well he can play backed-off, man-on-man, where he would have to backpedal and then turn his hips quickly without losing a step in transition. It did look as though he could do this at the Combine. A better hitter than tackler. Is a tough guy but misses too many tackles.

Summary: A comer who could go far if he continues to improve. Should have a chance to start in the right situation.

Positives: A strong, physical cornerback with good lower-body explosion. Has a career-best vertical jump of 42 inches. Has a knack for making big plays. Likes to be involved in the action. Has better straight-line speed than scouts might think. Has run the 55- and 200-meter dashes in track and field during the indoor season. Makes some big, explosive hits on receivers.

Negatives: Does not always look as quick and nifty as scouts would like a corner to look. Has more of a muscular than a streamlined look about him. Does not have a really quick catch-up burst. Looks a little heavy-legged and stiff at times. Has a history of hamstring problems.

Summary: A good football player who should make it either as a cornerback or safety. A playmaker who believes in his ability.

Positives: Looks the part. Has nice size and enough speed. Is strong for his size and reportedly can bench press 400 pounds. Has legitimate man-on-man coverage ability and can stay with receivers closely. Plays best in a press position but can play backed off. Can hit and tackle.

Negatives: Had a down senior year. May have lost some confidence after the Fiesta Bowl. Got flagged for more penalties than ever before. Looked a little shaky in coverage at times. Has too many lapses in concentration. Does not always play the ball well. Is not that aware in zone coverage. Likes to guess and gamble too much.

Summary: Has first-round talent but did not play like a first-round pick in ’99. Can do better — and did do better in ’98 — but on a consistent basis has not played as a premier corner should often enough.

Positives: Has excellent size and great range against the pass in coverage. Has tremendous ball skills for a defensive back as well as exceptional hands. Can and has played wide receiver. A real ballhawk who makes big plays. Has a chance to get much better. Is so fast, fluid and athletic that he might be able to play cornerback.

Negatives: Jumped the gun by declaring for the draft as a third-year junior. Needs to get tougher and to become a much better tackler and a much more consistent hitter. Is slow to support against the run and misses a lot of tackles. Will often duck his head when tackling.

Summary: Jumped the gun by coming out early but still could be a very high draft pick, despite his poor tackling, because he is such a gifted athlete and figures to work out so well.

Positives: Got a chance to play in the Senior Bowl and more than held his own there. A very good athlete who has speed and a burst. Can cover man-on-man and return kickoffs. Showed that he may have enough cover ability and smoothness to be tried as a cornerback on the next level. Showed a lot more focus and consistency at the Senior Bowl than he had before.

Negatives: At times does not look to be as sudden as scouts would want a cornerback to be and seems to have build-up speed as opposed to instant speed. Did too much standing around and watching in college. Did not always seem focused. Was a different player on different plays.

Summary: Got himself drafted at the Senior Bowl. Will move up the charts — provided he works out well in the spring — because he worked well during Senior Bowl week and did some good things in the game.

Positives: A very productive kick returner and a playmaker at cornerback. Anticipates very well and has a great knack for the ball. A fine ball athlete who often will look more like a receiver going for the ball. Seems to have fine football instincts. A natural ballhawk. His coverage skills and techniques have improved dramatically. Generally plays as though he has enough speed for a starting cornerback.

Negatives: Has average size and stopwatch speed for an NFL cornerback. Lacks top-end speed and the ability to catch up when he gets burned. Looked a step slow in the postseason when he had to practice against sprinter types. At times will show his inexperience on defense. An average tackler who is not overly eager to support against the run.

Summary: O’Neal will be a valuable addition to any team that uses him correctly, and as a rookie, he should at least contribute as a return specialist and nickel back. If his stopwatch speed improves significantly, he could even sneak into the first round, but if he runs a very poor 40-time, he could drop into the third or fourth round.

Positives: Has good intangibles. Supersmart. Studies film and learns tendencies. Has good anticipation through knowledge. A good technician with above-average to good physical tools. Durable and dependable. Makes some plays on the ball. Will support against the run.

Negatives: Is not an exceptional, Shawn Springs type of athlete. Lacks great deep, catch-up speed. Speedy Miami (Fla.) WR Santana Moss made Plummer look as though he were a step slow in the Kickoff Classic. Tends to leave too much cushion when in backed-off, man-on-man coverage.

Summary: A very good prospect but not a great one. A smart, savvy, mature player who has some limitations but still generally plays well.

Positives: An excellent athlete who is versatile. Can fill in on offense at running back and also plays cornerback and returns kicks and punts. Has excellent, quick feet and good cover skills. Has a burst to the ball and enough speed to run deep. Very effective in bump-and-run, press coverage. Has good hands and is a dangerous return man who has improved in that area.

Negatives: A little bit smaller than scouts would like. Has good but not great playing speed and just average 40 speed if you go off his Combine numbers. An inconsistent run-support player. Does not always show great ball awareness. Has not played much man-off coverage or zone and has never been taxed mentally.

Summary: Has the athleticism and overall tools to be a good press corner on the next level. But I don’t know how he would adjust if he went to a team such as Atlanta that plays a lot of man-off and zone coverages.

Positives: A fine all-around athlete who is versatile and can play anywhere in the secondary. Generally covered the opposition’s best receiver in ’99. Has the desired size for cornerback, good range and above-average man-on-man coverage skills. Has excellent ball skills. Plays the ball very well. Will work on his game and study films of the receivers he will be guarding.

Negatives: Not that consistent. Needs additional work in coverage. May not be quite as quick and sudden as scouts would like a cornerback to be. Lacks good CB hips.

Summary: A bigger cornerback with enough cover skills to play that position and with starting potential at safety. With really good workouts, Sanders could move into the Chad Scott class of prospects. Was not entirely healthy at the Combine and had a slightly disappointing workout. The two most impressive things about Sanders as a corner are his size and ball skills.