Buchsbaum's top 10
(as of March 9)

1. Nate Clements
2. Will Allen
3. Fred Smoot
4. Jamar Fletcher
5. Adam Archuleta
6. Ken Lucas
7. Adrian Wilson
8. Gary Baxter
9. Derrick Gibson
10. Michael Stone

Positives: Very good athlete. Quick and very fast. Smooth turning. Shows above-average route recognition and instincts most of the time. Can cover many receivers one-on-one. Has some kick-return ability.

Negatives: Has some trouble playing the deep ball because he tends to lose track of where it is after he turns to run with the receiver and does not pick it up again fast enough, letting the receiver take it away from him when he really has better position. Does not always do a good job of jamming the receiver at the line of scrimmage. Will get a little lazy and lose his focus at times. Is not very physical or a strong run-support corner or tackler.

Summary: Has the tools and should be a high draft pick. Can be a quality starting NFL cornerback if he improves his ability to track the deep ball and becomes a little more physical and focused.

Positives: Terrific football player with a great motor. All-time competitor. Flies around and makes plays all over the field. Tenacious, active and very determined. Very instinctive and aware. Reads and anticipates extremely well. Seems to be going in the right direction as the ball is snapped. Showed he could play safety at the Senior Bowl. Should be a top special-teams player while he learns the finer points of playing safety. Very strong for his size.

Negatives: Does not have the size or growth potential to ever be an every-down linebacker in the NFL. Will be moved to safety and does not have much experience there. Does not have the speed or athleticism Darren Woodson (ASU linebacker who the Cowboys picked as a strong safety in ’92) had when he came out of college. May have to play close to the line of scrimmage to be effective as a strong safety.

Summary: Two former undersized ASU linebackers, Woodson and the Cardinals’ Pat Tillman, are starting safeties in the NFL, and Archuleta may have been the best college football player of the trio. He does not have Woodson’s size or ability, but he is a better athlete and faster than Tillman.

Positives: Excellent size for a cornerback. Well-built with long arms and a big wingspan. Looks smooth, fluid and balanced. Quick closing up. Strong and explosive in bump-and-run. Has long speed. Has the size, speed and toughness needed to play strong safety and has been very durable. Coaches speak very highly of him now, although he may have been a little bit unhappy with the change of defensive systems when the new staff was hired in ’99 and put in a new coverage scheme which had him backed off more often.

Negatives: Has gradual, build-up long speed, not explosive, quick, zip speed. Lacks quick catch-up speed. Struggles when he has his back to the quarterback and must turn to find the ball. Does not have the ability to quickly turn hips and to burst out of his turn the way teams want a top corner to. May not have the awareness, ball skills and anticipation you want at free safety.

Summary: A big cornerback who will be coming into a league where everyone is looking for big corners but has limitations and must be used correctly and play in the right scheme. Is a much better player in a bump-and-run scheme than when he is backed off. On a team that backs its corners off all the time, he might be better-suited for strong safety.

Positives: Top athlete who has the hips, speed, quickness and acceleration to be a top NFL cornerback. Good size. Can be a very physical corner who can play the run. Strong tackler. Good open-field tackler. Can return punts. Has good hands. Coachable and competitive. Should only get better.

Negatives: Hot-and-cold player in college. Did not play well against Miami (Ohio) in 2000 and had a horrible game vs. Minnesota’s Ron Johnson later in the year. Can be too aggressive at times. Bites too quickly on the first move and lacks great anticipation. Different player in different games.

Summary: Has top-pick ability, but developing consistency is going to be the key.

Positives: Tremendous athlete and competitor with superior instincts and excellent ball-tracking skills. Plays bigger than size because he times his jumps so well, has long arms for a player his size and very quick hands. Very smooth and fluid. Loses almost nothing in transition and when he must break laterally. Has great closing quickness on balls thrown in front of him. Judges and plays the ball well. Has terrific anticipation. Will hit and support against the run. Likes challenges and likes to play against the other team’s top receiver.

Negatives: Computer numbers are not that impressive. Lacks size and speed. Will lose a lot of 60-yard footraces in his shorts and does not have great deep make-up speed. At times will guess and gamble too much. Can be beaten. Is no Deion Sanders. Though healthy, he opted not to work out at the Combine.

Summary: A terrific football player who based on size and speed would not rate very well. But off of films, he is right near the top of the list.

Positives: Fine athlete. Exceptional size and speed. Big and physical. Good hitter. Can be an explosive hitter. Durable. Has not missed a start in three years.

Negatives: Seems late to react in coverage. Does not play the deep ball that well. Can be a little hesitant in transition. Is not a gifted man-on-man pass defender. Has not been a productive interceptor since he does not get his hands on a lot of balls. Better hitter than tackler and will miss some tackles. Does not always take good angles. Did not work out at the Combine, though he was healthy.

Summary: Workout-warrior type who really looks the part. Will be a high draft pick because of his physical tools, but his lack of instincts vs. the pass may be a problem that keeps him from being a top pro safety.

Positives: Excellent size. Can be a physical player when he wants to be one. Is learning how to tackle. Good hands for the interception. Generally plays the ball well. Very good-to-excellent athlete. Has good feet and fluid hips for a player his size. Has the size to play safety and enough speed to be a corner. Should continue to improve with experience.

Negatives: Still very raw around the edges. Will miss too many tackles. Is not always crisp in his movements and tends to round things off. Is still learning the proper footwork and technique and at times will have lapses in these two areas. May not have great playing or make-up speed. Made his last game at Mississippi, the Music City Bowl vs. West Virginia, one of his worst and had trouble staying on his feet at times on a slick field. Seemed to let getting beaten early affect him.

Summary: Good upside but not a sure thing. Has the size every team wants in a cornerback to match up with the big receivers. Has enough speed and ability to start and play for a long time if he can develop his techniques and learn to forget bad plays. Also has potential as a safety.

Positives: Excellent athlete. Very quick and fluid. Terrific cover skills. Can break and close on the ball. Can play both bump-and-run and man-off coverage. Plays with great self confidence. Really enjoys playing and competing. Teammates seem to really like him. Had an excellent Senior Bowl.

Negatives: On the small and slight side. Does not like to support against the run and is an inconsistent tackler. Weight was down below 170 pounds by the end of the season. Chose not to work out or run at the Combine.

Summary: Could be the best pure cover corner in the draft. I just wish he was bigger.

Positives: Above-average size and good speed and playing speed for an NFL corner. Jumps very well. Physical and has become a lot more aggressive. Can be a physical, bump-and-run corner who makes it hard for receivers to get a clean release off the line of scrimmage. Shows some awareness in zone coverage. Has improved a lot in man-on-man coverage. Had a good week and game at the Blue-Gray game and an even better week at the Senior Bowl. Seems to be ascending.

Negatives:  Still will struggle in man-on-man coverage at times. Does not appear to have very good hands.

Summary: Really helped himself with a strong postseason. Looks like a player on the rise.

Positives: Big, physical, aggressive strong safety. Has the size scouts are looking for plus exceptional jumping ability. Quick to support against the run and can be used up in the box like an extra linebacker. Top special-teams player. Has the speed and range for coverage and did a nice job at the Combine.

Negatives: Better hitter than tackler. Needs work on pass coverage. Still raw around the edges.

Summary: Right now he looks and works out better than he plays on defense, and it is quite obvious he could have used another year in school. However, he will be a high pick because of his workout numbers and potential.