2011 NFL Draft Player Profile | Patrick Peterson 

Peterson should be the first corner off the board.

Drafted by Arizona Cardinals 

Peterson came onto the scene at LSU in 2008, in which he played in all 13 games for the Tigers. Having the football pedigree has seemingly been beneficial for the former fifth overall prospect out of high school. Peterson is related to Sinorice and Santana Moss, as well as Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden.

The Ely High School graduate played running back, and all three positions in the secondary. He’s always been extremely versatile, also making a name for himself in the return game both in high school, and at the collegiate level.

The 2010 Thorpe and Bednarik Award winner has really been a huge factor in LSU’s defensive success in the last three years, most specifically in 2009 and 2010. He has become a true shut down corner who uses his speed, and physical ability to his advantage.

Player Name: Patrick Peterson

Position: Cornerback

School: Louisiana State (LSU)

Height: 6’0

Weight: 219

Hand: 9 1/4

40 Time: 4.32

Strengths

Perhaps Peterson’s biggest strength is his speed and athleticism. He’s rumored to run around a 4.37, which is incredible for a corner who’s nearly 220 pounds. He’s electrifying in the return game, and makes people miss when carrying the ball.

But as a pure cornerback, he’s a great press corner, often being physical jamming at the line of scrimmage, and also playing well in man coverage as he can stick with most receivers. He got a lot of experience against bigger SEC receivers like A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Alshon Jeffery, etc. Peterson has an excellent backpedal, exceptional ball skills, and is excellent in overall body control.

He stays balanced, plays the ball well in the air, and doesn’t often get caught out of position. His acceleration is great for breaking on passes in the air, and does a nice job of getting his hand in on the opposition to swat the ball down. Peterson’s versatility is what makes him a much coveted player in the NFL Draft.

Weaknesses

Peterson doesn’t have many glaring weaknesses, but he could improve a bit in zone coverage. He sometimes get too confident in his speed and acceleration, giving the wide receiver too much separation, finding himself out of position.

He needs to do a better job of watching the receiver’s hips, and not falling for the double move. Sometimes his eyes will get caught in the backfield, almost baiting the quarterback to throw the ball. He needs to improve with getting off of blocks in the run game. For as physical as he is, he should have no problem throwing receivers off. He is a great tackler, however, in the open field.

Draft Range

Peterson is undoubtedly a Top 10 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. There’s no doubt in my mind either that he’ll be off of the board by the fifth selection. Four of the first five teams drafting in the NFL could use a cornerback like Peterson, Cincinnati being the only team not truly needing a lock down corner. Look for Denver to select him with the second pick to play opposite of Champ Bailey and learn under him as well. Buffalo could afford to take Pat Pete at #3 overall, and if Arizona has a chance to select him at pick five, he’s as good as gone.

NFL Comparison: Charles Woodson

About the author: Keet Bailey

Keet Bailey heads the NFL Draft division of NFL Soup. Bailey's 2012 NFL Mock Draft scored 12th overall among 112 participants according to The Huddle Report's Annual Mock Draft scoring contest. An avid Cleveland Browns fan, Keet hails from and resides in Ohio. Follow Keet on Twitter @NFLSoupKeet