Speed, versatility keys in 2003 Draft
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Anyone who has seen the 6-1, 200-pounder play over the past four years knows that he is a talent as evidenced by his NCAA Div. I-AA career-best 31 interceptions, all-time single-season high of 14 picks in 2002 and new I-AA marks set for interception return yards for a season (445 in 2002) and career (672).
Mathis furthered that perception by excelling in part-time roles as a kick returner and wide receiver while leading the Wildcats to their first Mid Eastern Athletic Conference title since 1984 and picking up the conference's defensive player of the year award. He later added the Buck Buchanan Award as I-AA's top defender.
But it was not until Mathis got to show his stuff against 'so-called' big-time competition at the Senior Bowl and the National Combine that his stock really got a spike.
"He got a chance to mix it up with the top players at the Senior Bowl and he more than held his own," said Mathis's agent, Doug Hendrickson of world-known Octagon Agency. "But he had an unbelievable Combine. He was certainly among the top three (defensive backs) overall and without question the top safety."
Those performances all but rocketed him into the draft elite. With a premium currently in the pass-happy NFL on safeties fast enough and with the ability to cover wideouts man-to-man, Mathis is sitting pretty. Most scouting services that intially rated him as a mid-second round pick at best are now upgrading that assessment.
He was projected in the March 20 Sports Illustrated on-line mock draft to be taken as high as 25th (by the New York Giants) in the first round. Others have him going at 27 to the Pittsburgh or at 28 to Tennessee.
Mathis said about ninety percent of the teams he's talked with want him to play cornerback.
"I'm comfortable at both (cornerback or safety)," he said. "The main thing is they know I can play.
"I'm handling it pretty good," he said of the recent spate of interest shown in him. "I was prepped for it. I kind of realized it during the season when so many scouts were coming to practice. I talked to a couple of people and a couple of guys in the league told me what to expect.
"I'm pretty calm and collected. I know I've done all I can do."
That cool may be tested he said when Saturday's first day of the Draft arrives. The Jacksonville, Fla., native will be taking it all in at a Draft party for family, friends and former teammates at Disney Studios in Orlando with an ESPN TV crew on hand.
"When those picks start rolling, there could be some nervousness," he admitted.
Rated just below Mathis in the defensive back rankings is Tuskegee corner Drayton Florence who is also projected to go off the boards Saturday when selections in the first three rounds are made.
At 6-0, 198, and timed at 4.37 in the 40 at the Combine, Florence has all the tools to project as a shut-down cornerback in the NFL. But many teams were concerned with some off-field issues with the Ocala, Fla., native who transferred to Tuskegee from Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Florence has been able to allay most of those concerns during his one-on-one meetings with teams and through an on-line diary he has been posting at CBS.sportsline.com.
"The journal has been big," said Wesley Spencer, Florence's agent with PlayersRep who says the company also hired a PR agent to work with Florence. "It's been a real tool for the Draft," he said of the journal. "Surprisingly, the teams read it and have commented about it. And the exposure has allowed Drayton to become a lot more personable." Two more entries are expected to be posted over the next two weeks.
Florence was busy Tuesday preparing for a key workout for six teams rescheduled from March 27 to Wednesday of this week.
"Ironically, the six teams that are here have picks 10 through 17 in the second round," Spencer said from Ocala where the workout was scheduled for Wednesday morning. He believs their presence could be a clue to where Florence will be headed.
The other black college prospects expected to make into the Draft's seven rounds are Morgan State tight end Vishante Shiancoe, South Carolina State running back Derek Watson, Alabama A&M defensive end Robert Mathis and Howard linebacker Tracy White.
Shiancoe (6-4, 251), an all-MEAC selection, has been consistently rated among the top ten players at the tight end position. He only helped his cause with the fastest 40 time, the highest vertical jump and lifting 225 pounds 28 times at the Combine.
Watson, who had his share of legal problems during a career that started at South Carolina and ended at South Carolina State, is loaded with talent at 6-1, 223 pounds. He may merit a selection just based on his potential.
Mathis, the I-AA sack leader (17) and Southwestern Athletic Conference defensive player of the year, is thought to be too small (5-11, 235) to play defensive end but perhaps will be a great fit as an outside rush linebacker.
White, Howard's two-time MEAC defensive player of the year, carries much the same label as Mathis but opened some eyes when he ran a 4.48 40 for the scouts at Howard. He may be this year's black college 'sleeper.'
Perhaps a greater 'sleeper' is Southern wide receiver Michael Hayes who was considered among the top five receivers in 2001 and a sure fire first round pick before blowing out his knee in the first game of the season. Before the injury the 6-5, 215-pounder was clocked at 4.5 in the 40 and seemed destined for stardom. Now he hopes somebody will give him a chance to prove he can return to that form.
© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.