Draft Profile: Aaron Ross

The NFL Draft is this weekend, where the future hopes and dreams of young men will be determined. The draft has become a giant event, thanks to the marketing machine that is the NFL. There already is around the clock coverage with projections, analysis, and of course, upside. While Chris Berman will let you know what will happen seconds before it actually does, we figure we should get you ready for what you will see. So you're prepared for, well, for the upside.

Coming into his senior season, Aaron Ross was known as an explosive return man that should be a solid compliment to Tarell Brown at the second cornerback spot. One amazing senior campaign later, and Ross enters the draft as a highly touted cornerback and the Thorpe Award winner for the top cornerback in the country. Ross was a hard hitting and explosive corner that also made plays in the return game.

Ross is a great athlete with good speed, running a 4.5 forty. He has fluid hips and moves well around the secondary. He is a playmaker with great hands, and at 6’1” and 192 lbs, is ideally sized for corner. He is well rounded, as he is good in supporting the run and is a hard hitter in the secondary. He has added value as an excellent return man and should make an impact immediately on special teams and in nickel packages. He lacks experience as he only was a one year starter at Texas, and needs to get stronger. He gambles a lot and also gives too large of cushions in coverage. He has tremendous upside and potential since he is still very raw in his technique and footwork.

The year Ross put up at Texas made him one of the top corners in the draft. He is still very raw and with his athleticism has the opportunity to be a very special player. He should fall somewhere in the mid-first round, possibly falling to the New York Giants. Because of his return ability, Ross will see the field quickly and should earn more playing time as he continues to gain experience and learn the game.