Rave reviews for Jenkins, Rodgers-Cromartie

Tony Pauline, who runs the draft site TFYDraft.com, ranked Mike Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as the top two “risers” in April’s draft based on their performances at the NFL Scouting Combine, which ended Tuesday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
Here’s what Pauline wrote for SI.com:

On Jenkins:
Jenkins was clearly the class of the cornerback position Tuesday. He started swiftly, clocking in the mid 4.3s in the 40. Jenkins continued to impress with a great practice session, showing some of the finest footwork, hip movement and hands of the day. He also completed 18 reps on the bench, one of the better marks for his position. Scouts came away thinking Jenkins had solidified himself as the top corner in the draft.

On Rodgers-Cromartie:
Scouts expected Rodgers-Cromartie to deliver a fine performance, and he did not disappoint. He unofficially timed as the fastest defensive back at the combine, as both his 40s hovered around the 4.3-second mark, with some scouts clocking him as low as 4.28 seconds. Rodgers-Cromartie may push himself into the first round after his Senior Bowl and combine performances, which would make him the first Tennessee State player to do so since Ed "Too Tall" Jones.

SI's take on Jenkins, Rodgers-Cromartie

Bucky Brooks of Sports Illustrated ranked the cornerbacks in this year’s NFL Draft, listing Mike Jenkins (Southeast High/South Florida) second behind Troy’s Leodis McKelvin. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Lakewood Ranch High/Tennessee State) is fifth behind Aqib Talib (Kansas) and Brandon Flowers (VaTech).

Here’s Bucky’s take on the two local lads:

On Jenkins …

Jenkins is an athletic cover corner with good speed, quickness and movement skills. The All-America is not a polished technician, but excels in man coverage due to great instincts and awareness. He shows good ball skills and flashes an explosive closing burst. Jenkins finished the season with three interceptions and recorded 27 breakups over the past two seasons. Scouts love his competitiveness and envision him developing into a solid starter as a pro. Jenkins also brings return value, as he averaged over 30 yards on seven kick returns and scored one touchdown. Jenkins ranks second on most draft boards, but could push McKelvin as the top corner with an impressive showing at the combine.

On Rogers-Cromartie …

Rodgers-Cromartie is a great athlete with outstanding speed, quickness and cover skills. The small-school All-America shows outstanding promise and potential as a press-man corner. His exceptional length gives him an advantage at the line, and he flashes enough body control to shadow from a trail position. Not only does Rodgers-Cromartie excel in press coverage, he flashes the footwork and athleticism to develop into a solid cover player from a few yards off. His ability to guard the top receivers in the Senior Bowl alleviated scouts' concerns about his ability to handle a jump in competition. Expect Rodgers-Cromartie to come off the board at the top of the second round.

Shop Bradenton if you need a cornerback

The NFL Scouting Combine begins Thursday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, and three Bradenton football players will find themselves at center stage at some point.

They are cornerback Mike Jenkins (Southeast High, University of South Florida), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Lakewood Ranch, Tennessee State) and safety Nehemiah Warrick (Bayshore, Michigan State).

Depending on which mock draft you believe, Jenkins is either the top-ranked cornerback in the draft or the second-ranked. Rodgers-Cromartie’s stock went up after his MVP performance at the Senior Bowl.

Warrick can move up the draft board with a strong showing.

Frank Coyle, a former NFL scout and noted authority on the draft, ranked the top-100 players in the draft. Jenkins came in at 16th overall and second at corner behind Oklahoma’s Reggie Smith. Rodgers-Cromartie was 41st overall and seventh among corners.

Here’s a look at Coyle’s take on the 14 corners in his top-100.

The complete list can be found at nfldraft.rivals.com.

Coyle’s Web site is www.draftinsiders.com.

(* denotes underclassmen)

14 overall. * Reggie Smith - CB - 6' 200 lbs. - Oklahoma
This early-entrant has fine triangle numbers (height, weight, speed) and big-play ability. He should develop into a shutdown pro defender.

16. Mike Jenkins - CB - 6' 200 lbs. - South Florida
This athletic corner had an impressive final season and hopes to shine at the NFL Combine.

21 . Leodis McKelvin - CB - 5'11" 185 lbs. - Troy
McKelvin is a quick cover man and return specialist. He hopes to display his fine athleticism at the NFL Combine to hold this ranking.

26. * Aqib Talib - CB - 6'1" 180 lbs. - Kansas
With some development, this ball-hawking corner has the talent to become a shutdown cover man in the NFL.

29. Antoine Cason -CB - 6'1" 185 lbs.- Arizona
This rugged corner has good coverage skills and ball skills. However, he faces some questions about his speed.

31. * Brandon Flowers - CB - 5'9" 190 lbs. - Virginia Tech
Flowers is a quick, tough corner who has good coverage skills. He has the technique and playmaking ability to match up with the best receivers.

41. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie - CB - 6'1" 185 lbs. - Tennessee St
This athletic corner has been a shutdown cover man, but against lesser competition. He answered questions about his ability when he starred during Senior Bowl week.

53. * Justin King - CB - 5'11"185 lbs. - Penn St
This agile corner is a very good athlete. He could solidify a top-50 grade if he performs well this postseason.

55. Chevis Jackson - CB - 5'11" 190 lbs. - LSU
Big, athletic corner has performed well against top receivers and looks to move up with a big NFL Combine effort.

58. Terrell Thomas - CB - 6' 200 lbs. - USC
Strong senior cornerback impressed against top receivers at the Senior Bowl. He elevated his rating after an inconsistent final season.

73. DeJuan Tribble - CB - 5'9" 190 lbs. - Boston College
Tribble is tough, smallish cornerback who struggled through a tough week at the Senior Bowl practices - which has him falling in the rankings a bit.

80. Tracy Porter - CB - 5'10" 185 lbs. - Indiana
Athletic senior cornerback performed well at the Senior Bowl and looks to finish with a strong NFL Combine.

84. Charles Godfrey - CB - 6' 205 lbs. - Iowa
This veteran corner had a solid career against NFL-caliber receivers, and displayed that again at the Senior Bowl.

90. Simeon Castille - CB - 6' 190 lbs. - Alabama
This Tough instinctive prospect has good ball skills and tackling skills, which may warrant a switch to free safety.

Bennett suddenly a valued Buc

Michael Bennett didn’t exactly set the town on fire last season during his limited role in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield, yet the team chose to resign the veteran running back acquired midseason in a trade with Kansas City.

The reasons: Bennett’s potential and the knee injury to Cadillac Williams.

A former first round pick by Minnesota in 2001, Bennett has one Pro Bowl year on his resume.

But the bigger picture is the loss of Williams, who tore the patellar tendon in his right knee. Bucs general manager Bruce Allen predicted Williams will return next season without losing a step, but this is probably more wishful thinking than anything else.

Williams’ injury is a potential career-ender.

If he does return, it won’t be until the middle of next season, and who knows when he will regain his old form and how much of that old form he can regain.

Earnest Graham, who rose from third string running back/special teams specialist last season to lead the team in rushing and touchdowns, will enter camp as the No. 1 running back.

Michael Pittman said he was going to explore free agency.

Free agency and the NFL Draft can also change the landscape in the backfield, but for now, Bennett is suddenly a valuable member of the Bucs running game.

What's in a name? A great catch.

Denver has “The Drive,” San Francisco has “The Catch,” and Boston College fans have the “Hail Flutie.” So, naturally, the city known as the “Big Apple” has to have a catchy nickname for one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history: Eli Manning’s 32-yard completion to David Tyree on the last-minute drive that set up the winning touchdown in the Giants’ Super Bowl victory against the Patriots.

It took a week, but readers of Newsday came up with this: Destiny’s Catch.

Now, one could argue that it shouldn’t have taken a week to name a catch; that if the name didn’t come to mind right away, then perhaps there really wasn’t a suitable name out there.
One could argue that.

Not me, though. I just spent a week on Long Island, and I’m not about to rattle the cage of New York Giants fans.

Here are the 10 finalists:

The Perfection Connection.

Hail Manning.

The Miracle.

The Great Escape.

Destiny's Catch.

The Hail Mara.

The Hat Trick.

The Perfection Rejection.

The Dream Catch.

Eli Shuffle.

Actually, the play, in which Manning spun away from three defensive linemen, and threw a bullet to Tyree, who used his helmet to make the catch, deserves two names, and I would go with “The Great Escape,” for Manning’s shuffle, and “The Hat Trick” for Tyree’s heads up play.

Alas, only one would do, and Giant fans voted for “Destiny’s Catch.”

It sure was a perfect connection, a dream catch to Giants fans and those rooting against perfection.

I wonder if 20 years from now we’ll need just two words to remember that play.

Destiny’s catch.

Catchy.

I guess.

Four wrongs make a Super Bowl champion

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

That’s four wrongs for me, or one for every Giants postseason victory during their incredible run to the Super Bowl title.

I picked them to lose every stop of the way, and yet they beat the Bucs, they beat the Cowboys, they beat the Packers and they beat the Patriots, denying New England a perfect season and stamping Glendale, Ariz., as the little town where dynasties go to die.

Undefeated teams vying for championships are now 0-2 inside University of Phoenix Stadium, while underdogs with little chance of winning -- Florida (over Ohio State) and the New York Giants -- are 2-0.

Show of hands: Who wants to be the next undefeated team to play for a championship in Glendale?

Is this a good time to slip in that I had an inkling the Giants would beat the Patriots? That the Giants were playing the best football, and in championship games, it’s not the best team, but the team playing the best who wins? That the Patriots looked awfully beatable the last month?

No? I can’t slip that in?

OK, fine.

Not that my Super Bowl inklings ever pan out. I did think the Broncos were going to beat the Packers and was right there. But I thought Buffalo would win every Super Bowl it played in, and, well, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

I was right on one point. Tom Brady would make plays in the fourth quarter to give the Patriots the lead. But the amazing Brady was one-upped by Peyton Manning’s little brother.

I’m big on Eli Manning, I even liked him back in his Ole Miss days.

I thought he showed incredible poise Sunday night and not just during the winning drive, but afterwards when he lifted the Lombardi Trophy and thanked Giants fans for their support.

How easy would it have been for Eli to grab the trophy and say, “Hey Giants fans! I what? I what? How do you like me now?”

Oh, they love him in New York now, and they will continue to love Eli right up until the start of next season. Then it is back to, What have you done for us lately?

Right now Eli could run for mayor of New York City and win.

Right now, he could get a six-year, $133-million contract from the Mets if he could throw baseballs past hitters like he did footballs past defensive backs during the last month.

Eli is the Manning.

The Giants are the champions.

The 1972 Dolphins live.

And I was wrong.

I can live with that.