2013 NFL Draft all-overrated team: Desmond Trufant leads the list of cornerbacks

Between now and April 25, we will be unveiling our All-Underrated and All-Overrated teams for the 2013 NFL Draft. Each team will be revealed position by position with a first-team selection, second-team selection and honorable mentions as we see fit. We continue with the all-overrated cornerbacks.

by Matthew Fairburn

Apr 22, 2013, 3:30 PM UTC

USA TODAY Sports

With the NFL becoming more of a passing league every year, the 2013 NFL Draft couldn’t be coming at a better time. The class is loaded with depth at the cornerback position. Regardless of the defensive scheme a team plays, there are cornerbacks that can fill holes in a variety of different coverages.

Alabama's Dee Milliner and Florida State's Xavier Rhodes have established themselves as the two best cornerbacks this year, but after that it's anyone's guess as to who comes off the board next. The second tier of cornerbacks is deep and could cause a lengthy run at the position towards the end of the first round.

Let’s take a look at a few guys who might be drafted too high next weekend.

First team: Desmond Trufant, Washington

Let’s preface this by saying Desmond Trufant is a fine player. However, some have him in the same tier as Rhodes and that’s a bit too high for my liking. Trufant excels in off man coverage, but when asked to play close to the line of scrimmage, he gives up some big plays due to lack of technique in press. He’s not particularly strong, so he tends to get a bit overpowered. The tendency to give up big plays makes one hesitant to select him until the second round.

Second team: Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

Like Trufant, Banks had a tendency to give up big plays in the passing game. He is big, strong and makes big plays of his own, but he also gets too aggressive at times, needs to improve his footwork and has poor change of direction skills. As Darius Slay emerged this season, teams came back towards Banks' side of the field and he got exposed a bit as a flawed prospect. He's a mid-second round talent, in the third tier of cornerbacks, at this point.

Honorable mention: Tharold Simon, LSU

Not particularly sought after, Simon is a day three pick that is getting a bit too much hype. Some project him as a fourth round pick, but his stiff hips in coverage and below-average change of direction skills make him more of sixth or seventh round choice, especially with this deep cornerback bunch.