Durkin's Prospect Watch: CB Trae Waynes

By Dan Durkin—

(CBS) The old NFL adage that you can "never have too many pass rushers" remains true, but given the prevalence of spread offensive sets, it may need to be amended to add "or cornerbacks." It's a three-receiver league, so a team needs to have three trustworthy cornerbacks on their roster. Those that don't will be schemed for by opposing offenses who will isolate receivers against the weaker corner and target him mercilessly.

Today we take a look at one of the draft's top cover cornerbacks: Michigan State's Trae Waynes.

CB Trae Waynes (6-foot, 186 pounds, 22, Michigan State)

40-yard dash: 4.31
Three-cone: 7.06
Bench: 19
Vertical: 38"
Arm: 31"

Bio: Waynes arrived in East Lansing as an all-state prep safety recruit in 2011 and redshirted his freshman season. In 2012, he appeared in nine games, primarily contributing as a special teams player. In 2013, he became a full-time starter at the field cornerback position (opposite Bengals 2014 first-round pick Darqueze Dennard) and recorded 50 tackles, five pass breakups, three interceptions and one-and-a-half tackles for loss, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. In 2014, Waynes played the boundary corner role and finished with 46 tackles, eight pass breakups, three interceptions, two tackles for loss and one sack, earning first-team All-Big Ten, second-team All-American honors and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe award, given to the nation's top defensive back.

In all, Waynes appeared in 36 games, starting 27 of them. He elected to forgo his final season of eligibility and enters the draft as a redshirt junior.

How he fits the Bears' scheme: In defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme, he asks his cornerbacks to frequently play press man technique on the perimeter, and Waynes is the top press cornerback in the 2015 draft class. He was frequently asked to play bump-and-run coverage in college, displaying a physical jam at the line of scrimmage to disrupt a receiver's release and the corresponding footwork to mirror and pattern match up the field.

Despite primarily playing press technique, Waynes has smooth footwork and excellent acceleration when required to plant and drive at the top of a route. He plays with proper leverage to maintain position and create tight throwing windows. He's also a physical and willing run support player on the perimeter who displays burst to close. Waynes is a solid, fundamental tackler.

Waynes will need to learn to win more with his footwork down the field at the NFL level, as he has a tendency to grab and clutch at receivers as they transition into and out of their breaks at the top of their routes. His scheme asked him to frequently play with his back to the quarterback, so he will need to learn to spy both the ball and his man when required to play off and zone coverages.

Draft projection: Waynes is the top cornerback prospect in the 2015 draft class and should be a top-15 selection.

Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.