After months of speculation, the Jets finally unloaded star cornerback Darrelle Revis to Tampa Bay for two draft picks, a 2013 first-round pick (#13 overall) and a conditional 2014 fourth-round pick that becomes a third rounder if Revis is on Tampa Bay’s roster on the third day of the 2014 league year. Adding an extra first rounder this year gave the Jets some extra flexibility to plug some of their many roster holes, but the player they drafted with that pick was a surprise to many. Chris Tripodi grades the Jets’ haul from the 2013 draft.

Dee Milliner/CB/Alabama (Round 1/Pick #9): After trading Darrelle Revis just days before the draft the Jets were happy to draft the top cornerback on their board when he fell to them, despite rumors he could go in the top five. A very physical corner that likes to challenge opposing receivers, Milliner quieted pre-Combine questions about his speed with a blazing 4.37 40-yard dash to cement his top-10 draft status. While the Jets were likely hoping for Tavon Austin here to give their offense a much-needed playmaker, a potential Pro Bowler and immediate starter in the defensive backfield is a nice consolation prize, not to mention a good combination of value and need.

Sheldon Richardson/DT/Missouri (Round 1/Pick #13): The Jets took a lot of heat for this pick considering their need for a pass rusher and while I may be in the minority, I’m on board with Richardson. New York’s linebacker depth has been decimated in recent seasons and a position that was once considered a strength is now loaded with question marks. Richardson is an explosive athlete with the versatility to play as both a 3-technique tackle and a 5-technique end. His presence gives Rex Ryan plenty of flexibility up front with Muhammad Wilkerson and Quinton Coples also having the ability to play multiple spots along the line. The Jets will likely play more 4-man fronts in 2013 to mask their issues at linebacker and as teams like the Giants have shown, depth along the defensive line is an invaluable asset in today’s NFL.

Geno Smith/QB/West Virginia (Round 2/Pick #39): The pick of Geno Smith has been scrutinized heavily in the past week and a half and while it’s difficult to question the value of picking the draft’s top quarterback on Day 2, it’s easy to question the situation he’s been put in. The Jets are a dysfunctional mess and it starts at the quarterback position, where Mark Sanchez is a near-lock to be on the roster thanks to his exorbitant cap figure. Sitting and learning for at least half the season is probably the best route for Smith, especially with little talent at the skill positions, but more ineffective play from Sanchez may not allow that to happen. New York may also have a very high pick next year in what projects to be a strong quarterback class; this pick could block them from taking a player like Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater or force them to give up on Smith after just one season. This pick was good value and gives the Jets three players from the Draft Insider Top 25, but Smith could have landed in a far better situation for his own development.

Brian Winters/G/Kent State (Round 3/Pick #72): Winters is another example of value meeting need for the Jets, as he was expected to go right around this spot and should immediately step into the starting lineup. After playing both tackle positions with the Golden Flashes, Winters projects as a starting NFL guard with a nasty attitude, good vision and excellent field awareness. He gets good movement in the running game and understands blocking angles in pass protection, which should help limit the pressure up the middle that bothered Sanchez so much last season. It’s not a flashy pick for the Jets, but definitely a solid one.

Oday Aboushi/T/Virginia (Round 5/Pick #141): A left tackle with the Cavaliers, Aboushi will probably switch over to the right side to compete with Austin Howard as D’Brickashaw Ferguson is entrenched on the blind side. He also may move inside to guard but while Aboushi is a terrific pass blocker, he lacks the nastiness of Winters in the running game. Combined with average run-blocking strength, projecting Aboushi to the right side is a tough sell but we had him rated as a third-round prospect, meaning the Jets found value again along the offensive line. If he can improve in the running game, he has starting potential and ideally would settle in at left guard while Winters mans the right side of center Nick Mangold.

William Campbell/G/Michigan (Round 6/Pick #178): A defensive lineman at Michigan, the Jets plan to move Campbell to guard in using their third consecutive pick on an offensive lineman. Campbell was no more than a sixth-round prospect as a defensive tackle but his coaches at Michigan mentioned to Jets personnel that they feel he can be a good guard in the NFL. Campbell is a powerful bull rusher who used his size (6-5, 311) and explosiveness to hold his ground and collapse down the line on the defensive side of the football. If he can transfer those skills to his new offensive position, his combination of size and athleticism presents good upside in the 6^th round and will at least provide the team with some depth along the line. The Jets likely aren’t expecting a contribution from Campbell until 2014 at the earliest.

Tommy Bohanon/FB/Wake Forest (Round 7/Pick #215): This pick seems like a great fit for the Jets, who struggled last season to open holes in the running game and were devoid of a safety valve out of the backfield on passing plays. Bohanon has great blocking vision and strength along with the toughness teams look for in their lead-blocking fullback. Bohanon is also an excellent receiver out of the backfield and shows good footwork in pass protection, giving the Jets a solid third-down option in two-back sets. His lack of speed and experience running the football are knocks on his game but with a deep stable of running backs the Jets won’t need him to do much other than block and catch, which happen to be Bohanon’s strengths.

Grade: B-. The Jets went into the 2013 draft with tons of holes to fill and while they picked up an extra first-round draft pick by trading Darrelle Revis, they also traded away their fourth-round pick for the Saints’ Chris Ivory. Picking up Ivory was good value as he seems likely to be the team’s starting running back, although a back like Johnathan Franklin would have also been a nice fit for Marty Mornhinweg’s West Coast offense. They drafted to solidify the interior of their offensive line which was a disaster last season outside of Nick Mangold, hoping to protect Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith up the middle and open up holes for Ivory, Mike Goodson and Bilal Powell to run through. The Jets do still have a need at safety and didn’t pick up an offensive playmaker or bolster their pass rush, however, which were three of their biggest needs. Unfortunately the Jets just didn’t have enough picks to fill all of those needs, but the ones they made came with good value. New York picked up three immediate starters and possibly four pending a quarterback competition. It’s hard to be too disappointed with their draft considering the possibility that they addressed up to six starting positions for 2014, which is when the team should realistically be looking to compete again.

A defensive focus hits the Rookie Report coming out of the holidays and with just two weeks left in the season, many of the players listed below have seen their names here before. Some have continued their strong play throughout the season while others are just starting to find their way in the NFL as their rookie year comes to a close. Chris Tripodi is back with another edition of the Rookie Report.

Robert Griffin III (QB-Was)

RGIII highlighted the first rookie report of the 2012 season with a 320-yard passing performance and it was apparent from the moment he stepped onto an NFL field that he was more than just a running quarterback. While he has rushed for 763 yards and 6 touchdowns this season, he also has topped 3,000 yards passing with 20 passing touchdowns, just 5 interceptions and an average of over eight yards per pass attempt.

After missing Week 15 against the Browns and allowing first-year backup Kirk Cousins to show off his talents, Griffin returned to lead the Redskins to victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia. Coach Mike Shanahan said his star rookie was not limited at all by his knee injury that required a brace, but Griffin rushed for a season-low 4 yards on just 2 attempts and said Wednesday that he will be able to do more in Week 17. While the former Baylor star didn’t put on a show Sunday, he did complete 16-of-24 passes and throw 2 touchdowns with an interception.

If Sunday’s performance represented a hobbled Griffin, he looked better injured than half of the quarterbacks in the NFL at full strength. NFL scouts recognized that Griffin was an accurate passer coming out of college but nobody expected him to complete 67 percent of his passes as a rookie. While he has thrived in the short passing game, he does have a 46.7 percent completion rate and 7 touchdowns on passes over 20 yards downfield. Outside of the potential risk for injury if he doesn’t learn to slide more often or get out of bounds, Griffin has shown little downside in his game and should continue to blossom into a superstar.

Marvin Jones (WR-Cin)

Cincinnati has been trying to fill their void at wide receiver on the other side of A.J. Green all season and when Mohamed Sanu broke out with multi-touchdown games a few weeks back, it seemed the Bengals had found their answer. But as quickly as Sanu broke out, he went down with a season-ending stress fracture that opened the door for Jones, a fifth-round pick from California, to start for Cincinnati.

Jones has done little with his opportunity, catching just 10 passes for 130 yards on 18 targets in his four starts including none against the Eagles in Week 15. He had his best statistical game of the season on Sunday, catching 5 passes for 65 yards, but that volume was mainly due to the Steelers constantly double-teaming Green and forcing Andy Dalton to spread the ball around. Jones dropped an easy touchdown in the second quarter that would have provided a huge boost to the Bengals in a game they won 13-10 without scoring an offensive touchdown.

At 6-2, 195 pounds, Jones is tall but certainly isn’t a physical specimen. While his height allows him to get vertical and make some nice catches, he will need to improve his playing strength to have a chance to stay in a starting lineup at the NFL level. If he can do that and eliminate the rookie mistakes he’s been making on a weekly basis, he does have the speed (4.47), hands and route-running ability to be effective behind Green and Sanu in the slot in 2013. The Bengals need him to be more this season but unless the light goes on quickly for Jones, they may not get what they’re looking for.

Quinton Coples (DE-NYJ)

After recording just two sacks in his first 12 NFL games, both of which came in Week 6 against the Colts and one of which resulting in a face mask penalty, Coples has turned it on in the past three weeks in the midst of the Jets’ unraveling season. After a rough start to the season that saw the raw rookie from North Carolina struggle mightily at times, Coples has 3.5 sacks in his past three games and is up to 5.5 on the season.

Coach Rex Ryan was quoted as saying that Coples was, “kind of hitting his stride a little bit,” leading up to the San Diego game, a game which saw the former Tar Heel pick up another 1.5 sacks as he looks to finish the season strong. Coples has certainly looked as raw as most scouts thought he was entering the 2012 draft but his recent play has been encouraging enough that it’s hard to consider his rookie season an absolute bust.

The Jets were likely expecting 6-8 sacks from Coples as a rookie and while he can still reach that plateau, his production has been too little, too late for a team that has been desperate all season for an elite-level pass rusher. At 6-6, 290 pounds with 4.7 speed, he has the ability to be that player for the Jets if he can continue to display the consistency he has shown by sacking the quarterback in three consecutive games. It may have taken an entire season, but New York is finally seeing results from their 2012 first-round pick.

Zach Brown (LB-Ten)

Since stepping into the starting lineup for Tennessee in Week 2, Brown has experienced the highs and lows of rookie life in the NFL. After a 10-tackle debut where Brown sacked Philip Rivers and forced a fumble, the rookie out of North Carolina had more than six tackles just twice in the following six weeks. Since then, Brown has made more than 7 tackles in four of seven games including 9 (8 solo) on Sunday and has 3.5 sacks over his past five games.

Along with fellow youngster Akeem Ayers in the Titans’ linebacking corps, Brown has improved his ability on the blitz in recent weeks and has been lauded by coach Mike Munchak for disguising his blitzes better, allowing him to use his 4.5 speed to get to quarterbacks before they can react. One of the knocks on Brown entering the draft was his lack of forceful blitzing despite his speed, something he has definitely worked to improve during his first NFL season.

Like Janoris Jenkins below, Brown has first-round ability and can be one of the best second-round picks of the 2012 draft if he continues to develop in his first few seasons in the league. He has become a mainstay in the Tennessee lineup as Colin McCarthy has struggled with injuries and after watching him improve steadily throughout the year, it’s hard to envision a scenario where Brown doesn’t start next season.

Janoris Jenkins (CB-StL)

Like Robert Griffin III earlier in the report, Jenkins has been making impact plays all season long in the St. Louis secondary. He started off his career with an interception in Week 1 against Matthew Stafford but he’s been at his best over the last five weeks with three interceptions, a fumble recovery and four pass breakups. The most impressive stat over that span, however, is that Jenkins scored a touchdown on each of those turnovers.

The former Florida and North Alabama star followed up a two-touchdown Week 12 against Arizona by taking a fumble recovery to the house the following week and, on Sunday, Jenkins intercepted Josh Freeman early in the game and took it in for a score as well. The first-year cornerback has been a big-time playmaker for the Rams in his rookie season and may have worked his way into talks for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, something few would have expected after being dismissed from the Gators program just a year ago.

Jenkins’ may not score four times every five games over his career, but 4.42 speed, explosiveness and burst to the ball give him the potential to cause turnovers and take them to the house. Despite being drafted over a round after the player below him on this list, Jenkins has had a far better rookie season and it’s not farfetched to say he has a chance to be the best cornerback in the 2012 draft class.

Morris Claiborne (CB-Dal)

Unlike Jenkins, who has flourished early in his NFL career, the rookie from LSU has hit his share of road bumps along the way. After a few solid games in the middle of the season where Claiborne was consistently around the football, the former Tiger has struggled to make plays in the passing game and against the run. Before Sunday’s game, he hadn’t topped 5 tackles in a game and had just 1 interception and 5 pass breakups.

Claiborne made a career-high 10 tackles (9 solo) and although most of those came after Drew Brees completions, only one of those went for over 15 yards and just two over 10. Claiborne also made a nice play to break up a pass intended for Marques Colston in the endzone to keep New Orleans from scoring at the end of the first half, one of two pass breakups in the game for the rookie.

The former Tiger made what could have been a huge play for Dallas in overtime, forcing a Colston fumble deep in the Cowboys territory after a quick slant. Unfortunately for Claiborne, the ball bounced 20 yards upfield and was recovered by the Saints’ Jimmy Graham to set up an easy field goal and put Dallas in a must-win situation on Sunday to make the playoffs.

Claiborne’s performance against the pass-happy Saints should give hope to a Dallas pass defense that has struggled lately after a good start to the season. Not all rookie cornerbacks hit the ground running like Janoris Jenkins and Claiborne is an example of a player that needs to go through some growing pains before hitting his full potential. He showed off a complete and physical game on Sunday and the Cowboys will need Claiborne to build off of this game to help get them to the playoffs this week.

Jayron Hosley (CB-NYG)

Hosley has been a decent producer for the Giants in their nickel package this season and made a season-high 6 solo tackles against Baltimore on Sunday, three of which came after first-down completions and another three in the running game. While the Giants season has gone downhill in the past two weeks, the rookie third-round pick from Virginia Tech has been a solid find for New York.

At just 5-10, 178 pounds, Hosley’s size is the biggest knock on his NFL potential. Despite having just 1 interception on the season, he entered the NFL with excellent ball skills and has 5 pass breakups on the season, a solid number for a nickel back. His 4.41 speed allows him to stay with receivers down the field and recover when he’s beat with a great closing burst and recovery speed.

Hosley can play in both man-to-man and zone coverage and works hard to stop the run, as seen on Sunday. The former Hokie has good skills but won’t be able to cover bigger NFL receivers, which will likely prevent him from ever being a starter. He can certainly find a home in the nickel though as he already has with the Giants behind Corey Webster and Prince Amukamara.

Harrison Smith (S-Min)

The 29^th overall pick out of Notre Dame, Smith started slowly this season and had no more than 3 solo tackles in any of his first six games. In the nine games since, the former Fighting Irish star hasn’t made less than 4 solo tackles in a single game and has put together three double-digit tackling performances along with 3 interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble and 2 touchdowns on interception returns.

Smith has been even better over his last five games, totaling 42 tackles (36 solo) as Minnesota has made a push towards a playoff spot in the NFC. So far in his rookie season, Smith has lived up to his reputation as a hard-hitting downhill safety and while he wasn’t known as a ballhawk in college, Smith has shown the ability to play the ball in the air and stay with opponents in coverage.

At 6-2, 213 pounds, Smith has prototypical size for an NFL strong safety and has done nothing but improve so far in his first NFL season. He was the second safety taken in April and while the first (Tampa Bay’s Mark Barron) started the season playing better football, it’s Smith who is closing the season on a high note on a team with playoff aspirations. If he continues to find himself around the ball consistently, the future is very bright for the Vikings young strong safety.

Chris Tripodi has been writing for Draft Insider since 2009, compiling Rookie Reports and Draft Reviews and conducting draft interviews with NFL prospects. He has been a sportswriter for multiple newspapers and previously worked at ESPN and with the Rochester Red Wings, the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A affiliate. Follow him on Twitter at @christripodi and check out his blog at http://christripodisports.blogspot.com.

Defense rules this week’s Rookie Report, as do second-day draft picks. Just one offensive player found his way onto the list this week, but that’s only because I can’t write about Robert Griffin III every time. Only two of the following eight players were taken outside of the 2^nd or 3^rd round and Chris Tripodi will let you know which first-year players are starting to hit their stride in the NFL.

Chris Givens (WR-StL)

Equipped with 4.36 speed, Givens hasn’t disappointed as a big-play threat in his first six NFL games. While he has just one touchdown so far this season, the speedy rookie fourth-rounder from Wake Forest has a reception of 50 yards or longer in three straight games and has seen more playing time in the wake of Danny Amendola’s separated shoulder.

Givens’ 3 receptions and 85 yards against Miami on Sunday both represented career bests, as did his 65-yard catch in the first quarter. He was targeted 7 times and while he caught less than half of those passes and is still very raw, he looks to be gaining the trust of the St. Louis coaching staff and some confidence on the field as well.

With Amendola remaining out for the foreseeable future, Givens should continue to get looks as the Rams’ second option and is a far more exciting player than top option Brandon Gibson. If he keeps progressing, his good hands and ability to stretch the field should help Sam Bradford and the St. Louis offense become more productive as the season goes on. Givens doesn’t have the potential to be a true top option, but he can certainly develop into a productive second receiver in the NFL.

Jerel Worthy (DE-GB)

With starting nose tackle B.J. Raji sitting out Week 6’s game due to an ankle injury, Worthy started at nose tackle in Green Bay’s blowout road win over the Texans. Worthy showed he was ready for the starting assignment by making 3 tackles (2 for loss) with his second career sack as well as playing a key role in Houston running back Arian Foster’s pedestrian 29-yard day on the ground.

Worthy lacks the size (6-2, 304) to be a prototypical nose tackle like the 337-pound Raji but he proved Sunday that he has the ability to clog the middle like a lineman 20 pounds heavier, collapsing the pocket and drawing double teams that freed up the rest of the Green Bay defense to swarm to Foster. Raji may not be cleared to play in Week 7 either and with Worthy’s strong play Sunday, the Packers might be wise to hold the veteran out another week if he isn’t 100 percent.

A second-round pick out of Michigan State, Worthy had a reputation for lazy play and breaking down on his fundamentals at Michigan State but if the Packers’ coaching staff can fix that, Worthy has very good upside and the versatility to play any position on Green Bay’s defensive line. His combination of power and interior quickness was on display this week and he looks to have improved his pass rushing skills as well, making him that much more of a dynamic option for the Packers’ defense.

Olivier Vernon (DE-Mia)

A third-round pick out of Miami, Vernon has been seeing rotational snaps behind Cameron Wake and Jared Odrick along Miami’s 4-3 defensive front. Before leaving with an ankle injury against the Rams in Week 6 that cost him most of the second half, Vernon already had 2 sacks on Sam Bradford and was showing the pass-rushing potential that made him a top-75 pick.

One of those sacks made a big difference in the Dolphins’ win despite coming early in the second quarter. Vernon sacked Sam Bradford on third-and-6 to push the Rams’ back to Miami’s 34-yard-line, which led to a Greg Zuerlein missed field goal and a short field for the Dolphins, who capitalized with a touchdown to go up 7-6. Vernon’s second sack came late to push the Rams farther back as well, turning a 63-yard game-tying field goal attempt into a 66-yarder.

The major knock on Vernon is his size (6-2, 261) but he is a great athlete with 4.76 speed who knows how to get to the quarterback. His production with the Hurricanes never matched his skill level with just 7.5 sacks as a sophomore and junior combined but he can definitely be an effective situational pass rusher or a 3-4 outside linebacker. Vernon is still raw and will need time to develop, which his current backup role in Miami should allow him to do.

Quinton Coples (DE-NYJ)

Coples had struggled with the transition from college to the NFL through his first five career games but with an opportunity to start in Week 6, the rookie from North Carolina took advantage. Replacing Mike DeVito at defensive end while DeVito filled in at nose tackle for Sione Pouha, Coples registered 4 tackles (2 solo, 2.5 for loss) including 1.5 sacks.

His first career sack was actually a negative play for the Jets, as a face mask penalty gave the Colts an automatic first down to negate a 14-yard loss on 2nd-and-5. After a breakout junior year that saw him record 15.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, Coples’ play leveled off as a senior as questions surrounded his effort and work ethic. His performance Sunday, despite the upside it displayed, also showed the inconsistency that plagued Coples during his senior season in Chapel Hill and makes him a work in progress.

The Jets were still willing to take a chance on him with the 16^th pick in the first round and they finally saw it pay some dividends in a big win Sunday against the Colts. Coples’ playing time had been steadily decreasing over the previous two weeks so it was nice to see him involved in the defense and around the football, but he still has some work to do to become a consistent force at defensive end. Quicker development from him would certainly help New York’s anemic pass rush.

Courtney Upshaw (LB-Bal)

It surprised many when Upshaw fell out of the first round of April’s draft, considering his key role on the nation’s best defense last season. The Ravens didn’t let him last long in round two, however, drafting the former Alabama star with the round’s third pick. That pick turned out to be very fortuitous for Baltimore as not only did they pick up an excellent football player but he ended up filling a need as well once Terrell Suggs went down with an Achilles injury.

That need hasn’t translated into immediate big production from Upshaw as the Ravens have used him, Alfred McClellan and Paul Kruger at the outside linebacker position so far this season. Upshaw had his best game of the season with 6 tackles (5 solo, 1 for loss) starting in place of Kruger in Week 2 and matched that total in last week’s win against the Cowboys.

While Upshaw still isn’t seeing the lion’s share of the snaps on Baltimore’s defense, Ray Lewis’ injury only opens up more potential playing time for Upshaw in the Ravens’ linebacker rotation. Despite having just a half-sack so far this season, Upshaw is an explosive pass rusher who relies more on strength and agility than pure speed and quickness. He still struggles in coverage at times but his ability to get to the passer and stop the run should be on display as the season progresses, possibly even when Suggs returns from injury.

Mychal Kendricks (LB-Phi)

Despite being listed at just 5-11, 239 pounds, the Eagles liked Kendricks’ explosive pass-rushing ability enough to use a second-round pick on him in April’s draft. The former Cal linebacker has yet to stand out this year with a season-high of 6 tackles coming in Week 3, but he has made at least 4 tackles in five of his first six career games and has played an important role in Philadelphia’s defense so far this season.

Kendricks had just 4 solo tackles against Detroit on Sunday and while he wasn’t known as a strong tackler coming out of college, he certainly has held his own early in his NFL career. This rookie is a tough, smart player who gets the most out of his body and uses his 4.45 speed to cover a lot of ground on the defensive end although he’s slightly misfit in the Eagles’ defensive system.

As a 4-3 outside linebacker, Kendricks may struggle once teams consistently send blockers his way or use tight ends in the passing game to exploit his lack of height. If his responsibilities remain making plays up the field, scraping to the sidelines and dropping back into zone coverage he should be able to stick as a starter, but he also has some limiting factors to his NFL potential if he isn’t rushing the passer in a 3-4 defense. The Eagles had a similarly undersized starting linebacker last season in Brian Rolle, who was recently cut after struggling through training camp and the regular season.

Casey Hayward (CB-GB)

With Sam Shields hurting his shin against the Texans on Sunday night, Heyward received some extra playing time late and took advantage by breaking up 3 passes and intercepting 2 in Green Bay’s big win against Houston. Shields is questionable at this point heading into Week 7, which would put Hayward in line to start if he sits out.

Hayward’s first interception came in the endzone and stopped a Houston drive deep in Green Bay territory, officially ending any slim chance of a Houston comeback with Green Bay up 25 points with just over seven minutes to play. T.J. Yates spelled Matt Schaub on the next Texans’ drive with the game out of reach which also ended in a Hayward interception, his third in the past two weeks.

A second-round pick out of Vanderbilt, Hayward’s ball skills were his biggest strength after intercepting 13 passes in his final two years with the Commodores. That ability has translated immediately to the NFL for Hayward and while he has just 14 tackles (9 solo) in six games so far, he does well coming up the field to stop the run. While he still struggles in man-to-man coverage and isn’t a burner, Hayward is great facing the action and could make a few more big plays if he starts next week.

Jamell Fleming (CB-Ari)

After losing snaps to Greg Toler in Weeks 4 and 5 as the Cardinals’ nickel back, Fleming stepped back into that role with Toler inactive on Sunday due to a hamstring injury. The third-round pick out of Oklahoma responded with a career-high 6 solo tackles even though Arizona lost their second straight game following a 4-0 start.

An all-conference cornerback as a senior with the Sooners, Fleming has solid size (5-11, 206) and speed (4.44) and has seen his game improve since entering the starting lineup as a junior. He’s well-suited as a nickel or dime back at this point in his career however, as he struggles in man coverage and has a tendency to trail behind opposing receivers but tackles well enough to be effective in the middle of the field.

If he can continue to improve with professional-level coaching, Fleming has the ability to be a starter in the NFL. For now he will settle in behind Patrick Peterson, William Gay and maybe even a healthy Toler but could be a player the Cardinals are looking at opposite Person in a season or two, as Gay only signed a two-year deal in the offseason.

Chris Tripodi has been writing for Draft Insider since 2009, compiling Rookie Reports and Draft Reviews and conducting draft interviews with NFL prospects. He has been a sportswriter for multiple newspapers and previously worked at ESPN and with the Rochester Red Wings, the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A affiliate. Follow him on Twitter at @christripodi and check out his blog at http://christripodisports.blogspot.com.