Played safety and receiver as a Texas prep. Played all 13 games in 2008, drawing five starts at free safety, and recorded 63 tackles, six pass breakups and four interceptions with 6 1⁄2 tackles for loss and one sack. Started all 27 games at the FS spot the next two seasons — totaled 48-5-1 with 2 1⁄2 tackles for loss in ’09 (14 games) and 63-5-2 with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble in ’10 (13 games). Logged 58-1-0 with three tackles for loss and one forced fumble in 13 starts — first 10 games at free safety and the final three at cornerback — in ’11.

Intriguing size and length — has a lean, athletic frame with extremely long arms and room for increased bulk. Shows athletic movement skills and linear fluidity. Agile for his size. Plays fast (good closing speed). Covers a lot of ground. Can shadow tight ends and has good leaping ability and long levers to play the ball. Swoops downhill in a hurry and can run the alley. Clocked the fastest short shuttle time (4.03 seconds) among safeties at the Combine. Smart, competitive and durable. 

High-cut. Showed hip stiffness at the Combine. Does not transition smoothly and yields separation when manned up vs. quicker receivers. Inconsistent one-on-one tackler in space — struggles to sink his weight and break down, leaves his feet/dives to tackle and misses too many. Average instincts and anticipation. Poor ball production — very few splash plays. Does not play with abandon, and physicality leaves something to be desired.

Narrow-framed, exceptionally long, rangy free safety prospect with growth potential and intriguing upside given his combination of rare size and starter-caliber athletic ability. However, missed tackles repeatedly show on tape, has not proven to be a playmaker and might be more of a deterrent in the pros, especially given the proliferation of athletic tight ends.