Spotlight on

Safety Taylor Mays,

Southern Cal

Taylor Mays went to Southern Cal because of the tradition at safety, and he stayed all four years to help foster that tradition.

Ronnie Lott, Dennis Smith, Troy Polamalu, Joey Browner, Mark Carrier and Tim McDonald all left Southern Cal as high NFL draft picks and became Pro Bowl safeties. Lott has been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Browner and Polamalu were NFL all-decade selections.

"SC safeties bring it," Mays said. "I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted that responsibility. It was important to me."

Mays became an All-America as a sophomore and junior and considered leaving school early to turn pro in 2009. But he opted to return and close his college career as a four-year starter.

"I came back to become a better football player, and I felt I did that," Mays said. "I also came back to help some of the younger guys on the team learn like some of the older guys helped me. That was important to me. I felt that regardless what our record was or how I played this season, I wanted to accomplish those things."

Mays became the first defensive back since Polamalu in 2001 and only the fifth defensive back in school history to lead the team in tackles last season. His 91 tackles were the most by a Trojan since linebacker Lofa Tatupu's 104 in 2004.

Top 15

You can find safeties in every round of every draft, and 2010 is no different. Al Afalava and Keith Ellison were sixth-round draft picks in 2009 who became season-long starters as rookies.

Player . . . .......School . .. Ht. ..................Wt. ..... Noteworthy

1 Eric Berry ....Tennessee ...5-11 1/2 ..........211 .......14 career interceptions

2 Earl Thomas ......Texas .....5-10 ..........208 .......8 interceptions in 2009

3 Taylor Mays ......So. Cal .......6-3 ..........230 .......4.34 speed in the 40

4 Nate Allen .....So Florida ......6-0 1/2...............207 .......Started 39 career games

5 Morgan Burnett......Ga. Tech......6-1................210 .......14 career interceptions

6 Chad Jones ...........LSU ..........6-2 ...........221 .......MLB draft pick of Astros

7 Reshad Jones.........Georgia.........6-1..............214............24 career passes defensed

8 T.J. Ward .........Oregon.........5-10 1/2..........211.............Former walk-on

9 Kam Chancellor.......Va. Tech.......6-3.............231.............Started 41 career games

10 Major Wright.........Florida.........5-11 1/2.........206..............4.47 speed in the 40

11 Darrell Stuckey .....Kansas.......5-11 1/2.........205.............295 career tackles

12 Darian Stewart.......So Carolina.....5-11 ...........213 ...........Converted linebacker

13 Larry Asante..........Nebraska.......6-0.............212.............Degree in economics

14 Ben Burney...........Colorado.......5-10 1/2..........202 .........4.38 speed in the 40

15 Kurt Coleman .....Ohio St.......5-10 ...........192 .........9 INTs the last two years

The best

Eric Berry, Tennessee

Eric Berry will be a walk-in starter in the NFL. He's started everywhere he's played, first as a freshman at Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga., and as a freshman at Tennessee. Berry became a two-time All-SEC selection and capped his career with All-America acclaim and the Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football in 2009. He has the size (211 pounds), speed (4.40-second 40) and athleticism (43-inch vertical jump) to become a Pro Bowl safety.

The sleeper

Matt O'Hanlon, Nebraska

A former walk-on, O'Hanlon spent two seasons covering kicks on special teams before earning a starting spot at free safety as a junior. He intercepted five passes as a senior — the most by a Huskers since safety Daniel Bullocks in 2004. Bullocks became a second-round pick of the Detroit Lions. O'Hanlon will be a third-day draft pick with value as a special-teamer.

The notable

Leaving early: Of the record 53 underclassmen who filed for early admission to the 2010 NFL draft, six were safeties: Eric Berry, Earl Thomas, Chad and Reshad Jones, Morgan Burnett and Major Wright. But Berry had some help in his decision. He played at Tennessee last season in the defense of Monte Kiffin, a long-time NFL coordinator who won a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kiffin's coaching enabled Berry to round out his game and gave him the confidence he needed to turn pro. "Monte told me I'd be a fool to come back," Berry said.

Walking tall: Nebraska's Matt O'Hanlon isn't the only walk-on safety in this draft. T.J. Ward of Oregon, Cody Grimm of Virginia Tech and Jonathan Amaya of Nevada also arrived on campus without scholarships and developed into pro prospects. Ward started two seasons and Amaya four, leading the Wolfpack in tackles as a junior and senior. Grimm started one season at linebacker and earned All-ACC acclaim. He projects as a safety in the NFL because of a lack of size.

Air raid: With the NFL game going more and more to the pass, the pros are looking less for run-support types and more for safeties who can make plays on the ball. "Cover safety" has become a buzz word this draft season. No one on this safety board covers like Berry, who played some nickel corner for Tennessee in 2009. He got his hands on 44 passes in his three-year career, intercepting 14 passes and breaking up 30 others.

Here's the scorecard of the best pass defenders on the safety board:

Safety School INT PBU PD

Eric Berry Tenn. 14 30 44

Earl Thomas Texas 10 33 43

Jeromy Miles Mass 9 23 32

Kurt Coleman Ohio St. 9 22 31

Kendrick Lewis Miss St 6 24 30

Shann Schillinger Mont 10 19 29

Morgan Burnett Ga Tech 14 13 27

Barry Church Toledo 9 18 27

Robert Johnson Utah 13 13 26

Jordan Lake Baylor 6 20 26

Taylor Mays So Cal 5 21 26

Darrell Stuckey Kansas 8 18 26

Family matters: Cody Grimm is the son of Arizona Cardinals assistant head coach Russ Grimm, who will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer for his blocking career with the Washington Redskins. Colorado's Ben Burney is the son of Jacob Burney, the defensive line coach of the Redskins, and Colorado State's Klint Kubiak is the son of Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak.

Passing fancy: Berry was an All-America quarterback, Kyle McCarty of Notre Dame and Shann Schillinger of Montana both all-state quarterbacks, and Nate Allen, Morgan Burnett and Kam Chancellor were high school quarterbacks before settling in at safety in college. "In high school, you tend to put your best athlete and playmaker at quarterback," McCarthy said. "Our high school was no different. We didn't throw it around too much. In high school, you want the ball in your quarterback's hands every play."

Best of Texas

Earl Thomas, Texas

The Orange, Texas, product led the NCAA with 24 passes defensed in 2009, intercepting eight and breaking up 16 others. He also led the Longhorns with 18 passes broken up in 2008, leading some NFL teams to believe Thomas can play cornerback at the next level. He certainly has the speed with a 4.44 clocking in the 40. He also returns punts.