Wisconsin Native Trae Waynes Establishes Himself as Top Cornerback

The Kenosha Bradford graduate and Michigan State cornerback figures to be a first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes at the NFL Combine—Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports.

Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes at the NFL Combine—Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports.

Should Trae Waynes somehow slip to the 30th overall selection in the first round, it wouldn't be surprising to see him come back to his native Wisconsin.

The Green Bay Packers have three cornerbacks scheduled to hit free agency in just over a week's time—Tramon Williams, Davon House and Jarrett Bush—and should they lose them, the Kenosha Bradford alumnus might be too good to pass up.

Working with Michigan State secondary coach Harlon Barnett, who's also tutored fellow Spartans corner Darqueze Dennard, Waynes is well prepared for the NFL.

"He's a technician, and that's something I also like to pride myself on," said Waynes of Barnett. "That's something we worked every day in practice for countless hours, and I feel that's what help our DBs."

If there was any doubt Waynes was the top cornerback in the 2015 draft class before the NFL Combine, he more than likely put those concerns to rest last week in Indianapolis.

Clocking in at 4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Waynes turned in the top time among defensive backs and the second-fastest overall, behind only UAB wide receiver J.J. Neson's 4.28 seconds.

There's very little fault to find with Waynes. At 6' 0" and 186 lbs., he has the size teams look for in a cornerback. His style of play is also appealing, according to draft analyst Mike Mayock of the NFL Network.

"Trae Waynes is very comfortable in press coverage," said Mayock. "He's got length. He jumps up there like all the Michigan State corners do. He understands the game. He's played through the field, he's played into the boundary. He tackles.

"I know when you get a Michigan State kid coming off that defense, he's a tough kid that will tackle that's been well-coached. So that appeals to me first and foremost. His length, his competitiveness, and the fact that he can play press and will tackle."

Take all those positive qualities and traits into account and it seems unlikely that Waynes will reach the Packers at the end of the first round.

Should the odds somehow be defied, however, it doesn't seem far-fetched that a homecoming will be in order.

What's all the more remarkable is that Waynes was a high-school teammate of Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, another potential first round draft choice.

Despite being opponents in the Big Ten, the two remain fast friends and are pushing each other to be the best players they can possibly be.

"We talk to each other pretty much every day," said Waynes. "Even when we were training, he would call me with pre-draft questions and just stuff like that we might potentially get asked by coaches, and he would just start questioning me at all hours of the night just to try to get prepared for this. I think it's really good that we're both being able to go through it together because instead of just pushing each other, we're also helping each other as well."

Perhaps because the scheduling gods didn't match Wisconsin and Michigan State this past season, the rivalry between Waynes and Gordon isn't as intense as it could have been.

Competition, instead, has extended to things like Combine drills.

"There's always going to be competition, who runs the fastest 40, who benches the most, stuff like that," said Waynes. "But at the same time, we're both want each other to succeed as well."

For what it's worth, Waynes may have had the upper hand in the 40 and the vertical jump (38 inches), but Gordon got the better of him in the broad jump (126 inches), three-cone drill (7.04 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.07 seconds). The two tied with exactly 19 reps on the bench press.

The moment of truth for both players will come during the NFL Draft, because their pro-day workouts probably won't matter all that much.

Waynes is listed by some analysts as a Top 10 draft pick, but he's not worried about what outsiders have to say. He's more concerned about himself and what he can control.

"I tried my best to stay away from the media and stuff like that because I feel like it's a distraction," said Waynes, "but I feel like if I just focus on what I have to do, everything will work out."

 

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor at Cheesehead TV and its "Pro Football Draft Preview." To contact Brian, email [email protected].

 

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4thand1's picture

March 01, 2015 at 10:18 pm

Nice fit but will be gone.

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