National Football League

GM Martin Mayhew doesn't 'nitpick' too much when evaluating CB prospects

Published May. 6, 2015 11:23 a.m. ET

foxsports

Two years ago, any cornerback that Detroit Lions GM Martin Mayhew was looking into drafting needed to be quick. Mayhew preferred corners who could run sub-4.5 second, 40-yard dashes. Now, that speed requirement may not be a focal point, according to an article in the Detroit Free-Press.

"I don't nitpick that much on speed," Mayhew told the paper. "There's a point where speed is unacceptable. (Alex Carter) is nowhere near that point, so were happy with his size and speed."

Carter is the corner from Stanford that the Lions selected in the third round of this year's draft. Carter ran a 4.51 second 40 at the combine. His size -- he is just over six feet --, athleticism, upside, and vertical jump stood out.

Similarly, sixth-rounder Quandre Diggs, who played college ball at Texas, was also not the fastest 40-yard dash player at the combine. Defensive backs coach Tony Oden admired his football instincts.

"We're very confident in our staff (to coach guys up), no matter what the guy has," Mayhew told the Free-Press. "We bring guys in here and our staff has done a phenomenal job developing players. As we've talked about before, (third-year CB) Darius Slay's improvement from 2013 to 2014 is evident in Tony Oden's ability to coach the position, and (defensive coordinator) Teryl Austin to really coach it, as well."

(h/t Detroit Free-Press)