Darius Butler Looks Like a First-Rounder

Earlier today, MDS noted that Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins' draft stock may be dipping after he ran a disappointing 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. Connecticut's Darius Butler does not have the same issue, and could wind up reaping the benefits of a Jenkins slide.

While Jenkins clocked in with a 4.52 40, Butler managed to record an unofficial 4.45 -- slower than he hoped, but still the second-fastest time posted by a cornerback, behind only the 4.41 time of Norfolk State's Don Carey.

Considering that one of the big question marks about Butler is his speed, this constitutes an important development for the UConn defensive back. The only problem for Butler is that this wasn't nearly as fast as he's reportedly capable of.

What's your fastest 40 time during your training in Dallas? 4.33. Hoping to run lower than that here.

Did a 4.45 do enough to propel him higher in the draft? Probably not, but he displayed the other aspects of his athleticism that will keep him hovering near the draft's top-32. If you don't believe me, check out the 42-inch vertical and 11-foot-2 broad jump he put up in Indianapolis on Tuesday. Butler's efforts at Connecticut's Pro Day -- slated for March 25 -- could cement him in the first round.

Butler's been relegated to the second round of just about every mock draft so far, but some experts were already speculating that he could rapidly climb the charts. He missed the last two games of Connecticut's season with a knee injury, and stands just 5-foot-10, but has the necessary talents to offset that.

Now that teams are getting a chance to see that, he's beginning join the likes of Jenkins, Vontae Davis and Alphonso Smith as first-round possibilities. Obviously, he didn't touch the sub-4.3 range at the combine, but being disappointed with a 4.45 should give you an indication of what Butler is capable of.

Straight-line speed and coverage speed are two different things, of course, and Butler must prove he has enough of the latter. If he can do that in the next two months, his superior skill set will likely land him an NFL home very early on the draft's first day.