Michigan State's Trae Waynes is the No. 1 cornerback in rankings by NFL Media analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Mike Mayock , and he likely solidified his spot with an excellent 40-yard dash Monday at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Waynes (6-foot-0 1/8, 186 pounds) blazed to a 4.31 clocking, which was the top time for defensive backs.
Mayock said the 40 time was a statement from Waynes.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was providing on-field analysis for NFL Network and was noticeably impressed with Waynes' time. "He's rolling, man. He's rolling," Sanders said.
Waynes -- who was a high school teammate of Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon in Kenosha, Wis. -- left Michigan State after his junior season, and was a two-year starter who had six picks and 13 pass breakups in his college career. Mayock likes Waynes' athleticism and says he definitely is a press corner.
Asked if Waynes could go in the top 10, Mayock said, "If he's the No. 1 corner in this draft ..."
Others in the mix to be the top corner are LSU's Jalen Collins (who was in the first group of defensive backs Monday), Washington's Marcus Peters and Florida State's P.J. Williams.
Peters (5-11 5/8, 197), who had to answer questions about off-field issues at the combine, was clocked in 4.53 seconds. "I would've liked to see him a little quicker, but that's fine," Mayock said.
Williams (6-0, 194) ran a 4.57, which was slower than expected. Mayock said Williams is "very smooth" and touts his ability to be "comfortable in press or off coverage."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.