MOBILE, Ala. -- Just a day after Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman made a statement on the field, NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt made one off it. And it was music to the ears of Nebraska CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste.
Sherman, of course, declared himself the best cornerback in football after breaking up a pass and helping create an interception of San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick for a pivotal play late in the NFC title game. At 6-foot-3, Sherman has a length advantage in coverage that most cornerbacks can only dream about.
Brandt sees Jean-Baptiste in much the same light. Wrote Brandt:
"Jean-Baptiste has rare size (6-foot-2 3/8, 215); he looks like a clone of Richard Sherman. I'm sure the Seahawks, among most NFL teams, will be paying close attention to this player."
Jean-Baptiste, for his part, embraced the praise when told of Brandt's comparison Monday after the Senior Bowl North squad finished its first practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
"For him to compare me to Richard Sherman, that's something big. I appreciate that. I believe he's doing really good right now. He's showing everybody in the NFL why he's the best," Jean-Baptiste said.
Taller cornerbacks are always in short supply on draft day, and clubs in search of one won't have many to pick from.
"I'm physical, I'm fast, I cover a lot of ground, and I can be good with run fits," Jean-Baptiste said. "The advantage for me is I can take them (receivers) out of their game. I've got long arms and I can put it on them."
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