Morris Claiborne receives attention as one of the truly elite prospects in this year's draft class. Janoris Jenkins has been written about plenty because of his talent and off-the-field issues. Dre Kirkpatrick has the high profile of a national champion.
That leaves South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore as the forgotten man of this cornerback class. He might be the most overlooked potential top-10 pick in the entire draft.
Dan Pompei of the National Football Post wrote Sunday that Gilmore clearly has passed Kirkpatrick as the No. 2 cornerback in this class. Rotoworld's draftnik, Josh Norris, wouldn't be surprised if the Carolina Panthers took Gilmore at No. 9. He has known visits with the Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
Gilmore has been gaining momentum in the media for the last few weeks.
"With his movement skills, I've got him as the No. 2 corner for a reason. I think he's a top-10 to top-15 pick," NFL Network's Mike Mayock said on "PFT Live" late last month.
Gilmore is seen as a "clean" pick. He has tested well in draft season, showing speed to go with his physical play. With teams essentially forced to start three cornerbacks in today's pass-happy NFL, look for Gilmore to be drafted well before some of his more better-known cornerback colleagues.
