[CBFF] Cornerback Dion Byrum's stock on the rise

[NEWS ARTICLE]

I found this on one of the Bears undrafted signings. 
I think this kid has a shot to make the roster. 
Certainly a good prospect for the practice squad.

Jerry

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Cornerback Dion Byrum's stock on the rise
By Carlos "Big C" Holmes
Cox News Service
Monday, March 27, 2006

Ohio University CB Dion Byrum has been flying under
the radar since playing in the East-West Shrine game
in January, but all that is expected to change after
an eye-opening performance for NFL scouts at the
school on Friday.

The 5-foot-10 1/2 -inch, 190-pound defensive back
impressed the scouts with his natural athletic
ability, speed and agility. Byrum posted a 3.89 in the
short shuttle, a 6.88 in the L-Drill and a 10-foot-7
broad jump. Although he was only able to crank out 12
reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, he made up for
his lack of brute strength by running a 4.43 in the
40-yard dash against the wind on field turf.
(enlarge photo)

Simply put, Byrum caught a number of teams who were in
attendance (six) off guard with his performance. For
example, he had to make three attempts on his vertical
jump just to ensure the scouts had the correct
readings - 40 inches. That's right, 40 inches on all
three attempts. Now, you want to talk about mad hops,
Byrum does indeed have them.

Byrum was silky smooth in his back pedal and didn't
drop a single ball during position drills. His overall
workout was solid and enough to make some teams take
notice.

There are at least three teams, Chicago, Indianapolis
and Tampa Bay, who could have their eyes on Byrum, and
for good reasons. All three teams run some form of
Cover2/Zone coverage, which would be perfectly suited
for Byrum. In fact, the defensive scheme the Bobcats
ran this year was based on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
defense.

Here's the skinny on Byrum. Byrum possesses
outstanding cover skills, reads and reacts well to the
ball, is very instinctive and has good vision. He also
has good recovery speed which he demonstrated in the
East-West Shrine game when he stumbled coming out of
his back pedal and let the receiver get behind him.
Byrum then made like a bread truck and hauled buns
down the field to make the tackle.

He had six interceptions on the season, returning two
of those for touchdowns. Whatever team decides to pull
the trigger on this player will be getting a
renaissance man. Byrum returned kicks, punts and was a
gunner on special teams. Some liken him to former
Pittsburgh Panther corner, now 49er, Shawntae Spencer.

Let us not forget that this guy was named second-team
All-America pick by the Associated Press and
first-team All-MAC. So, is this a case of a player
being overlooked because of the program in which he
played, or is this a case of poor scouting? My guess
is a little of both, but when it comes down to it,
Byrum's play shall speak for itself.

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