SS, Emanuel Cook, South Carolina

Pros:  Fearless. ... Sound tackler. ... Breaks down in space well due to good lateral quickness and balance and shows rare explosion as a hitter of his size.

Cons:  Listed at 5-foot-10, and may be shorter than that. ... Questionable straight-line speed. ... Protected in coverage a bit by South Carolina's unique 4-2-5 scheme.

Styg's Broncos Fit:  A terrific zone player with very good tackling, good power, great instincts and the kind of body control needed to capitalize on the above.  Not very fast, so his value around the line of scrimmage could be had cheaply.

Around MHR:

Around SBNation:

From "Being Bill Devaney-SS" at Turf Show Times:

 A bit undersized to play cornerback in the NFL and this could hurt his draft position.  He led the Gamecocks in tackles last sesaon but was ruled academically ineligible and couldn't play in the Outback Bowl.  He's got a lot going against him in this draft class between his size and his academics (granted, this could mean nothing but it's worth considering).

Highlights:

Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:

• Cook is only 5'10'' and 210 pounds, so it is conceivable that he might move to cornerback whenever he decides to try his hand at the next level. What he lacks in size, however, he makes up for by being a hard-hitting and fundamentally-sound tackler. Cook also has 4.46 speed in the 40-yard-dash and he will no doubt become a special teams contributor on Sundays.   [see more...]
• lays with reckless abandon and loves to fly all over the field and throw his body around. Is very coordinated, breaks down well in space and consistently takes good angles to the ball. Possesses clean footwork and a smooth back-pedal. Showcases an ability to flip his hips and run down the field with receivers. A balanced defender who changes directions effortlessly in all areas of his game.  [see more...]
• He lacks prototypical height, but Cook ranks as one of the better and more physical strong safeties of the 2009 class. An immediate standout for the Gamecocks, Cook left after his junior campaign. He earned all-SEC recognition all three seasons he spent at South Carolina. Similar to Indianapolis Colts' star Bob Sanders, Cook is at his best as a run enforcer and protecting the middle of the defense with his physicality and sound tackling. He'll need to perform well at the Scouting Combine -- both in workouts and in interviews -- to match Sanders' second-round grade.  [see more...]