Rodgers-Cromartie...4.28 40 yard dash' (merged)
Does this mean we'd be better off picking somebody with slightly less athletic ability, but more experience with more quality competition with more refined technique?
Maybe. I mean it depends on what you're prioritizing I suppose. Brandon Flowers comes to mind. I believe DownWithDisease came down in favor of him. He was a starter at V-Tech, has a lot of experience in both zone and man, is physical in run defense, smart football player, and has by all accounts great technique. V-Tech also has a good history of turning out CBs.
So you could probably suggest Brandon Flowers is more "NFL ready".
That said Flowers isn't in the same ballpark as Rodgers-Cromartie physically. DRC has a real shot at being something totally special. My preference is to swing for the fences if you think you have a legitimate shot at getting out of the park. But that's me.
The key thing to remember though when you look at these rookies is don't get
too caught up in "scheme". Patrick Willis went from a Tampa-2 to a 3-4 defense. Shawn Merriman and Demarcus Ware went to an entirely new position. Ware went from C-USA competition to the NFL.
Even though within the college players there are varying degrees of "NFL ready"
ALL will have a lot of work to do in terms of technique/learning scheme/adjusting to level of competition.
This "did he play in an NFL scheme" business is overrated. It helps some in trying to get a scouting report of the player but ultimately it comes down to the same two factors
1) Does he cut it physically
2) Does he cut it mentally
Either they meet the criteria or they don't. "Scheme" "Level of competiton" etc are just factors in helping you evaluate those two items.