I put out my first draft guide in 1979. This year will be No. 35. That first guide was a full six years before the first NFL scouting combine. Back then, there were no online prospect guides and no recruiting rankings to track talent down to the high school level, and the draft looked something like this. For me, evaluating prospects was all about getting as much tape as I could find (there was no ESPN GamePlan), and making hundreds and hundreds of phone calls (no cellphones, either!) to coaches, scouts and front-office folks who would listen and to evaluators at every level. You couldn't watch a verified 40-yard dash time on live TV; instead, you had to triangulate and weed out truth from fiction. It wasn't easy.
Mel Kiper's all-time draft grades
• Top 10 QBs »
• Top 10 RBs »
• Top 10 WR/TEs »
• Top 10 OLs
• Top 10 DE/DTs »
• Top 10 LBs »
• Top 10 S/CBs »
• Top 10 K/Ps »
But all this time, I've kept the same 10-point grading scale, so even as the athletes changed, we can compare today where players stood among their prospect peers over a generation.
So, some parameters for what you see below:
1. The ranking is based on the final draft grade before the draft, and it goes back to 1979, my first draft guide. It's clear to me now I graded a little easier when I was younger. I didn't have the point of reference I do today.
2. The grades do not reflect NFL performance. (You'll see.) I printed these grades and simply went back through every book. I have to live with the busts.
3. There are some ties on grades, so I had to break those ties without a great deal of science. But again, I didn't break ties based on NFL production.
Here are my top 10 all-time secondary prospects based on draft grades.
1. Ronnie Lott, USC (No. 8 pick, 1981)
Grade: 9.9
He practically belongs on this list twice. During his time in the NFL, Lott became iconic as an enforcer from the safety position, which isn't a bad thing, but seemed to make people forget that Lott was a quick-twitch, technically sound ball-hawking All-American at cornerback for USC. And Lott didn't just convert to safety right away once the 49ers drafted him. No, he was a Pro Bowl cornerback in each of his first four seasons in the NFL, and didn't flip to free safety until 1985. He certainly justified the draft grade, and as much as he was a durable NFL player during 14 seasons, don't forget that he played 20 playoff games, the equivalent of another season-plus.
2. Deion Sanders, Florida State (No. 5 pick, 1989)
Grade: 9.9
The flash, bravado and dancing can't take away from the fact that Sanders wasn't just a brilliant football talent as a cornerback and a kick returner, he's one of the great athletes of his or any generation. Baseball, track, football -- he starred in all of them. Sanders also helped put the value of the scouting combine on display, as people still discuss and debate what his official 40-yard dash time was in 1989. I had him safely down at sub-4.3. He finished his NFL career with 53 interceptions, which is impressive considering how reluctant QBs could be to test him.
3. Kenny Easley, UCLA (No. 4 pick, 1981)
Grade: 9.8
A phenomenal all-around athlete, Easley played best in big games. In an era when so few games were nationally televised, that certainly didn't hurt his standing among evaluators constantly scrambling for tape on every player. He was a three-time All-American at UCLA, and really should have been considered the premier safety in the NFL during the mid-1980s. I think he was on a Hall of Fame path, but had to retire early due to kidney issues. He eventually got a transplant and is alive and well today.
4. Troy Vincent, Wisconsin (No. 7 pick, 1992)
Grade: 9.8
He wasn't a freak athlete, but Vincent read the game at a high level, and he always got his hands on passes. He was what you want in a lockdown corner. He also had a ton of experience, because Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez had him on the field about an hour after he arrived on campus. He became a star for the Philadelphia Eagles, and had a largely healthy 15-year NFL career.
5. Shawn Springs, Ohio State (No. 3 pick, 1997)
Grade: 9.7
Ohio State coach John Cooper redshirted Springs, who started every game for the next three seasons. I recall Springs had pretty average stats as a junior, and then when you'd watch the tape, you'd see that teams didn't even bother to look his way. Springs was a high school running back and played at about 200 pounds, so he could completely destroy the timing of routes in press coverage. And if you beat him, he could turn and run a 40-yard dash in the 4.35 range. He also was a great leaper. Springs had a good NFL career, but by no means a great one. Regardless, he was a fantastic prospect.
6. Charles Woodson, Michigan (No. 4 pick, 1998)
Grade: 9.7
Give Al Davis some credit here. Woodson went one pick after Andre Wadsworth, one pick before Curtis Enis. Injury bust, Hall of Famer, injury bust. Woodson was obviously a fantastic prospect, an instinctive corner who could do everything pretty well from a technical standpoint, but had a gift for freelancing effectively. If you wanted to ding him on one thing, it might be that he really wasn't a total burner. His NFL career arc is pretty fascinating, too. He went to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons, didn't go for six seasons, then went for four straight years from 2008 to 2011, while twice being named All-Pro. At 206 NFL games, he's had a great run.
7. Rod Woodson, Purdue (No. 10 pick, 1987)
Grade: 9.6
Arguably the best NFL player to ever set foot in the secondary, Woodson was a fantastic prospect, a great technical player with elite athleticism -- he was a star hurdler at the NCAA level -- and had good height and strength for the position. In Pittsburgh, he was All-Pro a remarkable five times in a six-season stretch at corner, was one of the league's most dangerous returners and showed a new path to retirement by moving to safety with Baltimore, where he racked up another four Pro Bowl appearances, giving him 11 for his career. Truly great.
8. Champ Bailey, Georgia (No. 7 pick, 1999)
Grade: 9.6
Without overstating it, I think Bailey was fully capable of playing wide receiver at a high level in the NFL if that were the course he had pursued. But he was a star corner at Georgia, and his recovery speed was special, as evidenced by an official 4.28 40-yard dash time at the combine. Every year we talk about Bailey inevitably converting to safety, and every year he turns in another Pro Bowl-caliber season at corner for the Broncos. Bailey has played 14 NFL seasons and missed the Pro Bowl only twice. Amazing.
9. Mark Haynes, Colorado (No. 8 pick, 1980)
Grade: 9.6
A very good college player, Haynes wasn't a huge name then and certainly isn't one now. But if you look at the 1980 NFL draft and pick out first-rounders that were All-Pro more than once, you'd be left with just Haynes and Anthony Munoz. He played 137 NFL games, and was a star for the Giants early in his career.
10. Patrick Peterson, LSU (No. 5 pick, 2011)
Grade: 9.5
He went into the draft as the No. 1 NFL prospect on my Big Board, the best overall player in the draft. Peterson is a gifted athlete, a corner that plays near 220 pounds and can really disrupt routes with his strength, and has the pure speed to run with anybody in the league. He ran a 4.34 40-yard dash and jumped 38 inches at the combine, and was effective as a rookie even as he learned the finer points of the position. This is all before mentioning his exceptional skills as a returner. In two NFL seasons, he's been an All-Pro once, and a Pro Bowl player twice. There'll be more honors to come. Peterson won't even turn 23 until July.
Next-best secondary prospects
• Ted Watts (Texas Tech, 1981): I really liked him as a prospect, but the No. 21 overall pick had an average NFL career.
• Bennie Blades (Miami, 1988): A part of the Miami revival, Blades had a good NFL career in Detroit.
• Antonio Langham (Alabama, 1994): Never quite the pro I thought he'd be, Langham played seven NFL seasons.