Darius Butler released

[Tarheels23]

This has got to happen!

On another note!

He's 5ft 10in, will we hear the "we have that guy" excuse?

[rfn]

Hurney is spending quality time with his dildo leave him alone. You know how gravelly his voice gets when he's disturbed,

[Cat'sGrowl]

You think I've been complaining about the FO a lot recently?

Wait until you see me if we dont sign this guy.

[Cyclonus]

It's an absolute no brainer and that's why it won't happen. He'll end up in Detroit.

[MHS831]

It's an absolute no brainer and that's why it won't happen. He'll end up in Detroit.

Fox and Elway won't pass on him.

[MHS831]

2009 Scouting Report

GENERAL REPORT

GRADE: 6.62

Body Structure: Butler has a small frame, shows good overall muscle definition and thick thighs and calves, typical of a player who performed in track. He has good chest thickness and a frame that can carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk. He is an exceptionally quick athlete who had good success while also playing wide receiver until suffering his late-season knee injury. He is stronger than his lanky frame indicates, but does have very thin hips.

Athletic Ability: Butler might have just an adequate frame, but is blessed with exceptional speed and shows the sudden burst to close on the ball. He shows good field savvy and vision, along with the loose hips to come out of his backpedal and turn to run to the play. He is very smooth coming out of his break and can transition with excellent hip flexibility and body control. He flashes good make-up speed and acceleration to close. His flexibility allows him to adjust and make plays on the ball in the air (26 pass breakups in 45 games). With his timing and vertical leap, he can easily compete for the ball at its high point, whether going for the interception as a defensive back or for the pass as a receiver. GRADE: 7.0

Football Sense: Butler is equally effective diagnosing plays in front of him and when working the deep zone. Despite a lack of great size, it is rare to see him lost in deep coverage, and he shows no hesitation handling the switch in combo routes. He will peek into the backfield but knows he can rely on his burst to recover when a receiver gets a step. He needs only normal reps to retain and can make good adjustments on the field, as he plays with consistent awareness. He is alert to play-action and won't bite on the double moves, scanning the field to get quick reads. GRADE: 6.6

Character: Butler is well-liked by teammates and the staff. He is a very respectful type but is confident both on and off the field. He has no known off-field issues and is the type the staff can count on to mentor the younger players. The staff says he is very easy to coach and has worked hard on his own to step up his learning process at both the cornerback and receiver positions. Butler shows consistent effort on every play. He has good football bloodlines, as his uncle, Gene Atkins, played in the NFL from 1987-96 with the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins. He is also the cousin of Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee, an All-American at Miami (Fla.). GRADE: 6.5

Competitiveness: Until a knee injury late in the 2008 season, Butler was difficult to keep off the field. He took on a much larger role on special teams as a kickoff returner, quite a load for one player to handle. Even when learning the techniques of playing offense, he showed a strong desire to contribute. He will sacrifice his body to make the play and will not hesitate to battle the bigger receivers for the jump ball, even if it does result more in pass deflections than interceptions. He is a solid run support type who might get bounced around some in the trenches, but keeps coming at you on every play (only four of the sixteen tackles he made vs. the run resulted in first downs in 2008). As a senior, he learned to trust his speed to help compensate when caught out of position, but it is rare to see him make the same mistakes twice. GRADE: 6.7

Work Habits: Butler is a hard worker in the weight room and knows the value of putting in extra hours after practice. He has developed good study skills (spends lots of hours in the film room and is a coachable sort who is a natural leader and will do whatever is asked. GRADE: 6.3

ATHLETIC REPORT

GRADE: 6.50

Key and Diagnostic Skills: Butler has very good zone coverage awareness. He times leaps well to high point the ball. He is best playing in the short-to-intermediate zone, Knows how to stay low in his pads and drive through his hits. He has a natural feel on combo routes and will not peek into the backfield too long, and even when he does, he has the speed and burst to recover. He shows good aggression attacking the ball once he locates it and is not timid coming up in run support. He reacts well when playing close to the line, doing a good job of keeping his hands active in order to disrupt the receivers in their routes. GRADE: 6.5

Man Coverage Ability: Butler possesses the sudden burst and smooth turning motion coming out of his backpedal, coupled with exceptional timed speed, to stay tight on the hip of the receiver. Even though he lacks great height, he does not struggle to win jump-ball battles vs. large receivers. He has the leaping skills to disrupt the action when he times his jump. Even for a player of his size, he shows good aggression to be a nuisance through route progressions. On deep routes, he will sometimes get turned some and be late to react, but he has the second gear needed to recover. He covers like a shadow on the receiver and continues to develop good hand use. He has more than enough quickness to mirror the opponent through the patterns. GRADE: 7.2

Zone Coverage Ability: Butler has very good zone awareness, showing good vision and quick reactions to handling the switch on combo routes. He has a good feel for the ball working in space and does a nice job of changing direction thanks to his loose hips. He has the agility and footwork to ride on the hip of a receiver on deep routes and his time spent on offense in 2008 is sure to help him better understand the technique a receiver might use vs. him in attempts to sell and con on a route. GRADE: 6.8

Backpedal Skills: Butler is very fluid and shows crisp cutting ability coming out of transition, along with a natural feel for breaking on plays in front of him. He might stay in his backpedal too long on deep routes, but has the hip flexibility to turn, run and make plays on the ball. He plants and drives quickly and stays square coming out of his breaks. His ability to flip his hips and burst to the ball allows him to disrupt receivers in their patterns. He rarely takes false steps out of his pedal and utilizes his hip flexibility to break sharply. GRADE: 6.7

Ball Reaction Skills: When he times his leaps, Butler can be a very disruptive force. He excels going vertical, even though he gives up height to larger receivers. He plays the ball high and anticipates the quarterback when playing in zone coverage. He has the quickness to come back for the ball and has the ability to break down when working in space. GRADE: 6.4

Range/Recovery: Butler has excellent speed and burst to make plays on the ball in the air and shows urgency getting to the perimeter to attack the ballcarrier. He is fluid opening his hips and turning on the ball in front of him. He has the speed to cover deep, but will get turned around some by play-action. His burst to close is sudden and he can cover a lot of distance with his second gear. He does a nice job mirroring receivers on deep routes and even though his frame could use more bulk, he knows how to deliver impact hits on the receiver after the catch. GRADE: 6.6

Jumping Ability: Butler makes good body adjustments attacking the ball in the air. He times his leap well to get to the pass at its high point, but will lose some battles vs. the larger receivers due to height issues. He has excellent hip flexibility when leaping and adjusting to the ball though, just needing a little technique refinement (needs to stay at a lower pad level). GRADE: 6.2

Hands: Butler has natural hands for the interception and showed well at wide receiver. He secures the ball well, whether on defense, offense or returning kicks. His range is his best asset, but his hands are a close second. It is rare to see him double-catch or let the ball absorb into his body too much rather than extend away from the body's frame. Is adept at getting his hands up to reach to disrupt the flight of the ball. GRADE: 6.8

Run Defense: While Butler shows good aggression and tackling form vs. the run, he is better playing off the perimeter or when getting a clear lane than when working inside the box. Due to size issues, he is generally bounced around and walled off when trying to fill the rush lanes. He will not hesitate to hit, but even though he can break down and take good angles to the ball, he will never be a factor working along the line (much better suited for perimeter action). With added bulk, he can perhaps be more effective in attempts to drive up and contain. Still, you have to like his effort. GRADE: 5.5

Tackling Ability: Even for a player of his size, he will not hesitate to face up with aggression. He is a decent wrap-up tackler who puts all of his power behind his hits. He is not a pile jumper or arm tackler, staying at a good pad level to extend, wrap and secure. He hits with good pop and can take down a ball carrier along the perimeter. I like the way he plays at his low pad level and feel with additional bulk, he will be a secure tackler at the next level. He shows good urgency striking when he gains position and when he stays low in his pads and wraps to secure, receivers struggle to break free after the initial hit. GRADE: 6.3

[davos]

Sorry but looking at the last 2 seasons and his progress as an NFL CB >>>>>> Scouting reports from 3 years ago

[Marguide]

Was just on the Pat's board seeing what they thought.

Butler was their Everette Brown, a 2nd rounder that underperformed. Most thought it was appropriate to cut him. I still think he would be an upgrade over what we have.

And regarding Brown, while most agreed he seriously underperformed, now that we see he was replaced with a relative nobody, I am not so sure we did the right thing in letting him go.

[koolkatluke]

We put claims on Harrison and a Wideout. Why not Butler. He fits all of Hurney catagories

Young check

Position of need Check

Cheap Check

[rico6]

It's going on 2 hours and no news..

I R WORRIED

[Jackofalltrades]

It's going on 2 hours and no news..

I R WORRIED

They have until Wednesday at noon.

[rico6]

I do not think I am ready.

[TerriblePizza]

Doesn't he fall under the category of "corners with the same skill set we already have?"

He's a smaller corner thats fast.

[MHS831]

Sorry but looking at the last 2 seasons and his progress as an NFL CB >>>>>> Scouting reports from 3 years ago

Never said this was the alpha and omega of info on him. Did he lose these qualities in 3 years? Was the problem coaching? the system? who knows. We are not talking about trading our first rounder in 2012. Worth the risk based on this info alone.