Daylon McCutcheon has been blessed with terrific football talent. He's fast, game-quick, shows excellent vision and body control, and knows how to adjust to the ball. With a 4.45 second time in the 40-yard dash, 'Cutch also has the speed to make up ground and cover his own errors. He's also a sure and courageous tackler who doesn't often let runners get past him in the open field.

There's just one problem: Daylon McCutcheon is short. At 5'10", the third-year cornerback out of USC gives up half a foot to wide outs like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. He's also not an effective bump-and-run guy, lacking the size to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. Which is why you hear McCutcheon so often described as a perfect nickel back, a guy who can come in on passing downs to nullify the speedy slot receivers and third wide outs.

While the Browns have some promising big cornerbacks in development (Anthony Henry and the oft-injured Lewis Sanders among them), McCutcheon has simply proven too talented to keep out of the starting lineup. His ability to match up man-to-man downfield figures to be a vital asset to the Browns defense in 2002.