2013 NFL Combine: Cornerbacks need to put speed on display in Tuesday workouts

Kevin C. Cox

Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew knows what he's looking for from the cornerbacks on Tuesday.

If you think the NFL Scouting Combine doesn't matter, think again.

While some consider the 40-yard dash to be an overrated drill, Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew will have his eyes on his stopwatch Tuesday when the defensive backs take the field for drills. Mayhew will be looking for cornerbacks who are fast, according to the Detroit Free Press. How fast exactly?

"Guys that run sub-4.5 I would say are fast," Mayhew told the Free Press. "And then guys that run slower than that have to have something else going for them."

That being said, Mayhew doesn't automatically remove a cornerback from his board if he doesn't run below 4.5.

"I think if you're bigger, I think there may be a little bit of wiggle room in terms of your actual time," Mayhew said. "It depends on how you're going to play a guy, too. If you want to play a Cover 2 scheme or play a lot of press-man you've got a guy with some length that can disrupt routes at the line of scrimmage, that helps. But we like fast guys."

The cornerback class is tight at the top, so the 40-yard dash and other on-field workouts could be crucial in separating these defensive backs from one another. Alabama's Dee Milliner, considered the top cornerback in this class by most, has questions to answer about his speed on Tuesday.