Short and slow is a dire combination for any NFL draft prospect at cornerback. Cornerbacks who are short, relatively fast and productive in college, however, should not be underestimated.

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers proved that last season. He’s only 5-foot-9z 1/2 n 2/3 ran a thoroughly average 40-yard dash time of 4.55 seconds coming out of college. But Flowers had a fine career as a productive three-year player for Virginia Tech. The Chiefs selected him 35th overall last spring, and Flowers started 16 games and made the NFL’s all-rookie team.

Wake Forest’s Alphonso Smith could be this year’s Flowers. He’s only 5-9 and 193 pounds. But he ran a 4.47 time in the 40.

“It’s unfortunate how much people put into the height,” Smith said. “The only thing I can say is I make plays and I’m a pretty decent player.”

Smith showed first-round coverage ability for the Demon Deacons, producing 15 interceptions the past two seasons. Counting pickoffs and passes defended over four years, he got his hands on 72 passes.

“You have to be smart,” Smith said. “I understood our defense and I knew when I could take chances and when I could not take chances. I was an offensive player my whole life until I got to Wake Forest. So I was used to getting the ball in my hands.”

Smith is one of the top four cornerbacks in this year’s draft and probably rates as a second-round pick for most teams.

There were five cornerbacks taken in the first round last year, but this year’s cornerback class is not as good as usual.

“In the secondary, the perceived No. 1 corner— there’s not many of those in this draft,” said ESPN analyst Mel Kiper. “But there’s a lot of second-and third-round corners. At safety, there’s some guys in the second and third rounds you like, but there’s a big drop-off after that.”

Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins won the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top cornerback last fall. He’s a three-year starter with size, at 6-foot, 204 pounds. However, Jenkins ran only in the mid-4.5s. Some teams will consider him a safety, but he still projects as the first cornerback taken.

Connecticut’s Darius Butler also has all the physical gifts teams want. He ran a 4.41 40-yard dash. His vertical jump of 43 inches was the best of any player at the NFL Scouting Combine, which speaks to his explosive closing speed. He’s a two-year captain. He had 10 career pickoffs, but none in his last 17 college games.

Illinois’ Vontae Davis has good size (5-11, 203) and speed (4.40). He’s the brother of San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis. He’s a two-time first-team all-Big Ten pick who did well against better competition. He had seven interceptions and two blocked kicks the past two years.

Jenkins, Davis, Butler and Smith should be the first four cornerbacks taken, in some combination.

The top safety probably is Western Michigan’s Louis Delmas, a big hitter and good tackler. He’s a four-year starter and two-time captain.

A fast riser on draft boards is Troy’s Sherrod Martin, a 6-1, 198-pound safety. He ran 4.43 and could project as a big cornerback.

A sleeper to watch in the middle rounds is Utah’s Brice McCain, a three-year starter who wasn’t at the combine but who ran a 4.33 40 time on campus.

A safety who enters the draft a bit underrated is Alabama’s Rashad Johnson. He enrolled at ’Bama as a walk-on and finished his career as one of only eight two-time team captains in the illustrious history of the Crimson Tide. He’s not blessed with size (5-11 and 190) but he’s smart and he’s a winner.

A sleeper at safety is Akron’s Bryan Williams because of his return ability. As a junior, he had a 31.9- yard kickoff return average, second best in the nation.

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