http://spartannation.com/2013/12/20...a-must-read-courtesy-of-the-nfl-draft-report/
The media has attached the moniker of “Air Traffic Controller” on the senior cornerback and dubbed the territory that Dennard covers as a “No Fly Zone.” The Spartan defender has more than lived up to that lofty billing.
Through thirteen games during his senior campaign, Dennard has had 111 passes targeted into his area, allowing just seventeen of those tosses to be completed (15.32%) for 91 yards, as he recorded fourteen passes defended (four interceptions, ten deflections) and rerouted/jammed his man coverage assignments away from 62 of those tosses (55.86%).
Those receivers produced an average of 5.35 yards per reception vs. Dennard,
the lowest figure by any starting defensive back since the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era began in 1998.
He also held the opposition to an average of 0.8198 yards per pass attempt.
That pass attempt figure is the lowest ever recorded by any college player since The NFL Draft Report, a scouting information service, began compiling in-depth statistical reports for the league in 1968.
In fact, only two other players went through an entire season allowing less that one yard per pass attempt.
Jim Marsalis of Tennessee State, held those receivers to just 0.969 yards per attempt in 1968. Marsalis was selected in the first round of the 1969 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, earning league Defensive Rookie of the Year honors that season. He started for the Chiefs throughout the 1976 season before ending his career as a member of the New Orleans Saints in 1977.
Marsalis was later followed by Deion Sanders of Florida State in 1988 (0.935 yard average), as the two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year made his professional debut with the Atlanta Falcons in 1989 after they selected him in the first round of the draft. He played for Atlanta until 1993, spending time with San Francisco (1994), Dallas (1995-1999) and Washington (2000) before ending his NFL career with Baltimore (2004-2005). T
hat places Dennard is some very elite company, but the “ever so humble” Georgia native has only one goal in mind as his college career is coming to an end – helping the Spartans defeat Stanford in the 2014 Rose Bowl.
While most draft analysts have ranked Dennard as one of the top five cornerbacks eligible for the 2014 draft, The NFL Draft Report has provided the 32 league scouting departments with further evidence to back up their claim that the Spartan is not only the “most complete” defensive back in the collegiate game, but also rank him as one of the top ten overall best players in the game (see Comparison Charts listed after Dennard’s player statistics and performance charts).
Their research/statistical department cite the Michigan State senior’s all-around play
since the beginning of the 2012 season as “proof positive” to back up their claim.
During that span of twenty-six games, the versatile defender has had 211 passes targeted into his area, as opposing quarterbacks completed 35 of those tosses (16.59%) for 242 yards and just two touchdowns, averaging 6.91 yards per reception and 1.15 per pass attempt.
