It’s too bad that Patrick Peterson is too good.
The star cornerback out of LSU will not last until the Jets pick at No. 30 in tonight’s NFL Draft, just like Darrelle Revis never would have made it to No. 25 four years ago. That is why the Jets traded up to grab their franchise cornerback.
Peterson said he wouldn’t mind playing for the Jets.
“If I go to the Jets, man, if I’m going with Coach Rex [Ryan], I’m talking Super Bowl. That’s all I can say,” Peterson said at an NFL pre-draft event yesterday. “I love head coaches with a defensive mind. I believe those guys are more successful in the NFL than others.”
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Peterson, who also has shined as a punt returner, taking back two for touchdowns this past season, should expect the Cardinals to take a hard look at him with the No. 5 pick, while the Texans (No. 11) and Cowboys (No. 9) may attempt to trade up.
Peterson, who said the Cowboys are “the team I always dreamed myself playing for,” might go to the 49ers at No. 7.
“I like the 49ers,” Peterson said when asked if he had any idea where he may end up. “It’s just something I feel from them . . . the energy that we had going on in the meeting rooms and watching film was just great. The organization is put together well. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh has tremendous energy. He’s a guy I’d love to have as a coach.”
Peterson is arguably the best talent in this year’s draft. He is seen by many as the safest player available in the first round, yet despite every team’s desire to possess a shutdown cornerback, few teams view the position worthy of a top-five pick.
Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only five cornerbacks have been taken with a top-five pick, with Ohio State’s Shawn Springs being selected highest, at third by Seattle in 1997.
“You see so many quarterbacks and they are definitely deserving of going that high, but I think cornerbacks are just as important as those guys,” Peterson said. “I think cornerbacks should be taken higher. If I’m taken one, two, maybe even three, maybe we can start something new. The sky’s the limit for me. Whoever picks me is going to have a great player.”