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Josh (Bernard) Lay
CB | (6'0", 197, 4.47) | PITTSBURGH

Scouts Grade: 51

Strengths: Is a tall cover corner. Has long arms and a wide wingspan. He can match up against bigger WRs on the perimeter. Is at his best when left alone in man-to-man coverage. He is quick and smooth. Has impressive fluidness and quick-twitch athleticism for a taller DC. He doesn't lose much in transition He has good instincts and recognition skills in coverage. Has the height, arm length and leaping ability to challenge the jump ball. Also has very good hands and ball skills. Shows the ability to adjust to the ball in the air and catch over his head. Is dangerous after the catch (see 82-yard INT return for a TD vs. Rutgers in 2004).

Weaknesses: Is tall but lacks ideal bulk and strength. Is not overly physical in coverage. Does not show enough willingness to support the run. Does not fill hard and will avoid mixing it unless he has to. He has good but not elite speed. Might have more trouble turning and running vertically vs. top speed WRs in the NFL. He also has had some minor durability issues, including a nagging hamstring.

Overall: Lay played in 10 games as a nickel cornerback during his true freshman season in 2003. He started four of the nine games he played as a sophomore in 2003. As a junior in 2004, Lay suffered a hamstring injury that limited him a bit and also lingered throughout the season. He finished with 22 tackles, three interceptions and 12 tackles for loss. Lay started all 11 games as a senior in 2005 and finished with 29 tackles, three TFL, 11 PBU and three interceptions. Lay is a tall cover corner with surprisingly fluid hips and smooth athleticism. He has the size, instincts, athleticism and just enough speed to develop into a sub-package contributor at the cornerback position in the NFL. He also could emerge as a good fit in a cover-2 type scheme, but he must get stronger and develop his overall tackling skills. Lay is not the toughest of cornerbacks, he lacks elite speed and he has some durability issues, which will cause him to slip on draft weekend. In our opinion, Lay is warrants consideration in the middle rounds of the 2006 draft.

* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.