In the end, cornerback Orlando Scandrick says he will focus on this: One of the NFL's elite teams, the Dallas Cowboys, felt strongly enough about his abilities that they traded up to get him and then bragged about getting a steal.
He won't focus on the fact that he fell at least two rounds farther than expected. He won't wonder what might have happened if he would have returned to Boise State for his senior year.
The Cowboys moved up 12 spots in the fifth round, to No. 143, to select Scandrick on Sunday in the NFL Draft. They gave up fifth- and seventh-round picks to make the deal with Jacksonville.
"I didn't exactly make the kind of impact I felt I could have made in this draft, but I'm going to let it go," Scandrick said. " They said I could be a great corner in this league, but it's going to take some work. I'll go in with my heart open, be ready to be coached and get better every day."
The Cowboys rated Scandrick a high third-round pick and considered taking him there, owner Jerry Jones said at a press conference. Instead, they traded down and accumulated draft picks.
"We just kept looking at him and looking at him," Jones said, "but we took off and started getting next year's picks. Still, we looked back up in the fifth round and there he was."
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. rated Scandrick as the 67th-best prospect. However, 24 cornerbacks were taken before Scandrick, including some surprising picks - like Reggie Corner of Akron, Brandon Carr of Grand Valley State and Jack Ikegwuonu of Wisconsin, who tore a knee ligament and can't play this year.
Scandrick's agent, David Canter blamed a rash of trades and other factors, such as Baltimore trading for Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington rather than drafting Scandrick, for his client's unexpected fall. Plus, a couple of teams that liked Scandrick - including Dallas - used first-round picks on premier corners.
"You saw a lot of weird guys from weird schools get drafted," Canter said. " I think 32 teams made four rounds of mistakes, but I don't get to make the decisions on where guys get drafted."
Scandrick and a close friend spent the day with Canter at a Los Angeles-area hotel. They joked and laughed, Canter said, despite the bad news that was unfolding on TV.
"It was one of the most difficult things I've been through in my life to not be able to control your destiny," Scandrick said. " I'm just glad it's over."
The upside for Scandrick is that he walks into a quality situation. The Cowboys have a Pro Bowl corner in Terence Newman, they have traded for suspended star Pacman Jones and they drafted Mike Jenkins of South Florida in the first round.
So the Cowboys aren't expecting Scandrick, 21, to be a major contributor on defense right away.
"The next year right here for him, we can bring him up to the level we want him," Dallas coach Wade Phillips said. "We think he's a good pick and a good future pick."
Phillips remembers meeting with Scandrick at the NFL Scouting Combine, the day before Scandrick ran the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds.
"He said, 'I'm going to run 4.3 tomorrow,' " Phillips said. "They all say that, but he ran (4.32). He backed up what he said. And I like that type of attitude."
Scandrick was projected as a fourth- or fifth-round pick by the committee that advises college juniors who are considering an early exit. Canter, who was not involved in Scandrick's decision, said he usually tells players to stay in school if they don't get a second-round grade or higher.
However, several players who were considered elite prospects last year returned for their senior years and tumbled in this year's draft.
"When I made my decision to leave, I told myself I wasn't going to start to doubt myself and say 'What if?' " Scandrick said. "I'm not going to go that direction. I would have loved to be a higher draft pick, but the fact of the matter is I have to go out and produce and show I'm worthy."
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