He didn’t schedule a cookout as a draft party until the day after he was selected. “I kind of had an idea they really liked me, but when it got late (in Round 7), I didn’t know,” said Denmark, who watched Day 3 of the draft with family and friends. They liked how he tracked balls in the air on film, not an easy skill for some experienced corners. The Bears felt Denmark did a nice job absorbing information during the private workout. If Cohen was a bit of a sleeper as a fourth-round pick, Denmark is a super sleeper. It’s worth noting he comes from the Southeast, where the Bears have area scout Sam Summerville - the one who pushed for the Bears to draft another Division II talent two years ago: running back Tarik Cohen.

They left impressed with Denmark, who spent all of about a week at cornerback as a sophomore in high school and was not invited to even a low-level college all-star game, let alone the NFL scouting combine. They watched how he moved laterally and made quick transitions. The Bears sent assistant director of player personnel Champ Kelly and secondary coach Deshea Townsend to Valdosta to work out Denmark three days before the draft. The 6-3 Ford was a second-round pick from Houston in 1971 and had 14 interceptions in three seasons, including seven in 1972.

Since 1970, Charlie Ford is the only other cornerback listed at 6-2 or taller to play in eight games or more during a season for the franchise, according to. With the notable exception of 6-2 Charles Tillman, the Bears rarely have found taller cornerbacks who could get on the field. When he plays off, he isn’t as dominant because he doesn’t make the quick transition that a smaller, quicker corner can. He is also 6-3 and plays his best when he can get his hands on guys and dictate the matchup at the line of scrimmage. The 49ers’ Richard Sherman, who became a star as a fifth-round pick of the Seahawks, is a good example. The taller corners are not going to close as quickly - it takes them longer to come out of their breaks.

When a taller corner - think above 6-1 - is going to play off man, he isn’t going to have the footwork of a corner who is, say, 5-10 to 6-foot. Coach Bill Belichick wants big, long corners outside the numbers to match up against bigger receivers. The Patriots are a press-heavy team in the secondary and play a good deal of single-high safety.

Taller cornerbacks face challenges, but Vanderbilt’s Joejuan Williams was the sixth one drafted this year, taken in the second round by the Patriots.

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