Report: Prince Amukamara to Visit Patriots This Week

According to a report from Jason La Canfora, the New England Patriots are scheduled to hold a pre-draft visit with Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara:

Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara, the ninth-rated player on NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock's top prospects list, will meet with at least two teams this week.

Amukamara is considered by many the second-best in the draft at his position and a possible top-10 pick. He will visit the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals this week. The Bengals hold the fourth overall pick, while the Patriots own the 17th and 28th overall selections.

Standing at six feet even and 206 pounds, Amukamara is widely considered the number two cornerback in the 2011 NFL draft behind LSU's Patrick Peterson.  Most years, a player of Amukamara's skill level would likely be the number one cornerback taken.

In addition to terrific size for the cornerback position, Amukamara has elite speed (4.38), fluidity, strength, instincts, and recovery ability.  He is most comfortable (and not to mention elite) in press-man coverage, but considering his athleticism, will likely be just fine with zone responsibilities in the NFL.

The interesting thing about the Patriots-Amukamara connection is that the former Cornhusker is widely to projected to go in the top 10 of next month's draft.  If the Patriots were to target him, they would likely have to move up, or hope that he sometimes slides down the board.  The Patriots are likely interested in the latter, but imagine the Patriots with a cornerback tandem of Prince Amukamara and Devin McCourty (not to mention Leigh Bodden) for the better part of the next decade.  One word: scary.