Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has expressed his belief that Darqueze Dennard is the best rookie cornerback he has seen in his coaching career.
The Bengals selected the 22-year-old in the first round of the 2014 Draft out of the Michigan State Spartans after an impressive college career, and Lewis is confident that Dennard will have no problems making the transition to the NFL.
Lewis told the club's official website: "[Dennard is] the best rookie corner I've seen.
"I was told that one of his inadequacies was possibly playing the ball down the field. And sometimes I think college corners get knocked for that, particularly if they were a physical player in college.
"But one of the things that's impressed me so much is his ability to track and play the football on vertical throws. If you want to be a great corner at this level, you have to have those capabilities, and he's shown those thus far."
Dennard recorded 62 tackles and four interceptions for the Spartans in the 2013 season.
