Lions' draft: MSU's Waynes attractive, but he may be gone

Don't be surprised if the Detroit Lions give serious thought to drafting Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes.

Waynes has a great blend of blazing speed (4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and good size (6 feet) that fits the mold of the faster and bigger cornerbacks who are en vogue in the NFL. He is a sure-fire first-round pick, likely to be the first defensive back drafted and also likely to be gone by the time the Lions draft at No. 23 on April 30.

But a few factors might play into making Waynes a Lion.

The Lions are going to need a starting cornerback soon to succeed Rashean Mathis, who re-signed recently but turns 35 in August. And drafting Waynes and having him learn from Mathis, who proved an excellent mentor to Darius Slay the past two years, could be ideal.

Waynes considers Cincinnati Bengals cornerback and former MSU teammate Darqueze Dennard a "big brother," and Dennard spoke at MSU's pro day last week about the benefits of not having to start his rookie season in 2014. Waynes did not say he was hoping to ride the bench, but he also wasn't against having some time to learn one of the most difficult positions in the NFL.

"Honestly, it doesn't matter," Waynes said. "If I have to jump right in, then I'm going to take advantage of it and learn as quickly as I possibly can and hopefully pick up on the system quickly with the help of other players and coaches."

The Lions should be acquainted with Waynes' work, and general manager Martin Mayhew kept a close eye on him at MSU's pro day.

The problem this year is that the Lions might be too far away at No. 23. Waynes has a visit scheduled in April with the Minnesota Vikings, who pick 11th and are considered the top contender to draft him.

Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.