Donald Strickland 
Position: Cornerback  
College: Colorado 
Height: 5-10 
Weight: 187 
Hometown: San Francisco, Calif. 


ANALYSIS

Positives: Has good athleticism with a sharp change of direction 
and a quick burst … Shows smoothness in his backpedal and the 
acceleration to close on the ball … Can quickly recover on deep routes
to run with the receivers … Shows good awareness working the zone, 
handling the switch-offs properly … Will compete for the ball at its 
highest point, taking advantage of his leaping ability … Will stick his 
hand in the receiver's face to make the breakup and has natural hands, 
extending to pluck and snatch for the interception … Runs with the ball 
securely on pass thefts and punt returns … Willingly sticks his head 
into the piles and will quickly fill the lanes in run support … Hit-and-wrap 
tackler who takes on blocks with force, using his hand jolt to separate … 
Will line up as a linebacker in nickel packages, dropping off in coverage 
with good awareness … Shows quick feet and body control working the 
short area, doing a nice job of planting and driving to change direction … 
Understands combo routes well and easily tracks the ball over his 
shoulder. 

Negatives: Needs to play at a lower pad level, as he appears a little too 
high in his backpedal, which causes receivers to separate from him, as 
he has to gather himself before accelerating to the ball … Inconsistent 
in transition, as he does not open his hips properly … Does not have the 
deep speed to catch up when the receiver gets behind him … Will get 
sloppy in his tackling, turning his head before making the hit, causing 
ball carriers to slip off … Has problems with his feet breaking off on stop 
routes (keeps his base too narrow) … Rarely plays up on the line in press 
position and struggles in transition playing in man coverage … Has had 
several surgical procedures on his shoulder that needs further evaluation. 


CAREER NOTES

Three-year starter with great range and field vision … Big-play specialist 
who can also handle return duties in an emergency … Appeared in 42 
games for the Buffaloes, recording 255 tackles (192 solos) with 3 sacks 
for minus-25 yards, 10 stops for losses of 47 yards, 33 third-down hits,
6 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 34 pass deflections and 
4 interceptions … Became the first player in school history to return 
2 interceptions for scores in the same season twice in a career 
(2001 and 2002). 


AGILITY TEST

Timed at 4.6 in the 40-yard dash … 335-pound bench press … 460-pound 
squat … 270-pound power clean … 37½-inch vertical jump … 10'2" broad
jump … 30-inch arm length … 9-inch hands … Right-handed. 


HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) High … As a senior, 
he earned PrepStar All-America honors, as he was rated as the No. 6 
defensive back in the West … SuperPrep selected him to its All-Far West 
Team, as he was ranked the No. 41 prospect in the West, and the No. 5 
defensive back … The National Recruiting Advisor selected him on its 
All-West Team, and was a member of the prestigious Tacoma News-
Tribune's Western 100 list … First-team All-Bay Area and all-league 
selection, and was the Offensive Back of the Year for the West Catholic 
Athletic League … As a senior, he rushed 93 times for 1,095 yards 
(11.8 average), with 7 touchdowns and a 75-yard run for score … Also 
caught 3 passes for 108 yards, had 2 more touchdowns and averaged 
40.5 yards on 2 kickoff return … On defense, playing both cornerback 
and safety, he was in on 92 tackles (70 solo), with 8 tackles for loss, 
5 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries … As a 
junior, he had 33 tackles, 5 passes broken up, 3 tackles for losses and 
2 forced fumbles in just four games … Top games his senior year included 
a win over Serra, when he rushed 9 times for 211 yards and 2 scores, 
and versus Sacred Heart, when he had 11 carries for 208 yards 
and 2 TDs … Also earned four letters in track, participating in the long 
jump (22-9 career best, which was good for 15th in the state meet as a 
junior), relays and the 100-meter run … Long jumped 19-2½ and was an
 all-city performer in middle school … Owned a 3.2 grade point average 
and was on the honor roll throughout high school.



Information gathered from NFL.com





- April 26, 2003

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