Fleming tries to impress NFL coaches at Senior Bowl
MOBILE, Ala. -- When the season was over, Oklahoma cornerback Jamell Fleming didn't feel complete.
"I feel like I left a couple of plays out there on the field," he said.
Maybe so. He didn't have as many tackles, sacks, interceptions or pass breakups as a senior as he did as a junior for the Sooners.
But he still earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, and this week he hasn't left anything behind.
The former Arlington Seguin standout has emerged as one of the best cornerbacks in the practices for the all-star game, boosting his stock for the NFL Draft in April.
"From my perspective, he is the top CB on the North roster," former NFL defensive back Matt Bowen wrote on NationalFootballPost.com.
"Demonstrating good quickness, agility and physicality, Fleming has been the surprising standout for a North team boasting a talented cornerback group ... " wrote Rob Rang for NFLDraftScout.com. "Fleming has shown enough athleticism to turn and run with receivers and has demonstrated a quick burst to the ball."
That's what you call a good week.
But Fleming didn't worry about where he rated. From the start of the week, he said he wanted to learn from the Minnesota Vikings coaches, who were in charge of getting the North squad ready for Saturday's game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
"They do a good job preparing you," he said. "Being around coaches at Oklahoma that demand a lot, who want you to play good every Saturday, they want you to be your best, to have a good attitude. That's the same thing they demand out here."
Fleming's mental approach could be the right one as his scouts debate his worth. He could be one of the top 10 cornerbacks available.
Or not.
"He's a good cover guy. Not as good as advertised at times," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said in a national conference call with reporters last week. "I have him right now as a fifth-round pick. In athletic ability, he's in the top 10 at that position. If he can have a good combine, a workout as good as some of the other top corners, maybe he can go third round."
But Fleming sticks to working on his game. It's what he's been taught to do as the son of a coach. His father, Ralph Fleming, is a former running backs coach at Arlington Martin who also coached at Seguin, where Jamell made his mark as a high school athlete.
At OU, Fleming was an unknown until he started all 13 games as a junior. He broke out with 71 tackles, a sack, five interceptions and 14 pass breakups.
He missed two games because of injury as a senior and finished with only two interceptions. But he still had 60 tackles, two caused fumbles and 10 pass breakups, numbers in line with his junior year if not for the two missed games.
"He was one of the better corners we faced," said Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, who is on the South squad at the Senior Bowl. "We put his name with some of the best guys we played against. Very instinctive. Very aggressive. He was a guy on Oklahoma's defense who we knew where he was, where he lined up. Great player. Great future."
Fleming knows what could be next. But he can't think about an NFL career until he gets drafted or finds some way into an NFL camp. What he will think about is what he can do in the next Senior Bowl practice.
"You always can do a little bit better, but at the end of the day, your best will be where you are, and you take advantage of the things you can," he said.
Carlos Mendez, 817-390-7760
Twitter @calexmendez
This story was originally published January 26, 2012 at 10:56 PM with the headline "Fleming tries to impress NFL coaches at Senior Bowl."