Ron Zook: New Dolphin Vontae Davis Reminiscent of Rod Woodson

No one disputes that Vontae Davis has the athletic ability to be a great NFL cornerback. But some observers were surprised that the Miami Dolphins chose Davis in the first round of Saturday's draft, because there were concerns about Davis's attitude and work ethic, and because Dophins front office boss Bill Parcells has made clear that he values character in assembling a roster.

Davis's college coach, however, insists that there's absolutely no reason at all to be concerned about Davis -- and even compares his abilities to those of the Hall of Famer Rod Woodson.

Illinois coach Ron Zook told the Miami Herald the perception of Davis as a problem is ''not anywhere close to true. I know how that stuff started. I've always coached my best players the hardest. There was one day last season he wasn't practicing as hard as he could practice and I threw him off the field.''

Aside from that one day, Zook said, Davis was one of his hardest workers.

''I love the kid -- he's like my son,'' Zook told the Herald. "He worked as hard as anyone I've coached. Vontae is a great person, will do whatever he's asked. He's very coachable, was well-respected here. When the rumor came out about failing a drug test, even our players said no way he would do that.''

Zook added that in his 30 years as a college and professional coach, the only player he's been around who has the ability of Davis is Woodson, who was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. Zook was an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996, Woodson's last season in Pittsburgh.

I don't know if it's realistic to compare any rookie to Rod Woodson, but I went to Illinois and have watched a lot of Davis, and I have to say I was surprised when I started to hear questions about his work ethic and attitude. He always looked to me like a guy who showed up every Saturday ready to play. Apparently that's the guy Zook thinks he coached, and the guy Parcells thinks he drafted.

Hat tip: College Football Talk.