Antoine Cason's voice said that he was “at a loss for words” and “speechless.”
His smile, packaged with an unflinching gaze, a charming cadence, the unquestionably certain way he stood, said he had it all under control.
If the cornerback out of Arizona is as smooth on the field in the NFL as he was on his first day as a professional player, the Chargers made a fantastic first-round pick and their pass defense will benefit greatly for years to come.
Every draft pick attempts to impress in his first public appearance after being drafted. Some fail; others are simply transparent. Cason nailed it.
Based on yesterday's noon gathering and widespread accounts of who he is, he is clearly all the Chargers purported him to be when they took him Saturday, explaining he was a “leader” and a “character guy.”
First off, the kid can play. There is every reason to expect he will be the Chargers' third cornerback come September.
He made 15 interceptions in four college seasons, third-most by an Arizona player. Of those, 10 were off quarterbacks who are in the NFL or were drafted this weekend.
New teammate Jacob Hester, the Chargers' second pick in this year's draft, remembers this of the game in 2006 when Arizona played LSU, then quarterbacked by eventual No. 1 draft choice JaMarcus Russell.
“He intercepted a pass against us,” Hester said.
Were the Chargers to oppose Green Bay, new Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers would remember the two picks Cason had against him when Rodgers played for Cal.
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