NFL Draft Profile: Houston DB D.J. Hayden

One story you may not have read leading up to this year’s draft is the one of D.J. Hayden of Houston. The saga of his near-death experience resulting from a hit sustained during practice has lifted his profile from near obscurity to the top of the draft class….

From NFL.com: D.J. (Derek, Jr.) made an instant impact as a junior, garnering Conference USA’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year award and second-team all-conference honors after leading the team with 11 pass break-ups and finishing tied for seventh nationally with five forced fumbles. He also had 66 tackles, eight for loss, and intercepted two passes on the year. As a senior, Hayden was hurt in a freak hit during practice. He tore a large vein, the inferior vena cava, which carries blood from the lower half of the body back up to the heart. Before the injury, Hayden played in nine games, and recorded eight pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and four interceptions; two of which he returned for touchdowns. He was named to the Coaches first-team All-Conference USA.

From Rotoworld: NFL Draft insider Tony Pauline reports “several teams” grade Houston CB D.J. Hayden similar to Bills first-round pick Stephon Gilmore.
Gilmore was the 10th overall pick and turned out a stellar regular season, shadowing opposing No. 1 receivers after a slow start. Hayden’s torn heart cavity has some teams concerned and others not, per Pauline. We believe Hayden is a strong candidate to be drafted much higher than mock drafts currently project.

Hayden’s story is compelling, but as I always say, the NFL is unforgiving. Can he play in this league? Yes. Is health still an issue? Depends on you ask. As Tony Pauline reported, some teams are willing to take a chance on him. At what point of the draft will someone take that chance is anyone’s guess. If he does compare to Gilmore, Hayden (5’11″, 191) could be one of the draft’s big steals in let’s say Round Three or Four. My senses tell me he may not be around that long….

From Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports:

Hayden burned a 4.33 40-yard dash on his first attempt, and pulled up with a slight hamstring tweak on his second attempt.

Before the 40, Hayden registered a 33.5-inch vertical leap, and a 10-foot broad jump. He didn’t participate in the bench press, because he’s still recovering from the emergency heart surgery he underwent last November. Yes, you read that right. Less than a year after emergency heart surgery, this kid ran a sub-4.4 40.