Waynes' Selection Makes Individual, Program Statement

May 1, 2015

By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist | @GrinzOnGreen

CHICAGO - Trae Waynes has an aversion to football evaluation services.

The former Michigan State cornerback paid no attention to the so-called recruiting experts who had him rated as a lowly two-star prospect coming out of Kenosha (Wisconsin) Bradford High School. By the same token, he took nothing the NFL Draft prognosticators had to say about him for granted.

So when they proved to be spot-on after the Minnesota Vikings selected him with the 11th pick in the first round Thursday night at the ornate Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Waynes reacted in the ultra-cool fashion that became the trademark of his Spartan career.

"It's funny how that worked out," he said, noting that Minnesota was the first team he visited for an individual workout. "I didn't really pay much attention to the mock drafts just because you never really know what could happen, but I did see I was (linked to) the Vikings a couple times. I'm just glad it worked out."

Waynes, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash among defensive backs and was second overall at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, did something he rarely allowed opposing wide receivers to do over the past two seasons.

"I finally get to breathe," he said. "It's been a long week, a long couple hours.

"It's a relief, man."

Waynes is the second No. 1 pick selected from Michigan State under ninth-year head coach Mark Dantonio. He followed by a year, former defensive backfield counterweight Darqueze Dennard, who was chosen 24th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.

It's the first time the Spartans have placed cornerbacks in the opening round of back-to-back drafts and only the sixth time that's happened in the NFL. Waynes is also the highest-drafted cornerback in Minnesota franchise history, though he refused to characterize his rise from Bradford, where he wasn't even MSU's primary target, in terms of rags-to-riches.

"It's all about how you play on the field and how you perform," Waynes said. "It's not only me, but it just shows how Michigan State is. We had a couple of players with two stars ahead of me, like Darqueze and Le'Veon (Bell, a running back now with the Pittsburgh Steelers), who've been having a lot of success.

"Stars mean nothing. Reality is: how you play on the field matters the most."

As part of MSU's "No Fly Zone," Waynes teamed with Dennard to help lead the Spartans to Big Ten and Rose Bowl Championships in 2013. Last season, he was routinely called upon to take on the opponent's top receiver with press, man-to-man coverage, and closed out his career with a Cotton Bowl title, first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-America honors.

Waynes' decision to forgo his final season of eligibility also proved to be a wise move, which gave Dantonio the opportunity to attend the draft for the first time. Dantonio was accompanied by co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett, who was Waynes' position coach, and quarterbacks coach Brad Salem, who discovered him. A year ago, Dennard chose to watch the draft with his family and friends at his home in Georgia.

"It's a life-experience for all of us," Dantonio said. "You've got Trae here as the 11th pick with an opportunity to go to the Vikings, which is a great organization. We've had two corners drafted in the first round the last two years, which really just speaks to the tremendous job Harlon Barnett's done, developing them as players and as people. Both of those guys will be outstanding pros because they're outstanding people.

"Trae's always been a great student, a guy you never had to worry about, a very likeable person with a very quiet demeanor, and he's always stepped on the field and worked extremely hard every single practice. The reps are what's going to make you better, but he's taken advantage of those reps, the classroom and in the games and that's why he's here today - because of the successes he's had on the field."

While MSU has become known nationally for the way it develops players, Dantonio said it's not like Waynes came to East Lansing bereft of talent and ability, which he demonstrated even while sitting out his freshman season as a redshirt.

"I think he was overlooked, a lot like Queze was, but they came here with great ability," Dantonio said. "He had a broken ankle his senior year (at Bradford), so he only played two or three games. But what we saw in him was he really flashed, much like Queze did. We were very fortunate to get him."

Waynes was the second Big Ten player drafted, behind Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, who was selected fifth by the Washington Redskins and ahead of Wisconsin running back, former Bradford teammate and best friend Melvin Gordon, who was chosen 14th by the San Diego Chargers.

"It's another foundation-building moment for our program," Dantonio said. "It's like going to the Rose Bowl, it's like going to the Cotton Bowl, it's like finishing ranked No. 5 or winning four-straight bowl games.

"This is more of an individual statement, but it's a statement nevertheless for our program. And, it's a stamp of approval when we have two guys drafted in the first round the last two years at the same position. And, we're going to have more. That's the beautiful thing about it - more are coming and it allows people to sit in our room on a daily basis and dream big, that I can make it to the top."

Salem was a first-year assistant, in charge of the running backs at the time, when he came across Waynes while scouting Gordon. Salem invited both to attend MSU's annual summer camp, but only Waynes accepted.

"He called me after the Iowa State camp and told me how well he ran and how they offered him (a scholarship)," Salem said. "Before he came, I was saying this guy could run the fastest 40 of that camp and it was like, first of all, I was the new guy, so wait a second, and second of all he was from Wisconsin.

"He did such a good job and we ended up offering off of camp and he committed about a month later. What you see is what you get, and you saw the speed, you saw him change direction, and ball skills and length. He's very calm, but very competitive. I just think it's neat that he chose Michigan State and it shows you how kids get developed in our program. It's really neat to see his story."

Barnett could have been thanking lucky stars for getting the opportunity to coach Waynes and Dennard, but he wasn't.

"I'm not pinching myself or anything like that over this," Barnett said. "It's not a cocky thing or anything like that. Those guys put themselves in this position to do what they've done. Both are really humble young men, hard workers and complete corners."

Barnett took exception with ESPN NFL analyst Jon Gruden's assessment of Waynes, calling him "not a great tackler."

"I'm putting that out there, because you can find film to make your argument," Barnett said. "I've got film showing him tackling and coming off blocks. We tackle at Michigan State, we cover at Michigan State and we do it all.

"He's not a cover-corner; he's a complete corner just like Queze is and we'll keep producing those kind of guys. At one time, nobody knew who Darqueze Dennard or Trae Waynes were and they worked to get where they are. I tweeted out, a standard has been set."

Barnett, a former Spartan All-America defensive back who played his last two of seven NFL seasons with the Vikings, is confident Waynes will make a successful transition to professional football where he'll cover the likes of Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson and Jordy Nelson of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Central Division alone.

"He's equipped because he's knowledgeable, along with playing with good technique, and he's fast," Barnett said. "He has some natural ability that will allow him to compete. What he'll also have to learn and understand is that it's an offensive league where you can't touch them after 5 yards, and the bigger guys will try to toss him around, and he'll say why aren't you calling anything ref?

"But his game will adapt and he'll be just fine because he is a competitor, he smart and he'll learn to do what he needs to to play in the NFL."

Waynes intends to use the same approach at the next level that got him to this point.

"I don't really worry too much about what people think because I know what I can do," he said. "People still doubt me, but as long as I do what I've got to do on the field I'll continue to prove them wrong. I'm a competitor. I went against big receivers, too. I did okay. I adapted. I adjusted, and I'm going to go against anybody. That's my job, and I'm going to take care of it.

"I'm just going to let my play do the talking for me. I'm not going to make any predictions. I'm just going to let whatever happens happen."