Ronald Darby

CB, FS · Florida State
Like most of the players at Florida State, Darby signed with the Seminoles as a very highly regarded prep prospect, ranking as a consensus top 50 overall prospect by recruiting services. The fascination with Darby extended beyond just the football field and onto the track, where he was a member of the gold medal-winning USA medley relay at the 2011 World Youth Championships in France and not surprisingly won the 100-yard and 200-yard dashes to help Potomac High School win the state 3A track championship in Maryland. Darby immediately proved a difference-maker with the Seminoles, playing in all 14 games as a true freshman and earning the ACC's Defensive Rookie of the Year award with 22 tackles and tying for the team-lead with eight pass breakups. He wasn't as flashy as a sophomore, registering just 14 tackles despite playing in all 14 games again (including nine starts) and intercepting two passes. Darby recorded a career-high 43 tackles for the Seminoles in 2014 and broke up four passes. Shortly after Florida State's loss to Oregon in the Rose Bowl, he announced his intentions to enter the 2015 draft. Scouts can check off a lot of boxes with Darby. He possesses extraordinary speed and proved with greater physicality in 2014 that he's not just a track guy in shoulder pads. Darby has also shown improved awareness and ball-skills throughout his career. He isn't as polished as some of the top corners in the 2015 class, but possesses a tantalizing upside that could warrant Day Two consideration.