Gophers defensive back duo is poised to be pros

When Eric Murray was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft, he put the Gophers in prestigious company.

Minnesota joined powerhouse programs Alabama, Ohio State and Florida State by having defensive backs drafted in three consecutive years.

Don't expect that trend to end soon.

Next in line are seniors Jalen Myrick and Damarius Travis, who entered fall camp last week as the Gophers' top two NFL prospects on defense.

"It's a motivator; definitely a motivator," Myrick said. "I just have to put the work in, as well as Damarius, so we can go see those guys again in the next level."

Safeties Brock Vereen and Cedric Thompson were the first two defensive backs drafted under the Gophers' current staff, in 2014 and 2015. Vereen and Thompson are battling for jobs in New England Patriots training camp.

Last year's All-Big Ten cornerbacks Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun are making plays at camp with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively.

Myrick, a cornerback, and Travis, a safety, already might be with their former Gophers teammates in the NFL if not for injuries last year.

Travis missed 12 of 13 games because of a hamstring injury. Myrick, who had 27 tackles and three interceptions in seven starts last year, never was the same after suffering a collapsed lung while getting tackled on a kickoff return against Ohio State. After a two-day hospital stay in Columbus, he missed games against Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois to end the Big Ten season.

Myrick said he's faster now, though, after shedding some weight. The 5-10, 200-pound former Georgia high school 100-meter state runner-up focused on 25- and 30-yard sprint workouts this offseason to improve his already impressive speed (4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash). Myrick was called the fastest player in the Big Ten by Athlon's college football preview.

How much faster is he than last year?

"You'll see," Myrick said with a smirk at Gophers media day last week.

Turning pro early was an option, but Travis didn't hesitate to accept the NCAA's medical hardship waiver to return to school. He talked it over with his family and Green Bay Packers cornerback Damarious Randle, a friend and former high school teammate.

"I [had] to be patient with everything and not have to rush to get back," he said. "That was the biggest thing for me and just respecting the game. That is one of the biggest things, because it can be taken from you quick, and it's hard to come back on your feet when it's taken away from you."

Myrick is more outgoing than Travis. Myrick pinned a story to the top of his Twitter page that said he was the Gophers' most productive cornerback when healthy as a junior. Opposing quarterbacks had a 34.8 NFL rating when passing against him last year, third among returning corners nationally with at least 250 coverage snaps, according to profootballfocus.com.

There's pressure to be great from outside and inside the program. Sawvel said Myrick is the most talented cornerback the Gophers have had; his technique, which needs fine-tuning, is the one thing holding him back.

"His ceiling is very high," Sawvel said. "Talentwise, he's more talented than [Murray] … if Jalen keeps what Jalen has and can play a little more like Eric, and the play-for-play consistency like, 'This is my half of the field,' then he's going to be really, really good."

It's a much less experienced unit, especially with incoming freshmen Antonio Winfield Jr., Coney Durr and Kiondre Thomas. The younger players could be leaning on Myrick and Travis to show them what it takes to become draft-caliber defensive backs.