Myron Rolle: Seminoles Safety Has the Brains Browns Coach Eric Mangini Loves

Florida State safety Myron Rolle is one of the most talked about story lines this past week leading up to the Senior Bowl on Saturday.

Rolle has not played in an organized football game in more than a year, as he's been in England studying at Oxford for his M.A. in medical anthropology.

One of Rolle's biggest question marks was how well he would perform in practices this week before the actual game this weekend, and he amazed all coaches and scouts because he did not show one ounce of rust on him all week long.

What is most impressive is while he has been studying at Oxford, he has also been able to keep his 6'1", 223-pound body in tip-top football shape too.

One of the smartest football players in the nation, Rolle was able to earn his B.A. in exercise sciences in two and a half years, and in 2008 he was awarded one of only 32 Rhodes Scholars, given out yearly to the United States.

Browns head coach Eric Mangini loves players with a very high intelligence level, and Rolle definitely fits that mold.

Even though Mangini has hardly any control in this year's NFL Draft, because president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert have all the control now, Mangini will still be in the war room fighting for players he would like to draft.

A coach's input is very important since the coach will be the one directly working with the players, not the president or general manager.

The disciplined Browns have already shown a tendency to go after players with brawn as well as brains, ending 2009 as one of the league's least penalized teams.

Rolle received stellar scores leading up to the Senior Bowl from Scouts Inc. getting an overall grade of an A-.

When Scouts Inc. summarized Rolle's performance this week they wrote, "We can't remember coming to the Senior Bowl with less of an idea of how a prospect would perform, but given his unique situation, Rolle hit a home run this week."

"He is clearly taking the NFL seriously because he was able to both study at Oxford for a year and also work out enough to show up to the Senior Bowl absolutely ripped and in great condition.

"He is showing that being a serious student and serious athlete do not have to be exclusive of each other, and that is a plus from a character standpoint."

"On the field, Rolle took good angles to the ball in the running game and looked more fluid than we remembered in coverage...he is always in position, and his classroom intelligence clearly carries over to the field."

"If we were running an NFL team and Rolle looked us in the eye and convinced us he is serious about sticking with football for more than a couple years and possibly developing into a starter, we would have no problem drafting him in the third round."

A solid analysis of a player who would be a steal if the Browns can get him with one of their two third-round picks in April's draft.

Rolle is the cousin of Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle and he has 207 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception, and 12 passes defended in his college career.

(Article also posted on Dawg Scooper)