Spievey Heading to Motown

April 23, 2010

Spievey NFL Draft Video (ESPN) | Spievey NFL Draft Video (NFL Network)

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — After being in high demand by as many as 15 NFL teams at the scouting combine, University of Iowa cornerback Amari Spievey will now get the sole attention from the Detroit Lions. On Friday the Lions made Spievey the second pick of the third round of the NFL Draft in New York City.

“One phrase I keep seeing and hearing in regards to Spievey is ‘shutdown corner’ which is one of the ultimate compliments a corner can get,” Scout senior NFL analyst Ed Thompson said.

“He’s got really good ball skills,” said Scott Porter of SidelineScouting.net. “His tackling has improved a lot at Iowa from where he started. He’s the kind of guy that has a lot of upside. Some team could maybe reach on him a little bit based on his upside.”

Spievey (6-foot, 195 pounds) ,a native of Middletown, Conn., played two seasons with the Hawkeyes, compiling 124 tackles with 14 pass breakups and six interceptions. During the 2009-10 season when Iowa won 11 of 13 games, Spievey was very rarely challenged through the air. In the NFL, Spievey is looked at as someone who can excel in a cover-two scheme and he is also good in zone coverage.

This is the third straight season that a Hawkeye defensive back has been selected in the NFL Draft. Bradley Fletcher was taken by St. Louis last season in the third round and Charles Godfrey was picked by Carolina in the third round of the 2008 draft.

Spievey was named first team all-Big Ten Conference by league coaches and second team by media. He was named honorable mention All-America by Pro Football Weekly.

The third Hawkeye selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, Spievey joins former teammates Bryan Bulaga and Pat Angerer in the professional ranks. This is the 33rd consecutive season that Iowa has had a player chosen in the NFL Draft. There have now been 36 Iowa players selected in the draft in head coach Kirk Ferentz’s 11 seasons.