A self-described big and tough cornerback, Virginia's Maurice Canady is hoping the Senior Bowl is just the start of a fruitful NFL career.
While the University of Virginia isn't known across the college football landscape as a powerhouse, the school has produced quite a lot of NFL talent over the years.
The Barber brothers – Ronde and Tiki – each strung together successful careers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants, respectively.
2006 first-round pick D'Brickashaw Ferguson has appeared and started in all 160 regular season games for the New York Jets over the last 10 years.
More recently, Redskins tackle Morgan Moses, a 2014 third-round pick, took a serious step up during his second season in the NFL, starting all 15 games for a division champion.
Cornerback Maurice Canady is hoping he become the next Cavalier to jump from Charlottesville to the NFL. His journey to the professional ranks started this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
"I'm trying to show my physicality, my versatility, being that I can play inside or outside corner and really just compete," Canady told Redskins.com. "You've got to win every rep you can."
Canady check in at Senior Bowl weigh-in at 6-foot-1, 191 pounds along with 31-inch arms.
The Richmond, Va., native believes his size will be beneficial for the team that takes a chance on him at the NFL Draft in April.
"At the corner position…I'm bigger than most corners," Canady said. "It really helps, especially in the press game. I got long arms, I can get my hands on guys and really route them, so yeah, it's been working good for me."
During his career at Virginia, Canady appeared in 44 games, totaling 148 tackles, five interceptions, four forced fumbles, two sacks and a fumble recovery.
During the second day of Senior Bowl practice on Wednesday, Canady was among NFL Network's Mike Mayock's standouts.
"I really enjoyed watching Maurice Canady, the cornerback from Virginia," Mayock said. "I really thought he stepped his game up in press coverage on Wednesday against excellent competition."
As Thursday marked his last practice before Saturday's game, Canady is simply happy to be playing alongside some of the best senior talent in the country.
"It's really an honor, man," Canady said. "I'm really blessed to be in this position I'm in and I'm just grateful, so grateful, that the Senior Bowl extended the invite to invite me here and compete against the best."
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