Regarded by many as the premier cornerback in college football entering his senior season, Tribble's final season wasn't the stellar year most expected.

He suffered a right knee injury that forced him to the sideline for three late-season games and had been inconsistent when healthy.

An instinctive athlete with excellent ball skills, Tribble struggled in man coverage, as he constantly lost inside leverage vs. bigger receivers. He has great foot quickness and balance, but that speed failed to translate into a home-run threat when returning punts and kickoffs. Still, he continued to be a physical open-field tackler with good explosion on contact. Teams looking for an immediate contributor in the zone packages are sure to consider Tribble for that job.

Tribble was a standout football player who also competed in baseball, basketball and track at North College Hill High School. He earned All-Ohio Division IV honors as a senior defensive back and also played quarterback. He was named All-Midwest by Super Prep and Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report while also gaining 2002 All-City honors.

As a quarterback, Tribble threw for 790 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season. He also rushed for 809 yards and five scores, recorded 94 tackles (63 solo), with four sacks and one interception. He also punted for the Trojans, averaging 40.3 yards per attempt.

Tribble enrolled at Boston College in 2003, spending his first season playing for the scout team. He went on to start four of 11 contests at left cornerback in 2004, making 29 tackles (23 solo) with a stop for a loss and a forced fumble. He picked off two passes and returned eight punts for 110 yards (13.8-yard average) and two touchdowns.

As a sophomore, Tribble started 10 games, sitting out the Ball State contest with a ham-string injury. He still managed to finish third on the team with 57 tackles (48 solo), as he caused a fumble, broke up six passes and intercepted two others. He averaged 11.0 yards on 12 punt returns and 18.8 yards on eight kickoff returns.

Tribble earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference second-team recognition in 2006. He started 12 of 13 games at left cornerback, missing the Clemson contest with a left knee bruise that would require arthroscopic surgery after the season. He finished with 49 tackles (41 solo), four stops for losses and a fumble recovery. He gained 108 yards with three touchdowns on seven interception returns, 236 yards on 27 punt returns (8.7-yard average) and 185 yards on eight kickoff returns (23.1 avg).

In 2007, Tribble managed to earn All-ACC second-team honors again. In 11 games for the Eagles, he posted 35 tackles (31 solo), ranking 11th on the team. He caused a fumble, knocked down eight passes and intercepted four others. He also returned eight punts for 43 yards (5.4-yard average) while allowing his main pass coverage assignments to catch 34 passes for 382 yards (11.26 avg) and two touchdowns on 79 passes targeted into his area (4.85 yards per pass attempt).

In 46 games at Boston College, Tribble started 37 times. He finished his career with 170 tackles (143 solos) and 10 stops for losses of 19 yards. He recovered one fumble and caused three others. He deflected 22 passes and had 15 interceptions for 145 yards in returns (9.7-yard average) and three touchdowns. He returned 55 punts for 521 yards (9.5-yard average) and two scores, adding 335 yards on 16 kickoff returns (20.9 avg).

Positives: Has a shorter-than-ideal frame, but is muscular with solid upper-body tone, thick thighs and calves. … Has great field instincts, when he maintains steady concentration, and shows good ball skills tracking the pass in flight (needs to time his leaps better). … Has good playing speed and is a fluid open-field runner who might lack the explosive second gear, but does a good job mirroring the receiver. … Shows good speed and smoothness in his backpedal and makes transitions quickly with no wasted movement. … Despite small hands, he does a nice job of extending away from his frame to look the ball in for the interception. … Adjusts quickly when trying to redirect and hits with good force. … Hard worker in the weight room and the type that will play with pain, but has had a history of minor injuries that could lead to questions about whether he can stand up to the punishment dished out at the next level. … Has very good eyes when reading the quarterback, compensating for a lack of explosion by taking good angles to get into position to make the play. … Pesky, gets a good jump on the ball and shows a good feel for keeping plays in front of him. … Puts all of his effort into his tackles and is very good at pestering the underneath receivers, reaching around to deflect the pass. … Can trail, cover or cushion his man, working hard to maintain position on the receiver (not as effective when the route extends deep when the receiver gets behind him). … Better playing in the zone than in man coverage, as he reads the QB well, getting a nice jump on the ball and works hard to drive on the tight end going for the underneath tosses. … Not as effective executing the press as you would like from a cornerback, but he has exceptional timing to get a clean break on the ball (when he keeps his mind in the game). … Although he may lose jump balls to taller wide receivers, he has an outstanding ability to adjust and attack the ball. … Can cover up for his mistakes better when he maintains good mirror with the receiver rather than allow a big cushion. … Shows good quickness and flexibility to get back through the receiver and break up plays in front (has very good plant-and-drive agility on the 10-yard hook pass). … Might not bump the receiver often, but he has enough range to shadow his opponent in short-to-intermediate routes. … Can snatch and pluck the ball naturally, showing the hands of a receiver. … Not afraid to deliver a big hit, showing little regard for his own body. … Generates good pop on contact, as he will square up and put his hat under the opponent's chin (improved this technique, but will still duck his head at times to make the hit and when this happens, he will throw his shoulders and fail to wrap with his arms). … Runs at a good pad level, which allows him to come out of his breaks quickly. … Takes some extra steps to plant, but drives into his break with good quickness. … Has good hip snap to get a quick turn on the ball in flight, doing a nice job of looking the pass in over his shoulders. … Shows willingness to set the corner and mix it up with blockers in run support. … When he lets his blockers set up, he hits the seam with good vision and lateral quickness on returns.

Negatives: Lacks ideal size and, while he shows good quickness, he doesn't have the exceptional burst you look for in a return man (shows good trail and mirror technique to stay with the receiver on pass patterns). … Physical tackler, but lacks the raw strength to punish. … Character is questionable, as he needs to mature off the field. … Gets a bit too confident in his range, allowing a big cushion at times and this has proven costly, as he struggles getting back into the play when receivers get behind him. … Must be more alert to route progressions and tends to drift with his ball concentration (will take a few plays off). … Relies a lot on his athletic ability and must show better work ethic, putting in extra hours watching film in order to better prepare for his upcoming opponent. … Loses leverage working inside in man coverage (especially on post patterns), as he appears to be late in transition and must improve his timing competing for the jump balls. … Called by the previous staff an "Eddie Haskell" type and is not regarded as someone with good leadership qualities. … Can be fooled by good head fakes and redirection of a running back when trying to make plays on the outside (had just one tackle vs. the run in 2007). … Height limitations make it hard for him to compete with the taller receivers vs. the ball in flight. … More of a cover-and-trail pass defender, as he doesn't generate much power behind his hand swipes in attempts to reroute the receivers. … Must play with better patience, as he gets reckless in his pursuit for the ball, disregarding his main coverage assignment because of his desire to make plays on the ball instead. … Has good timed speed, but fails to show the explosive burst and second gear to recover when beaten. … Liability in the running game, as he is tentative in his forward pursuit and gets engulfed often by blockers, as he lacks the size, bulk and hand strength to shed. … Does not do it as often as he did as a junior, but he will duck his head at times before delivering the hit (savvy receivers had success bouncing or slipping off those tackles). … Must do a better job of looking the ball in and securing it better on returns, as he tends to run before having the ball tucked away properly and leaves it exposed on his run backs, leading to fumbling issues. … Arms are shorter than ideal (29 5/8-inch length) and this will be a problem taking on bigger receivers for the jump balls.

Compares To: RICKY MANNING, Jr.-Chicago. … Few rookies will have the zone-coverage instincts of Tribble. He is a physical tackler with very good range, but because of size issues and a lack of good man-coverage technique, he will probably bring better value as a nickel back, much like Manning. Tribble's work ethic is not up to snuff with his playing skills and he's going to need to dedicate more hours to watching tape of his upcoming opponent, a venture he has not attacked in the past. He is a cocky player, though he can get too overconfident, leaving him susceptible against a savvy route runner. As a return man, he's nothing special. With his concentration lapses leading to fumbles, it would probably be advisable to not rely on him as a primary returner. While he can be an efficient performer on the field, there are questions as to whether he will ever put in the extra hours needed to refine some glaring deficiencies in his game -- raw power, concentration, game preparation and poor coverage technique in man schemes.

2005: Sat out the Ball State game (10/01) with a hamstring pull.

2006: Did not start vs. North Carolina State (9/23) due to a left knee bruise that would require arthroscopic surgery to repair after the season.

2007: Did not perform on spring camp Pro Day (3/01) due to a right pinky sprain. … Sat out the Clemson (11/17), Miami (11/24) and Virginia Tech (12/01) games after he suffered a right knee medial collateral ligament sprain in a Tuesday practice (11/13).

Campus: 4.52 in the 40-yard dash. … 290-pound bench press. … 319-pound squat. … 253-pound power clean. … 35-inch vertical jump. … 4.03 20-yard shuttle. … 29 5/8-inch arm length. … 8 1/2-inch hands. … Right-handed. … 18/33 Wonderlic score.

Attended North College Hill (Cincinnati, Oh.) High School, playing football for head coach Bruce Baarendse. … Standout football player who also competed in baseball, basketball and track. … Earned All-Ohio Division IV honors as a senior defensive back and also played quarterback. … Named All-Midwest by Super Prep and Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report while also gaining 2002 All-City honors. … As a quarterback, Tribble threw for 790 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season. … Rushed for 809 yards and five scores, recorded 94 tackles (63 solo), with four sacks and one interception. … Also punted for the Trojans, averaging 40.3 yards per attempt.

General Management major, enrolled in the Carroll School of Management. … Son of Victoria Tribble. … Born DeJuan R. Tribble on 4/13/85. … Resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.