The Super Bowl featured some of the very best defensive backs in the NFL as New England’s Darrelle Revis squared off against Seattle’s Richard Sherman. In the end it was neither of the perennial Pro-Bowl cornerbacks that left an everlasting impact on the final outcome. Instead it was an undrafted rookie by the name of Malcolm Butler who changed the game helping the New England Patriots secure the victory.

FootballInsiders.com aims to keep ahead of the curve bringing readers both the top known prospects and prospects that could end up contributing.

The next guy to possibly follow in the foot steps is from West Chester (PA).

West Chester Golden Rams’ defensive back Al-Hajj Shabazz shares plenty of similarities to the Patriots’ Malcolm Butler. Shabazz is facing the same trials and tribulations as most small school NFL Draft prospects; the constant fight to prove that you have the skill set to play with the National Football League. It is not out of the question that Shabazz is waiting to find out his fate as an undrafted free agent (like Butler) when the NFL Draft concludes in Chicago on May 2^nd.

Shabazz, unlike Butler received an invitation to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Los Angeles, California in January. Many consider the NFLPA game on par in terms of roster talent to the historic East-West Shrine Game that is held in St. Petersburg, Florida the same week. Shabazz was one of 11 players invited to the NFLPA game that did not play at a Division I school. The young man from West Chester was suiting up against former four and five star recruits from prestigious schools such as Alabama, USC and Notre Dame.

“Honestly one of the best experiences in my life,” said Al-Hajj Shabazz after playing the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. “The coaches were great. The players’ were the best of the best and great dudes off the field too. Brought the best out of me and hopefully I brought the best out of a couple of them (other prospects).”

Shabazz said he couldn’t control his excitement when he found out about the invite while celebrating in the hallway after class.

“I was jumping up-and-down,” said Shabazz. “Kids walking past me like ‘what is this dude doing?’”

The first person he dialed to share the news was his father, who had Al-Hajj watching (football) film since he was a youngster. Shabazz was so little and new to the game of football he acknowledged that he thought both Barry Sanders and Deion Sanders were brothers.

All 32 NFL teams visited the West Chester University campus in Pennsylvania during his senior season, according to Shabazz. Upon further inspection, the scouts found a chiseled 6-foot-2, 203 pound cornerback who appeared in 11 games as a redshirt freshman starting five.

“We had a meeting at the end of spring when my redshirt freshman season was up,” said Shabazz. (Gerald Toney, defensive backs coach) comes and says, ‘look I went to the head coach and we’re going to give you the keys to this thing.’ We still had seniors on the team and midway through my freshman year (2011) they gave me the starting spot. They said it is yours to lose. I had my bumps and bruises along the way but I got that experience early on that I needed. Every year the game play got slower and slower.”

The Golden Rams’ defensive staff used Shabazz as a true shutdown cornerback. He lined-up against the opponents top receiver and learned the true meaning of the so called “island” defensive backs live on. He is a high energy tempo setter like Sherman and wears his emotions on his sleeve. The combination of both size and speed for the position will make Shabazz a hot commodity moving forward.

He finished his senior season at West Chester with 39 tackles, five interceptions for 70 yards and one interception returned for a touchdown. Credited with 16 passes defensed he also blocked a punt and recovered another blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown. Selected as a first-team All-PSAC East (twice), he was also a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award presented to the top small school college defensive player in Division II, III, and NAIA. Last years winner was Cleveland Browns cornerback and fourth round pick (2014) Pierre Desir from Lindenwood.

“It’s what you work for,” Shabazz said. “It the goals I set out since I was in third grade and nine years old. Now I’m to attack this thing with everything I got.”

It’s possible that Shabazz could be a late-round pick or a priority free agent.