Scouting Report & Grades : Safeties
This safety class is deep and talented. There are three safeties I would comfortably label 1st round picks and maybe 1 or 2 more if it wasn't such a loaded class in general. What I look for in a safety first and foremost is awareness/recognition. If you're getting pulled down by run rakes or getting lost in traffic, you're practically useless. I want safeties who can diagnose whats in front of them quickly and aggressively. Range for both types of safety is important as well. I want you to be able to cover as much ground as possible in the run game and passing game. The less or more range you have will really determine your value. A safeties awareness combined with their range is what makes them elite playmakers. Now obviously tackling is vital to the safety position. Now where I want more range in the free safety, I want a better tackler and harder hitter at strong safety. That doesn't mean I don't want them to have both, because that's a 1st round pick, but if you know any traditional football, it's what each safety position is meant to do well.
Malik Hooker 6'2'' 205 lbs OSU
The Good - Best range in class. Efficient and hard hitting tackler. Great long speed and short area quickness. Quick to diagnose plays, and no hesitation when reacting. Overall elite and natural athlete.
The Bad - Had many great players in front of him. Injury questions. Can be a bit reckless when tackling.
Overall top 10 - I think Hooker has a chance to be better than Earl Thomas because he just might be a tad faster and 3 inches taller, and that's terrifying. That's Hookers ceiling, his floor is of a top 10 safety in the League. Hooker is almost a can't miss prospect for me. I don't care about his one season starting, he shows he has the elite traits needed and then how to use those traits to dominate on the field.
Jamal Adams 6'1'' 215 LBS LSU
The Good - For a strong safety Adams has tremendous range. He can play a shell coverage so easily, I honestly feel like he can play single high at the next level. Elite NFL strong safety size. Blend of honey Badger and Bob Sanders. Instinctive in passing game and run. Not scared to put a hit on anyone. Natural in man to man with average receivers to all tight ends and running backs. Plays with an intimidating attitude, reminds me of Brian Dawkins. Should test as an elite athlete at strong safety at the combine. Just very fluid and smooth athlete. Top notch motor.
The Bad - He can be wild in tackling form and downright miss a tackle. But this is because he is just always trying to take someones head off, not a matter of ability to make a tackle. Bring body through tackle through ball carriers more.
Overall Top 10 - Adams literally has one small negative to me. He has a top 5 player on and off the field personality. He is as can't miss prospect as they get. He is my #1 safety because he doesn't have Hookers medical history and he can do what Hooker can and more. He isn't AS rangy as Hooker but Adams could play single high and then intimidate in the box.
Budda Baker 5'10'' 190 lbs Washington
The Good - Extremely physical. Great short area quickness. Great zone cover man, natural instincts and quick reaction times. Can play man to man easily. Brings the wood in the run game despite size. Fights Blocks hard. Overall great instincts, could be scary with a solid D coordinator.
The Bad - Baker is built more like a corner, and at 5'10'' he'll have questions about his frame. On tape he shows great instincts and awareness, and generally a quick reaction time. If he fully trusted what he saw and just consistently attacked he could be a nightmare in the pros.
Overall late 1st - I love Budda Baker more than most, and that's why he's at the back of round 1 for me. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he went late teens to mid 20s. Baker could be my Kevin Jonson this year. I was really high on him and he went higher than expected before the whole process, but I liked him. To me size doesn't matter so much when you can do everything the position asks, and very well. The fact your body is a little shorter and less heavier doesn't matter much to me. At free safety Baker has enough size to excel. Along with his short area quickness and diagnostic abilities, he'd be a welcome addition to any defense, as an free safety or robber cover man.
Justin Evans 6'1' 200 lbs Texas A&M
The Good - Great single high range. Flies down to play the run, and with authority. Attacks blockers angrily. High football IQ apparent with read and react speed. When in the box shows natural hook/curl zone awareness as a robber, and can cover in the short range of the field man to man.
The bad - Justin Evans is a great tackler, but he can fly in with wild technique that leads to broken tackles and missed ones altogether. On film I also noticed that he seems much more hesitant to tackle bigger, more physical backs. Just like Budda, he could trust his eyes a bit more and attack more consistently.
Overall Late 1st early 2nd - Evans can play a little wild, but with solid coaching he can play with his aggression under control. For a contender picking at the back of round one, like the Falcons, Seahawks or the Lions, adding Evans is adding a day 1 starter at free safety. Don't be surprised if Evans outplays his draft slot from day 1.
Jabrill Peppers 6'1'' 205 lbs Michigan
The Good - Built like a god. Supreme athlete. Gives you a lethal returner day 1. If coached right he could become a player similar to Jamal Adams at strong safety. I honestly believe he should be switched to offensive weapon. He looks much better going in a straight line and making moves on people than going backwards and changing direction while reacting. Think a more jacked Tavon Austin.
The Bad - He is a tweener at every position on the defensive side. Too light for linebacker, not athletic enough for free safety, too bulky for corner. Jack of all trades master of none. Surprisingly stiff in coverage. Not the best in man to man. Not a very physical tackler. 1 int in career, and it was thrown right at him.
Overall middle 2nd - early 3rd - Even though his stock is down in general, I am even lower on Peppers as a safety. I think he is too stiff to play free safety, not physical enough for strong safety, and too small for linebacker. He's a 3rd rounder at safety for me. He is easily a late 1st to 2nd rounder if drafted for offense though. I honestly see a whole other player when watching him return punts and kicks. Peppers just looks absolutely natural making people miss with the ball in his hand, and that's why I think he needs to be moved to offense. His stop and start laterally is elite and better suited for offense than defense, plus he can't use it as well when he's reacting on defense. Put him offense, I think he could be special.
Xavier Woods 5'11'' 220 lbs LA Tech
The Good - Explosive on film. Can play man to man. Single high range. Tackles with no hesitation. Smooth fluid athlete in coverage. Versatile. Great burst blitzing off the edge. At his height and 220, he doesn't look squatty, holds weight very well.
The Bad - Can he translate to the pros? What is his true level of athleticism? Combine is going to be huge for him. Can take bad angles at times against the run.
Overall 3rd - I think Woods is going criminally under the radar. He's a player I really want to see test at the combine because it will show me where he is at athletically. Since he is from a small school and dominated I want to see where he stacks up with the SEC safeties. Woods is a well-rounded safety, and if he tests above average but not amazing, I think a team is getting solid pick in the third round.
Tedric Thompson 6'1'' 205 lbs Colorado
The Good - Rangy and versatile. Can line up in the slot and play man to man. Good football IQ and very fluid athlete. Soft hands.
The Bad - Like the free safety from Louisville a couple of years ago, Thompson is a very weak tackler. I don't think he's as bad as the Louisville free safety, but it is definitely a big hole in his game. Is he an top flight athelte?
Overall 4th/5th - Thompson will really help himself at the combine, since he is already solid in coverage. On film it is kind of hard to tell how good of an athlete he is. He is going to have to prove he has the mental wiring to play in the NFL and take down ball carriers, because if he can do that and have a solid workout, he could easily be a day 2 selection.
Eddie Jackson 6'0'' 195 lbs Alabama
The Good - Physical for his size. Solid athlete and playmaker. Plays the run well, and takes on blockers aggressively. Good as shell cover man or in joker coverage (putting him in any zone to cover random parts of the field). Can play man to man, and before injury had very good speed.
The Bad - Coming off a major injury. Played in an absolutely stacked Bama defense that might have hid his true athletic ceiling. If he excels at the combine he could easily be a 2nd round safety if he shows good range and long speed. If he shows he can't do that and that he is still healing from the injury then he could easily be in the 4th to 5th round range.
Overall 4th/5th - I have him here because I can't assume he'll come back from the injury to have a great combine workout. If he does and his numbers show a quick twitch athlete and he shows the smooth hips and range to cover over the top then his stock will soar for me.
Rayshawn Jenkins 6'2'' 215 lbs Miami
The Good - Prototypical size for an NFL strong safety. Absolute hammer in run game. Looks to be a smooth mover. I believe he could develop well in the cover aspect of his game.
The Bad - Restricted to the box. Doesn't have that much range to his game. Not sure how well he can cover man to man. Would have to man up against the 4th or 5th options in an offense.
Overall 4th/5th - I like Johnson as an intimidating force in an NFL defense and special teams contributor day 1. He will need to grow into the coverage aspects of defense though, and I believe he has the athleticism to do so. If used to his strengths he could become a nice piece in a defense.
Obi Melinfonwu 6'3'' 217 lbs UCONN
The Good - Great size and length. Smooth athlete for a safety that size. Solid speed, good read and react time. Solid tackler, not amazing. Should be good at man to man against tight ends, great for matchups against offenses that feature tight ends.
The Bad - Short area quickness and overall athleticism a big question. For size not a huge hitter, and fails to wrap up consistently, but he doesn't shy from contact. Combine will be huge for Obi. Doesn't have much range, better suited to be a solid cover strong safety.
Overall 3rd/4th - I really like Melinfonwu's potential. His plus size and athleticism leaves him a lot of room to grow. I don't think he's a contributor day 1 except on special teams, but if coached right he can be a really solid intermediate coverage defender. If he tests well at the combine and shows some solid range, he could easily move up to the back of round 2, if he has an average workout I would put my money on round 4.
Marcus Maye 6'0'' 215 lbs Florida
The Good - Decent range. Good build for the position. Played against tough competition. Can cover decently in man to man when receiver runs a stop route.
The Bad - A softer less athletic version of Jaylen Watkins. No alpha dog what so ever. Very weak tackler.
Overall 6th/7th - Marcus Maye has a place in the NFL, and if he tests really well at the combine then he will solidify that belief. But if he wants to make an impact and stick with a team, he has to learn to tackle consistently, and that's why I have him so low. Remember Gerrod Holliman? He had range for days, but couldn't tackle a branch. Tackling ability has been shown to be a huge trait in evaluation by GMs.
Lorenzo Jerome 6'0'' 195 lbs St.Francis
The Good - Elite production for small school prospect. Moves very well. Great instincts in zone, believe he could play free safety with his speed and range.
The Bad - Will need a huge adjustment to the pros. He's a weak tackler, and that's at the small school level, can he tackle NFL players? How athletic is he compared to bigger school players?
Overall 6th/7th - I like Jerome play style in coverage, he reminds a bit of Asante Samuel in how he tricks Qbs into bad throws and picks them off, kind of free styling. Lorenzo is going to have to show up at the combine and prove somehow he can tackle in the NFL if he wants to get drafted. If he has a good combine I think he at least goes in the 7th round as a flyer pick. But he is one of my under the radar players.
Josh Harvey-Clemons 6'5'' 230 lbs Louisville
The Good - Great frame and muscular build. Long arms and solid speed. Could develop into a nice hybrid linebacker. Has the athleticism to be a solid strong side backer.
The Bad - Does not have any fluidity required of a safety or speed. Gets stuck in mud at snap, the play needs to develop before he reacts. Tackle angle consistency needs to get better.
Overall 6th/7th - Yes, he has size but that doesn't get you drafted high. Clemons doesn't bring the hammer to be an enforcer and even if he did, his combine workout will probably be underwhelming. He should be a solid special teams contributor and developmental linebacker.
