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- Demani Richardson – Texas A&M
Richardson could align at either strong safety or nickel. He displays solid awareness, tracks the ball well and turns his head in coverage. Richardson is good at snatching throws put in his direction and he does well at hustling around the field. He has plenty of agility and balance but doesn’t have the best footwork. Sometimes he gets turned around in coverage by opening up his hips too much and Richardson unfortunately gave up a pretty high QBR when targeted.
Player Comparison: Eric Rowe
Projection: 7th Round – UDFA
Best Fits: Carolina, Jacksonville, Philadelphia (Wild Card – Houston)
- Jontrey Hunter – Georgia State
Hunter will best align at strong safety but was actually an undersized linebacker in college. He does well when playing in the box or at least close to it. Hunter is valuable in run support and is athletic enough to be a successful blitzer. He can match up against tight ends in coverage and displays pretty decent agility. Hunter has a good feel for getting around blocks and his awareness is adequate. He is slower on the straight-line speed side of things. Even with a high IQ, he will be raw for a while due to the looming position change.
Player Comparison: Jabrill Peppers / Hamsah Nasirildeen
Projection: 6th – 7th Round
Best Fits: Indianapolis, New York Jets, Tampa Bay (Wild Card – Green Bay)
- Jalen Green – Mississippi State
Green will best translate to the league as a nickel safety/corner. He does best when facing the action and has strong hands combined with quick reactions. Over the middle of the field, he has shown himself to be a hard hitter and he is a bit rangy. Green is built more like a corner and due to the lack of size, he has some inconsistencies in his tackling technique. Sometimes he plays a touch too high and can be a bit slower off routes than a true corner.
Player Comparison: Quindell Johnson
Projection: 5th – 6th Round
Best Fits: Minnesota, Indianapolis, Arizona (Wild Card – Kansas City)
- Evan Williams – Oregon
Williams could either play at free safety or nickel. He possesses adequate speed and some length. Williams is a fairly fluid mover and is an alert zone defender. He has some burst downhill, making him solid in run support. Williams is fairly patient and wraps up when the ballcarrier gets to him. He has an athletic build but is pretty lean and could afford to add some muscle. Williams plays a lot of trail due to his weaker recognition skills in coverage and getting a step behind. He is not the most physical much likely prevents him from playing strong safety.
Player Comparison: Geno Stone
Projection: 5th – 6th Round
Best Fits: Tennessee, San Francisco, Los Angeles Chargers (Wild Card – Las Vegas)
- Jordan Toles – Morgan State
Toles is a versatile safety with a solid frame and good speed. He has a low backpedal and has decent instincts in coverage. His ball skills are great but Toles actually offers even more value against the run. He consistently wraps up, plays patient and works hard to get off of blocks. In some ways he has more of a linebacker’s mentality. Toles is fairly savvy, rangy and plays with high amounts of effort. Sometimes he does get a bit lazy with the fundamentals in coverage and plays a ton in the trail position. Occasionally Toles slips off of tackles and could finish a bit more consistently.
Player Comparison: Ronnie Hickman
Projection: 7th Round – UDFA
Best Fits: New York Jets, New York Giants, Dallas (Wild Card – Indianapolis)
- Sione Vaki – Utah
Vaki played both safety and running back in college which gives some added value in emergency situations. He will most likely be best at strong safety because he is a downhill, physical and strong run stopper. Vaki also likes to blow up screens. With being a running back, Vaki has solid ball skills and knows how to high point the football. He is very raw which means there is plenty to work on in the near future. Vaki needs to tighten up his angles and find some consistency in his game.
Player Comparison: Sydney Brown / Andrew Wingard
Projection: 4th – 6th Round
Best Fits: Cincinnati, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona (Wild Card – Washington)
- Kenny Logan Jr. – Kansas
Logan could align at either nickel or SS. He is a hard hitter with natural instincts and speed in pursuit. He has plenty of awareness and likes to chase down ballcarriers. In coverage he is susceptible to double moves and needs to wrap up as a tackler. Logan could also afford to add more weight this offseason.
Player Comparison: D’Anthony Bell
Projection: 5th – 6th Round
Best Fits: New Orleans, Washington, Kansas City (Wild Card – Jacksonville)
- Josh Proctor – Ohio State
Proctor could either be a strong safety or nickel as a hard hitting, nasty tackler with plenty of eagerness to attack downhill. He is an effective blitzer and is not afraid to stick his nose in traffic to hit the ballcarrier. Proctor displays good tracking speed and reacts quickly, often jumping routes. He can be sloppy in coverage and the later the play goes on, the slower he starts to react. Proctor’s game is not predicated on downfield coverage and that is where he will have some struggles.
Player Comparison: Ronnie Harrison Jr.
Projection: 4th – 6th Round
Best Fits: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Seattle (Wild Card – Detroit)
- Malik Mustapha – Wake Forest
Mustapha is a strong safety with a stout build and enough athleticism to make a difference in coverage. He has decent straight-line speed and is an explosive mover. Mustapha likes to attack downhill, making him dangerous in run support and he most certainly has the desire to lay some lumber. Despite being a disruptive player, Mustapha is too handsy and tends to get beat over the top. He has a sloppy backpedal and slow transition which needs to be improved.
Player Comparison: Josh Metellus
Projection: 3rd – 5th Round
Best Fits: New England, Atlanta, Arizona (Wild Card – New Orleans)
- Kitan Oladapo – Oregon State
Oladapo is a long strong safety and his size combined with willingness to tackle makes him a force to be reckoned with each game. He is a natural in space and could be considered a thumper. Oladapo possesses decent body control, happens to be good in zone coverage and can high point the football with ease. He does lack recognition skills and he is raw in coverage. Oladapo could also afford to be more consistent with his finishing ability.
Player Comparison: Jartavius Martin
Projection: 4th – 5th Round
Best Fits: Indianapolis, New York Jets, Seattle (Wild Card – Houston)
- Cole Bishop – Utah
Bishop is a true free safety with speed to cover tight ends and slot receivers effectively. He is a good blitzer with smooth movements and a willingness to tackle. Bishop happens to be best in zone coverage which allows him to track the ball in the air and show off his good ball skills by making a play. Bishop is not overly physical in part because of his lean frame. He will need to consistently wrap up.
Player Comparison: Reed Blankenship
Projection: 3rd – 4th Round
Best Fits: Tennessee, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston (Wild Card – Green Bay)
- Beau Brade – Maryland
Brade could either align at deep single high safety or even in the nickel. He is a tough player with a desire to hit and plenty of value against the run. Brade has solid length and can still change direction without issues. He usually takes accurate angles in pursuit and also has good route recognition. Brade was not tested a ton in college because quarterbacks avoided throwing in his direction. Sometimes he is a step slow on his reactions and he faces some issues when in zone coverage.
Player Comparison: Tashaun Gipson Jr.
Projection: 3rd – 4th Round
Best Fits: Tennessee, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston (Wild Card – Green Bay)
- Renardo Green – Florida State
Green is a true nickel that appears to be a tweener between safety and corner. He has a low backpedal and is successful at mirroring quickness on underneath routes. Green can change direction quickly, displays good instincts and looks explosive. He is a fairly fluid mover which helps him get to the football and flash his ball skills. Sometimes Green is too conservative and he is not a top end tackler. He tends to jump underneath routes which can come back to bite him.
Player Comparison: Tony Adams
Projection: 3rd – 4th Round
Best Fits: Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Philadelphia (Wild Card – Minnesota)
- Jaden Hicks – Washington State
Hicks is a strong safety that can play in the box as an aggressive tackler with ability against the run. He is a player that always hustles and finds ways to get in the mix consistently. Hicks takes good angles to get to the ballcarrier and is physical at the point of attack. Hicks can match up against bigger receivers, assisted by his vertical leap and length. He closes to the ball quickly as well which can disrupt plays. Hicks is not super instinctive in coverage and will tend to give too much cushion. He also has a sloppy backpedal that needs refined.
Player Comparison: Jayron Kearse
Projection: 2nd – 3rd Round
Best Fits: Dallas, New York Jets, Tampa Bay (Wild Card – Seattle)
- Dadrion Taylor-Demerson – Texas Tech
Taylor-Demerson is either a nickel or deep safety in the NFL. He manages to turn his head quickly and closes to the ball well. Taylor-Demerson is excellent in zone due to his high awareness and patience. He is the master of making QBs pay for late throws and his is a good hitter. Taylor-Demerson does not have elite size or speed and he tends to give too much cushion in zone coverage.
Player Comparison: Trevon Moehrig
Projection: 2nd – 4th Round
Best Fits: San Francisco, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami (Wild Card – Arizona)
- Tykee Smith – Georgia
Smith could align at either FS or SS. He has plenty of strength and is a tough tackler with high energy. Smith is physical against the run and plays like a dangerous, heat-seeking missile. Smith has plenty of awareness in zone but his route recognition does hold him up in man a touch. He could afford to add more weight to his frame only has okay speed. Smith could tighten up his pursuit angles but that won’t hold him up from seeing the field early.
Player Comparison: Chris Smith II
Projection: 3rd – 4th Round
Best Fits: Seattle, Buffalo, Los Angeles Rams (Wild Card – Atlanta)
- Kamren Kinchens – Miami FL
Kinchens will excel as a nickel safety. He reads and anticipates routes quickly, then reacts and makes a break to the ball. Kinchens has a knack for reading the eyes of the quarterback and then snags some interceptions on ill-advised throws. He is a willing tackler with toughness, good strength and flashes of physicality. Kicnhens can be overly aggressive in man coverage which gets him beat deep. When in off-man coverage, Kinchens gives too much cushion and he misses some tackles when he gets out of control.
Player Comparison: C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Projection: 2nd – 3rd Round
Best Fits: Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, New Orleans (Wild Card – Chicago)
- Javon Bullard – Georgia
Bullard is a free safety with instincts, decent consistency and strong awareness. He is good in zone coverage, anticipates throws and flashes physical hands. Bullard has good speed and quickness with the ability to change directions, allowing him to cover underneath. He is good downfield against the run as a last line of defense happens to be decent in press man or off coverage. Bullard will give too much cushion, allowing big plays. He has room to get stronger even though he can currently hold up against the NFL.
Player Comparison: Juan Thornhill
Projection: 2nd – 3rd Round
Best Fits: Los Angeles Chargers, Washington, Carolina (Wild Card – Seattle)
Watch as Cole unveils the top 3 – highlights included!
