Jordan Laube
Mar 295 min
Welcome back to a special edition of this years' PRR, where we'll be looking at both Safeties and Nickelbacks! The motivation behind today's combo piece is that we're seeing more safeties eventually transition into slot defenders once they enter the league, and this class is loaded in box safety and nickel talent. Due to today's special format, we'll be ranking the top 4 free safeties, top 4 box safeties, and top 4 nickelbacks.
For most guys, I'll be using their snap rate at each position, plus their measurables, to determine where their best fit will be in the NFL. This may not be exactly how it plays out, but it's how I see their skillset and production matching up at the next level. I'll also be ranking them by where I have them graded in a collective "Rover Ranking". Next to their overall rank will be an indicator of where they fare at their specific position grouping (FS for Free Safety, SS for Strong/Box Safety, and NB for Nickelback).
Now that the housekeeping's out of the way, let's see how these guys stack up!
Photo: Caylo Seals/The Corsair
Bullock is decent enough to play over the top and take away chunks of the field, or underneath from the box. He's had minimal opportunities to show off his ball skills, but has made plays on a good chunk of them. He struggles in man coverage and tackling guys who get a head of steam against him. Putting him in the box may help eliminate his weak spots and take advantage of his strengths.
Pro Comp: Darnell Savage
Overall, I liked what I saw out of Phillips. Andru is a physical slot corner with nice ball skills. He can line up outside if needed and can play in most schemes. His run support could improve from an over-aggressiveness standpoint, but he comes in with his hair on fire and isn't afraid of contact. A solid nickel for any team that needs one.
Pro Comp: Cameron Sutton
Simpson has some great tools to be a solid box safety in the NFL; he covers well, can fly downhill to help support in the run and short game, and he's a good tackler in the open field. He'll have to put on some weight and be more physical taking on blockers, buy could be a solid mid-round addition for a team looking to add a solid player to their secondary.
Pro Comp: Damontae Kazee
With some impressive film, Mustapha has clips where he does it all. He was the heart and soul of Wake Forest's defense; he tackles well, can rush the passer and take on blockers, and can cover. He does need to play with more nuance and be more sound, but that'll come with experience. I really liked what I saw from him.
Pro Comp: Josh Metellus
DTD is a physical free safety who isn't afraid to deliver a blow to ball-carriers or blockers. He screams downhill and plays well in coverage. His tackling technique needs improvement, as well as his man coverage, but he'll fit in nicely into a modern NFL defense with his skillset outside of that.
Pro Comp: Quandre Diggs
Photo: Colin E Braley/AP Photo
From watching his impressive tape, it's clear Javon has a ton of range and good ball skills to be a great cover safety, and he fills in the run pretty well. He needs to take better angles at times and get better with his coverage technique in order to be a complete defensive back. He could be a game wrecker in the right system.
Pro Comp: Jalen Pitre
Nubin is a really solid player. He's physical for a free safety and has great ball skills to match it. He needs to improve in deep zones to become the top free safety in this class, otherwise he has great pursuit, tackling, run fits, and a natural instinct for the safety position.
Pro Comp: Malik Hooker
I know his combine was lackluster, but the tape doesn't lie, Kam is the best free safety in this class. He has a great sense of where to fit in coverage based on what he sees in front of him, has intensity when flying downhill and cover ground, and a unique skillset for his position.
Pro Comp: Xavier McKinney
I know I'm technically cheating here, but I have my reasons. Ennis played just over 100 snaps at nickel, but excelled there with his man coverage, as well as his support in the run game and in tackling. Ennis is a downhill menace who doesn't back down from blocks and plays a lot bigger than he actually is. For those reasons, I'd think he'd be best as a nickel, but could play outside if needed.
Pro Comp: Chris Harris Jr
I might be naïve, but as of right now, Cole is my top safety. He flows well in coverage, has incredible range and downhill trigger, is a great tackler in space and in the box, as well as an overall dawg. He has a few lapses when reacting to plays and tackling, but that can be forgiven with how his aggressive play style normally pays off.
Pro Comp: Justin Simmons
Photo: Laura Seitz/Deseret News
Sainristil quickly became one of my guys. He's a hard hitter, great in both man and zone coverage, played all over the secondary, covered some top end receivers in this class, and rarely got beat in coverage. Mike is a complete DB who will be a fantastic nickel at the NFL level. No notes.
Pro Comp: Kareem Jackson
If your only knock is that you're older and your gap integrity is shaky sometimes, then you're a damn good player. Tykee covers well and has good ball skills, can play downhill against the run and stop ball-carriers in their tracks, and can blitz from any angle. I'm impressed with his play style and can't wait to see him take over games at the next level.
Pro Comp: Desmond King
Photo: John Bazemore/AP Photo
Final Notes:
Josh Proctor, Kitan Oladapo, and Jarrian Jones round out the top 5 for FS, SS, and NB respectively. Each do things well for their positions, but not as well as the others above. I think they will be fine additions to any defense and have a shot at getting playing time early.
Join me at the start of next week for a look at the best interior offensive linemen in this class!