For all prospects, information listed is name, height, weight, age (on draft day), and grade. All prospects with grades of day one or day two grades (third round or above) will have a brief summary as well. One key note with the grades is that an “8th” round grade means a player could easily be drafted and should be a priority undrafted free agent if he is not. Basically, it’s a prospect I think has a real chance to make an NFL roster but whom I would prefer to acquire as an undrafted free agent rather than by using one of my limited number of draft picks.
Tyler Nubin, Minnesota, 6-1, 199, 22.86, High 3rd
Nubin covers a ton of space in the secondary despite solid but unspectacular testing numbers (he was recovering from knee surgery during the draft process and may not have been testing at 100%) and plays more like a receiver than a defender when the ball is in the air. He’s the best pure cover safety in the class and will turn mistakes into interceptions rather than just incompletions. He uses his hands subtly and avoids penalties in coverage while still maintaining advantageous position against receivers. He looks more at home in zone coverage than in pure man situations but has the skills to play in any defense. He struggles more the closer he gets to the line of scrimmage, offering little as a blitzer, mixed results defending the run, and a tendency to give too much cushion against shorter passes while hoping to stay deep enough to make a splash play. He’ll be at his best if allowed to play as a free safety in a zone-heavy defense where he can focus on being a home run hitter and not worry too much about impacting every snap.
2. Javon Bullard, Georgia, 5-11, 198, 21.64, 3rd
Bullard has a great first step but limited athletic traits beyond that. He fights through blocks and has a larger impact against the run than his size would suggest, though a 6-2 wingspan might make that less a part of his game against NFL blockers. Coaches will love that he plays an intelligent brand of football and quickly diagnoses plays. Nothing I saw on his tape showed whether he could blitz, which could be a quirk of Georgia’s defense but also could be a concern. He looked good in coverage against college receivers but he occasionally got lost against quick breaks and that could be a bigger concern at the next level. The overall lack of elite athleticism is a concern but he plays the right way and coaches will trust him not to make mistakes.
3. Jaden Hicks, Washington State, 6-2, 211, 21.69, 3rd
Hicks has a great build and good athleticism that should allow him to fill multiple roles within the secondary. He plays a physical brand of football without getting too grabby in coverage. He’s more than willing to mix it up and get involved in the run game. He can survive on an island against tight ends given his size and movement skills and has a good feel for zone defense, moving around to take up additional space and breaking quickly on the ball when it comes out. He offers pretty good overall productivity and can even offer value as a blitzer on occasion. He’ll fit best as a strong safety who can walk up into the box on running plays but can hold his own in coverage as well.
4. Cole Bishop, Utah, 6-2, 206, 21.50, Low 3rd
Bishop is an explosive and rangy safety who moved up to linebacker in certain packages and looked perfectly comfortable near the line. He gets downhill quickly, both against the run and as a blitzer, and finishes through the ball carrier. He plays with more discipline and anticipation than most safeties with his athletic traits, though his aggression against the run does occasionally cause him to get fooled by play-action or to commit too quickly to a gap. He wasn’t asked to spend much time in man coverage against tight ends and didn’t look as comfortable in that role when he was asked to do it and his 6-1 wingspan won’t help him to recover from mistakes. He has a little Jamal Adams in his game in terms of playing a bit more like a linebacker than a traditional safety. His lack of coverage skills give me some pause but he could be an impact player if he gets into a defense that lets him blitz or play as a robber rather than as a deep safety or in man coverage.
5. Kamren Kinchens, Miami, 5-11, 203, 21.57, High 4th
6. Calen Bullock, USC, 6-2, 188, 20.99, High 4th
7. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech, 5-10, 197, 23.26, 4th
8. Kitan Oladapo, Oregon State, 6-2, 216, 23.54, Low 4th
9. Beau Brade, Maryland, 6-0, 203, 22.24, Low 4th
10. Tykee Smith, Georgia, 5-10, 202, 23.19, High 5th
11. Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest, 5-10, 209, 21.83, 5th
12. Josh Proctor, Ohio State, 6-2, 199, 25.08, Low 5th
13. Jaylin Simpson, Auburn, 6-0, 179, 24.11, High 6th
14. Jaylon Carlies, Missouri, 6-3, 227, 22.62, High 6th
15. Evan Williams, Oregon, 5-11, 200, 22.74, 6th
16. Sione Vaki, Utah, 5-11, 210, 22.74, 6th
17. Dominique Hampton, Washington, 6-2, 215, 23.75, Low 6th
18. Daijahn Anthony, Mississippi, 6-0, 195, 23.63, High 7th
19. Trey Taylor, Air Force, 6-1, 206, 23.24, 7th
20. Demani Richardson, Texas A&M, 6-1, 210, 23.55, 7th
21. Mark Perry, TCU, 6-0, 213, 22.90, Low 7th
22. Ryan Watts, Texas, 6-3, 208, 22.47, 8th
23. Tyler Owens, Texas Tech, 6-2, 216, 22.95, 8th