5’11” – 205 lbs. – 4.45
Originally attended Georgia, where he started four of ten games played as a freshman, totaling 25 tackles before transferring to junior college for a year. Started seven of twelve games the following season, posting 70-5.0-2.0 with five passes defensed, then followed that up with 99-9.0-3.0, intercepting two passes and breaking up another five. Very thickly-built defensive back with a rocked-up, maxed-out frame. Rangy safety who plays with toughness and physicality; loves to come up and deliver hits. Just an average athlete, but has an excellent motor which allows him to roam from sideline to sideline in order to bring down ballcarriers. Diagnoses effectively, then takes efficient angles to the ball, allowing him to fill the stat sheet. Active, heavy hands to shed blockers. Came in too hot and missed too many tackles during the junior-year games reviewed, but developed into a hit-and-wrap tackler with solid closing burst and who can generate plenty of force on contact to help set the tone; able to engage runners up high and sling them to the ground with extreme prejudice. Was frequently asked to line up over opposing slot receivers and work against them in coverage, those representing a higher share of his coverage snaps than deep zone responsibilities. Tended to play off-man, doing a solid job of keeping things in front of him; not a lot of wasted motion in his transition from backpedaling to shuffling, or from getting depth to planting and driving. Has pretty clean footwork on his backpedal and is able to flip his hips pretty well when he needs to turn and run. However, may lack the top-end speed to stick with slot receivers downfield at the next level, so he may not represent an ideal option for that type of role as a pro. Relies on his physicality to disrupt opposing route-runners, but needs to be careful in order to avoid penalties at the next level, specifically with regard to initiating contact too early at the catch point. Managed to record five sacks as a blitzer over the past two years, but has balance issues which sometimes crop up when he’s rushing off the edge; ends too many of his rush snaps in the dirt. Sort of a throwback to the intimidating strong safeties of years past, pounding runners and enforcing his will over the middle of the field. Aware in coverage, with fundamentally sound technique, but may struggle to match up with pro slot receivers because of his average speed.
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