2018 NFL Draft: Safeties

This year’s safety class is good. It’s really good. It’s better than any safety class I can remember. Add on the fact that the positional classification of safties and slot corners is being muddled this is a good class. In general, the distinction between free and strong safeties is this: Free safeties are your single high safety that can roam sideline to sideline, where as strong safeties play in the box more often and play a more physical game. These are generalities, in an ever-changing game they become more and more worthless. Sorry that got dark, let’s talk about some good football players.

Free Safeties

1)     Minka Fitzpatrick, Jr, Alabama, 6’ 1/8”, 204 lbs. – Starter (7.6)

Stats – Tackles: 49, PD: 9, 40: 4.46, Short Shuttle: N/a, Vert: 33”, Broad: 10’ 1”

2)     Justin Reid, Jr, Stanford, 6’ 1/2”, 207 lbs. – Starter (7.4)

Stats – Tackles: 75.5, PD: 11, 40: 4.40, Short Shuttle: 4.15, Vert: 36.5”, Broad: 10’ 8”

3)     Tarvarius Moore, Sr, Southern Miss, 6’ 1 1/8”, 199 lbs. – Starter (7.2)

Stats – Tackles: 73, PD: 13, 40: 4.32, Short Shuttle: 4.20, Vert: 38.5”, Broad: 11’ 1”

4)     Godwin Igwebuike, Sr, Northwestern, 5’ 11 3/8”, 213 lbs. – Starter (7.1)

Stats – Tackles: 64.5, PD: 11, 40: 4.44, Short Shuttle: 4.12, Vert: 35.5”, Broad: 10’ 8”

5)     Marcus Allen, Sr, Penn State, 6’ 2 1/8”, 215 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.9)

Stats – Tackles: 49, PD: 9, 40: 4.46, Short Shuttle: N/a, Vert: 33”, Broad: 10’ 1”

Minkah is a smart athletic player who can play both FS and CB well. This isn’t a knock or a waffle it’s fact. He’s good, and your team should probably consider drafting him. Justin Reid would be good in any draft, but just happens to be slotted in a draft with Fitzpatrick and James, and therefore gets lost in the shuffle. Reid was everywhere in the Stanford defense and routinely makes you go back and re-watch a play to see where he came from. Moore is a good safety who blew up the athleticism portion of the off-season and will be rewarded handsomely. Igwebuike and Allen are the B1G safeties who aren’t the white boy that left Deion speechless. We all have our crosses to bear.

6)     Armani Watts, Sr, Texas A&M, 5’ 10 1/2”, 202 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.8)

Stats – Tackles: 49, PD: 9, 40: 4.46, Short Shuttle: N/a, Vert: 33”, Broad: 10’ 1”

7)     Jessie Bates III, RSo, Wake Forest, 6’ 1 1/8”, 200 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.6)

Stats – Tackles: 64.5, PD: 6, 40: 4.50, Short Shuttle: 4.25, Vert: 35.5”, Broad: 9’ 9”

8)     Natrell Jamereson, Sr, Wisconsin, 5’ 10 5/8”, 201 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.5)

Stats – Tackles: 41.5, PD: 12, 40: 4.40, Short Shuttle: 4.27, Vert: 35.5”, Broad: 10’ 3”

9)     Joshua Kalu, Sr, Nebraska, 6’ 1/4”, 203 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.5)

Stats – Tackles: 40.5, PD: 8, 40: 4.58, Short Shuttle: 4.25, Vert: 41.5”, Broad: 11’ 2”

10)  Kameron Kelly, Sr, San Diego State, 6’ 1 5/8”, 204 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.4)

Stats – Tackles: 61, PD: 11, 40: 4.66, Short Shuttle: 4.28, Vert: 33”, Broad: 10’ 0”

Strong Safeties

1)     Derwin James, RSo, Florida State, 6’ 1 3/4”, 215 lbs. – Starter (7.7)

Stats – Tackles: 66.5, TFLs: 5.5, PD: 13, 40: 4.47, Short Shuttle: 4.34, 3-cone: 7.34

2)     Troy Apke, Sr, Penn State, 6’ 1 1/4”, 200 lbs. – Starter (7.3)

Stats – Tackles: 45.5, TFLs: 3, PD: 6, 40: 4.34, Short Shuttle: 4.03, 3-cone: 6.56

3)     Dane Cruikshank, Sr, Arizona, 6’ 1 1/4”, 209 lbs. – Starter (7.1)

Stats – Tackles: 65, TFLs: 5.5, PD: 8, 40: 4.41, Short Shuttle: 4.24, 3-cone: 6.89

4)     DeShon Elliott, Jr, Texas, 6’ 7/8”, 210 lbs. – Starter (7.1)

Stats – Tackles: 56.5, TFLs: 8.5, PD: 15, 40: 4.58, Short Shuttle: 4.46, 3-cone: 7.22

5)     Foyesade Oluokum, Sr, Yale, 6’ 1 7/8”, 229 lbs. – Expected Starter (7.0)

Stats – Tackles: 50, TFLs: 9, PD: 5, 40: 4.48, Short Shuttle: 4.12, 3-cone: 6.94

Derwin James was shaking off rust to start the season but he finished with a flourish and reminded everyone of why he was revered coming into the season. James flies around the field and is an absolutely nightmare for an offense to scheme for. Apke, is the aforementioned white boy. The speed shows up on tape. Fin.

6)     Terrell Edmunds, Jr, Virginia Tech, 6’ 1/2”, 217 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.9)

Stats – Tackles: 44, TFLs: 2.5, PD: 6, 40: 4.47, Short Shuttle: N/a, 3-cone: N/a

7)     Kyzir White, Sr, West Virginia, 6’ 1 7/8”, 218 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.7)

Stats – Tackles: 80, TFLs: 7.5, PD: 7, 40: 4.69, Short Shuttle: 4.26, 3-cone: 6.96

8)     A.J. Howard, Sr, Appalachian State, 5’ 10 1/8”, 203 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.5)

Stats – Tackles: 54.5, TFLs: 3.5, PD: 8, 40: 4.51, Short Shuttle: 4.18, 3-cone: 7.06

9)     Asantay Brown, Sr, Western Michigan, 6’ 3/8”, 215 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.5)

Stats – Tackles: 77, TFLs: 6.5, PD: 4, 40: 4.62, Short Shuttle: 4.15, 3-cone: 6.86

10)  Trayvon Henderson, Sr, Hawaii, 6’ 1/8”, 208 lbs. – Expected Starter (6.4)

Stats – Tackles: 47, TFLs: 4, PD: 4, 40: 4.58, Short Shuttle: 4.15, 3-cone: 6.88

It’s a really nice draft for safeties and a good draft for freaky athletic safeties. If nothing else having fast relatively large men flying around football fields is fun to watch and probably the downfall of football (I know this is kind of a downer of a positional preview).

That’s the last of my positional previews. I’ll have a big board and hopefully have a cobbled together mock draft available tomorrow morning.