2011 NFL Draft Preview: Safeties

Safeties are my favorite position in football.  You have to have the athleticism to play man or zone coverage, you have to have the physicality to shed blocks and bring down ball carriers that have made it past your linebackers, and you have the intelligence and awareness to recognize what the offense is doing before the play even starts.  (I also played safety so I'm slightly partial to these guys as well.)  There are two main different types of safeties, strong safeties and free safeties.  Strong safeties play closer to the line of scrimmage and are generally better tacklers often being asked to come and help in run support or cover the tight end one on one.  Free safeties tend to be more zone coverage oriented playing toward the very back of the defense and helping their cornerbacks with coverage over the top but serve as the last line of defense against any ball carriers that break past the rest of the defense.  In today's NFL, you have a variety of these two types of safeties playing at a high level.  Some safeties are big bruising strong safety types like Troy Polamalu and LaRon Landry while others are more rangy, fluid free safety types like Ed Reed and Eric Berry.  (I played free safety because I'm a little more rangy and better at recognizing offensive schemes than I am at coming up and piledriving a ball carrier into the ground.)  This year's class has a few good safety prospects but none have yet stood out as transcendent talents.

(The safeties are positioned where the FS and the SS are at the back of the defense.  FS designates free safety and SS designates strong safety.)

1. Rahim Moore (UCLA)
Out of a very weak safety class, Rahim Moore has distinguished himself to be considered the best.  He has favorable size at 6'0" and 202 lbs which will aid him in shadowing larger NFL receivers and attacking more physical NFL running backs.  Moore's talents revolve around his ability to patrol the middle of the field like a centerfielder.  He has excellent range and quickly diagnoses plays allowing him to jump routes and disrupt the timing of the offense.  Great hand-eye coordination make Moore at threat to come up with interceptions on a regular basis causing opposing quarterbacks to shy away from deep throws.  The conglomerate of these skills make Moore a true playmaker in terms of the deep passing game.  He has weak man coverage skills often being beat by shifty slot receivers and he tends to play aggressively leading him to being caught out of position on play action.  He does not have the physicality or bulk to engage ball carriers consistently which might be slightly concerning.  In short, Moore projects as a free safety type with his excellent zone awareness and ball skills.

2. Quinton Carter (Oklahoma)
Out of all the safeties in this upcoming draft, Quinton Carter has the best physical stature.  At 6'1" and 208 lbs, he is big enough to shadow taller receivers but still possesses the bulk to engage aggressive running backs.  Though he is not exceptionally fast, Carter moves fluidly allowing him to stick on shifty slot receivers in man coverage.  He is fantastic at patrolling the deep middle in zone coverage using his play recognition skills to move into position against a play and anticipating routes to disrupt the flow of the play.  While he is not a brutal tackler, Carter takes good angles and can effectively wrap up the ball carrier.  His biggest drawback as a safety is his average vertical which can prevent him from breaking up jump balls against leaping receivers in the mold of Calving Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald.  Carter also struggles at shedding blocks when trying to reach the ball carrier and can often be removed by the picture.  However, his general awareness in terms of play recognition will make Carter a good free safety at the next level.

3. Ahmad Black (Florida)
If you're coming out of high school and want to one day become a great defensive back, be a Gator.  Superstars such as Reggie Nelson, Joe Haden, and Major Wright all refer to the University of Florida as their alma mater.  Though he is not as talented as these former Gators, Ahmad Black still has plenty to offer as an NFL prospect.  At first glance, there is nothing imposing about Black.  He is only 5'10" and 184 lbs, very small for an NFL safety.  He is not lightning fast on the field either and doesn't seem to have much of chance in winning jump balls.  However, Black makes up for his physical shortcomings with intelligence and ball skills.   He notices tendencies of the opposing offense and moves himself into position before the ball is snapped.  Additionally, Black's instincts help him determine where a play is headed.  He breaks on the ball very quickly allowing him to disrupt the passing game and make interceptions.  Despite his small stature, Black excels against the run and refuses to yield yards to the ball carrier.  So while Black lacks prototypical safety size, he has the smarts and the skills to make a difference as a passionate strong safety.

2011 NFL Draft Preview: Cornerbacks

They can be either the most electric players or the most boring players on a defense and still be considered elite. Some cornerbacks make interception after interception throughout a season while other cornerbacks simply stick to their man like glue forcing the quarterback to find other options downfield.  Like all defensive backs, cornerbacks must have great speed and agility to stay with their man as well as possess the athleticism to break up a pass and the ball skills to close in on an errant throw.  Cornerbacks play both man and zone in various schemes and are primarily involved in coverage.  However, cornerbacks must have the tackling technique and the physicality to stop any outside runs or bring down a receiver who gets the ball.

1. Patrick Peterson (LSU)
This guy is a physical freak.  Patrick Peterson is 6'0" and 219 lbs but still clocks in at 4.34 in his 40 yard dash.  His tremendous speed and agility have allowed him to excel as both a cornerback and a punt returner on the college level and will translate to covering both speedy receivers like DeSean Jackson and physical receivers like Calvin Johnson.  Peterson has the awareness and explosion to stay with his receiver in man coverage and also possesses the instincts and intuition to be effective in a zone heavy scheme.  He is an especially physical cornerback using his hands violently to disrupt timing routes in press coverage though he does struggle to shed blocks in terms of run support.  Peterson's most remarkable attributes are his body control and his ball skills.  These are displayed on regular basis during his punt returns but also when he makes fantastic interceptions.  This talent forces quarterbacks to be wary when throwing in his direction.  But Peterson's athleticism has made him cocky to a certain degree.  He tends to play routes very aggressively and can get fooled by play action or burned by double moves.  Despite this lack of concentration, Peterson's physical tools make him one of the best cornerback prospects of all time. 

2. Prince Amukamara (Nebraska)
Though he cannot make the spectacular plays that have put Patrick Peterson on highlight reels in draft rooms across the nation, Prince Amukamara is still considered an elite cornerback.  He has great size at 6'0" and 206 lbs which will allow him to more effectively cover larger NFL receivers like Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald.  He has a modest 40 time of 4.43, and though he does have better agility than straight line speed, he still does not possess the elite fluidity of other cornerbacks like Charles Woodson or Darnelle Revis.  Amukamara is a larger cornerback that uses his strength to outmuscle receivers while possessing sound tackling technique to come up in run support.  However, what separates Amukamara from other cornerbacks is his intelligence on the field.  He reads the offense well and is rarely caught out of position when the ball is snapped.  Additionally, he is able to diagnose plays quickly without being too aggressive and leaving his man wide open.  This makes Amukamara an especially attractive option for any team come draft day.

3. Aaron Williams (Texas)
 After Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara, there is a sizable drop in cornerback talent but this does not mean that the rest are bad prospects.  Actually some of the other cornerbacks like Aaron Williams are very good prospects but don't possess the elite athleticism or football IQ that the top two cornerbacks do.  Williams is 6'0" and 204 lbs making him another large cornerback in this year's draft.  Because his straight line speed is rather lacking, he has to play with sound positioning and works to quickly recognize routes.  Williams has quick feet to help him mirror agile receivers and possesses the ball skills to get in between larger receivers and the ball to make interceptions.  While he tackles consistently, Williams does not have the physicality to shed blocks in run support and can be over aggressive in pursuit.  He also plays coverage very aggressively, leaving him susceptible to play action.  But overall, Williams possesses the size and skills to be a solid cornerback at the next level.

2011 NFL Draft Preview: Middle Linebackers

Back in the days of bruising fullbacks and the "three yards and a cloud of dust" philosophy, the middle linebacker was the most important player on the defense.  It was his job to not only tackle the ball carrier, but to impose his will on anyone who dared to come in his vicinity.  Greats such Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary made names for themselves for their aggressive, hard-hitting style of play.  While the middle linebacker is no longer the undisputed king of the defense, he is still one of the most integral positions on the team.

(In a 4-3 defense, there is only one middle linebacker who are positioned between the two outside linebackers and behind the two defensive tackles.)

(In a 3-4 defense, there are two middle linebackers who are positioned between the two outside linebackers and on either side of the nose tackle.)

1. Martez Wilson (Illinois)

Martez Wilson is certainly the most physically gifted of all the linebacker prospects entering this year's draft.  He is 6'4" and 250 lbs, meaning he has great height on a solid frame.  Wilson also moves very quickly as evidenced by his 4.49 time in the 40.  He started his career as a defensive end so he could be a problem on a middle linebacker blitz.  But his greatest attribute is his sideline-to-sideline range which helps him follow plays and track down the ball carrier quickly.  His inadequacies in both zone and man coverage must be corrected to become a more dominant linebacker but Wilson does have the physical tools to accomplish this.

2. Greg Jones (Michigan State)

Without a doubt, Greg Jones possesses the best awareness out of this group of linebackers.  Despite only being 6'0" and 241 lbs, he compensates for his lack of measurables through his range across the field and his relentlessness in pursuing the ball carrier.  Jones has fantastic tackling technique and is not afraid to lay the lumber on his oppenents.  While he is fantastic in zone coverage, Jones does not possess the speed to stay with quicker receivers in man coverage.  Additionally, he is often overwhelmed by blockers when the play goes directly up the middle.  Still Jones's fantastic intangibles outweigh these shortcomings.

3. Quan Sturdivant (North Carolina)

Fantastic cover skills and a knack for quickly reading plays makes Quan Sturdivant stand out as a linebacker in this year's draft.  He has a great 40 time at 4.50 and demonstrates that speed on the field by quickly attacking ball carriers and covering faster receivers and backs in the passing game.  Sturdivant also uses great tackling technique to stop the ball carrier in his tracks.  However, his 6'1", 241 lbs frame does not match well when blockers are coming straight at him and he is quickly brushed aside.  Additionally, Sturdivant plays so aggressively that he is susceptible to play fakes and misdirection, often leaving him in the wrong position.  Yet, Sturdivant exciting and dynamic style of play will definitely warrant him being drafted in the early rounds.