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.