Position group lacks Day 1 talent
Miami Dolphins columnist Omar Kelly continues our 10-part series looking at the top prospects in the upcoming NFL draft (April 29-May 1) with the safeties.
This isn’t a good year to address the safety position in the draft because there are only a couple of Day 1 starters talent-wise, and the rest of the class needs some refining. Expect a run at this position on Day 2, then plenty of activity on Day 3 when teams are trying to fill out their draft with special team contributors.
TCU’s Trevon Moehrig
The Jim Thorpe Award winner is a dynamic safety with cornerlike coverage skills. He capably matches up with slot receivers in space but doesn’t have the size (6-foot-1, 202) to match up well with a tight end.
He flashes outstanding range as a deep-center-field player but is an inconsistent tackler. His seven career interceptions in 34 games shows he has ball skills.
Oregon’s Jevon Holland
Holland is an instinctive ballhawk with phenomenal awareness. His ability to produce turnovers (nine interceptions) is his greatest asset. He has fluid hips and enough speed to turn and run.
The biggest concern is whether or not his size (6-1, 207) will be an issue in run support. He ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and bench-pressed 225 pounds 19 times, ending some concerns about his speed and strength.
Indiana’s Jamar Johnson
His combination of vision, field awareness and instincts make him the safety-nickel hybrid for which most teams are looking. Johnson is a fast riser in the draft because of his upside and instincts at the position.
He’s a willing tackler, but he needs to clean up his technique issues before he can be viewed as a safety comfortable playing in the box.
Virginia Tech’s Divine Deablo
Deablo’s blend of size (6-3, 226) and speed (4.46 in the 40) makes him the ideal safety needed to defend today’s spread offenses because he has the size and speed to cover a tight end and tailback, and the physicality to work in the box like a linebacker.
However, his coverage in man-to-man needs some work.
Central Florida’s Richie Grant
A solid week at the Senior Bowl, and an impressive pro day have Grant on the rise. He can be used all over the field and is a productive playmaker.
He contributed 291 tackles, 10 interceptions and one sack in 48 games for UCF. He’s a willing, physical tackler, but he needs to improve his open-field tackling.
Best of the Rest
Injuries have been the great equalizer for the safety position because talents such as Florida State’s Hamsah Nasirildeen, Syracuse’s Andre Cisco and Cincinnati’s James Wiggins, who are all overcoming ACL injuries, might be drafted lower than their talent merits because whichever team selects them will need to be patient.
There’s a decent amount of in-the-box safeties such as USC’s Talanoa Hufanga, Arizona State’s Aashari Crosswell, Auburn’s Jamien Sherwood, LSU’s JaCoby Stevens and Missouri’s Joshuah Bledsoe.
Class Grade: C
This year’s safety crop features a handful of quality starters in the NFL, but most of the talent available will be role players and special teams contributors. The handful of teams that need single-high safeties will select them early, and the in-the-box safeties will be pushed down the draft board, possibly being taken a round or two lower than their talent merits.
Teams in Need
The Ravens, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants, Washington, Minnesota, and Tampa Bay are all in the market for an upgrade at the safety position. But don’t be surprised if another half dozen teams select a safety late because they usually bring good value, especially as special teams contributors.
Dolphins’ focus
Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe, two former cornerbacks, excelled in their roles in their second full season as safeties in Miami’s scheme. McCain serves as the scheme’s signal-caller and last line of defense, and Rowe locked down most of the tight ends Miami faced with a few exceptions. Brandon Jones, a 2020 third-round pick who contributed 59 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble, should continue to blossom in his second season and could potentially replace McCain or Rowe.
Don’t be surprised if the Dolphins add another young safety in the draft with the intent to bring him along slowly for financial reasons. McCain is slated to make $6.4 million in 2022, and Rowe could earn $4.55 million that season if all his roster bonuses are earned. If Miami wants to get younger and more cost efficient at safety, it’ll do so through the draft and a year earlier than needed.