Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
A few solid seniors and many unpolished juniors
Miami Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly breaks down the 2018 NFL draft in a 10-part series. Florida State’s Derwin James – James is a smooth athlete with loose hips, who changes directions with ease. His coverage skills indicate that he can play over the slot, and his ability to defend the run well has many experts projecting that he’ll be a strong safety in the NFL. But he has the range needed to play free safety.
Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick – Fitzpatrick played cornerback and safety during his college career, and has the speed, size and athleticism to play both in the NFL. He pulled down nine career interceptions and returned four of them for touchdowns at Alabama.
Alabama’s Ronnie Harrison – Harrison has good size (6-2, 207 pounds) and athleticism, and was productive (177 tackles, seven interceptions) throughout his career at Alabama despite playing behind a ton of NFL safeties. The only knock on him is that some question his instincts on the field.
Stanford’s Justin Reid – Reid is the younger brother of former 49ers safety Eric Reid, and possesses a similar game. He’s solid in run support, and has the speed and coverage skills to defend receivers man-to-man. But there are some concerns about his tackling.
Virginia’s Quin Blanding – Blanding was a four-year starter who recorded 100 or more tackles all four seasons, and pulled down 10 interceptions during his collegiate career. There are some concerns about his lack of speed (4.63 in 40-yard dash), short arms (31.7 inches) and small hands. But he played the ball well and is a physical player.
Best of the rest: Wake Forest’s Jessie Bates III, Penn State’s Marcus Allen, West Virginia’s Kyzir White, Texas’ DeShon Elliott, Texas A&M’s Armani Watts, Louisiana’s Tracy Walker, Pittsburgh’s Jordan Whitehead and Virginia Tech’s Terrell Edmunds should all get drafted, but most of these safeties will have to wait until the third round because the supply far exceeds the demand for this position this year.
Class grade: C Last year six safeties – Jamal Adams, Malik Hooker and Jabril Peppers in the first round, and Budda Baker, Marcus Maye and Marcus Williams in the second –
were taken in the draft’s first 50 picks. Last year’s record-breaking haul, which saw 56 defensive backs get drafted, left the cupboard a bit bare. There are a few solid senior contributors like Penn State’s Marcus Allen and West Virginia’s Kyzir White, but most of the top-rated safeties are juniors who came out a year early, even though they would have benefited from more polishing.
Teams in Need: The Buccaneers, Broncos, Browns, Raiders, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Steelers all need safeties. And the Seahawks, Chiefs, Saints and 49ers might join that list depending on what they do with free agents like Kenny Vaccaro, Ron Parker and Eric Reid, and where Earl Thomas lands in a trade the Seahawks want to get done.
Dolphins’ focus: Reshad Jones, a twotime Pro Bowler, and T.J. McDonald are both physical forces, but their skills overlap. The vision is for them to be interchangeable, but someone has to man centerfield and cover tight ends. Neither of them excels in those roles. The Dolphins are hopeful that Maurice Smith takes a step forward in his second season, but it might be beneficial to draft a safety late to give Smith, Trae Elston and Jordan Lucas some competition.