Safety; The Quarterback Of The Defensive Unit

With a number of corners being projected inside to safety, the position has been upgraded tremendously. Look for a number of these athletes to upgrade a number of clubs within the league.

I really appreciate the skills athletic ability and versatility of Ohio State senior Malcolm Jenkins, but like many coaches and scouts within the league, I am concerned by his lack of true speed and or a burst. He is an even cut athlete with long arms, a muscular upper and lower body. He was particularly adept in press coverage, re-routing receiver off the go. I liked his feet, hips, awareness and zone cover skills. He is very bright and experienced. Can flip his hips naturally, but I somewhat question his turn and go speed when playing off or ability to run with the race horses consistently. Has top special teams and return ability. There is no question that in the right defensive scheme, Malcolm could be very effective corner, but the lack of quick speed and deep bust bothers me greatly.

Missouri safety William Moore had a disappointing 2008 season, but in spite of his uneven play, I thought there was no finer safety in the land than this Missouri Tigers’ product. He has excellent size, athletic ability, can come off the hash effectively in half coverage and based on his play as a junior (if you can do it once, you can do it) he had excellent ball skills. I liked the way he came up under control and fill the running lane. Good take on skills (physical with his hands). Needs to wrap with more consistency, but I thought he was a big hitter. Felt his hands were good (will high point the football – natural firm hands). Based on his 07 season, I thought he was a lottery pick, but injuries early in this past season caused him to play far more tentative. Has the ability to play quickly at the professional level.

Oregon safety Patrick Chung is a very good athlete with playing smarts and instincts. I felt he was quick to read and fill the running lanes. He makes all defensive adjustments. His hips and feet were more than adequate as was his man cover ability. In zone coverage I though he sorted things out very quickly and was particularly effective reacting to the thrown ball. A former top prep running back, he made an easy transition to the defensive side of the football. He has an extensive return and special team’s background, but I really didn’t think he was exceptional in either area. I believe he’s going to be a solid professional player and eventual regular, based on his versatility and overall playing skills.

Jairus Byrd, the son of former Chargers great corner Gil Byrd, might well be the classiest young men; I have come in contact with in all of my years in professional football. Very often when I or other members of the Rams scouting staff took the time to view some extra tape on a week end, it was not unusual to see Jairus and his dad studying game tapes and cutups. He really understood the game and even as a prep athlete, was working to improve his overall game. I was certainly impressed with his play this past season for the Ducks. He understands coverage’s, has the intelligence to make game time adjustments, showed excellent zone awareness and had good ball skills (I like the way he high pointed the football). His only negative in my opinion at the cornerback position was his lack of real speed (just not a race horse). In a cover two scheme he may well flourish, but for long range potential, I believe he would be better served to project inside. Teams play and punt return background is a real plus.

Rashard Johnson was one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2008 college football season. I was really impressed with his ability to sort things out and react. He is not what I consider a thug inside, but he consistently got people off their feet. I liked the way he filled the ally, his angles away, playing range and playing effort. Versus the pass, I thought he showed very good instincts, was not often fooled by play action and did a particularly good job of playing the deep ball. Maintained good position when covering the tight end and was alert to react to check downs in the flat. This player in my opinion will start and contribute quickly at the professional level. He has a great deal of savvy, ball skills and playing instincts. Wish he were bigger, but this is one very good football player.

Defensive Safeties

RK	Name	School	HT	WT	40	GR
1	Jenkins, Malcolm	Ohio St	6003v	204v	4.55v	1.15
2	Moore, William	Missouri	6001v	221v	4.47v	1.18
3	Chung, Patrick	Oregon	5112v	212v	4.52v	1.25
4	Johnson, Rashad	Alabama	5112v	201v	4.56v	1.26
5	Byrd, Jairus	Oregon	5101v	207v	4.64v	1.35
6	Delmas, Louis	W Michigan	5113v	202v	4.54v	1.36
7	Cook, Emanuel	So Carolina	5096v	197v	4.61v	1.37
8	Harris, Victor	Virginia Tech	5112v	198v	4.66v	1.40
9	Vaughn, Chip	Wake Forest	6013v	221v	4.47v	1.41
10	Brooks, Dominique	Tulsa	6006v	200v	4.50v	1.46
11	Williams, Bryan	Akron	5107v	195v	4.39v	1.47
12	Spillman, C.J.	Marshall	6000v	197v	4.49v	1.48
13	Bruton, David	Notre Dame	6020v	219v	4.44v	1.49
14	Martin, Sherrod	Troy	6010v	198v	4.51v	1.62
15	Sanford, Jamarca	Mississippi	5097v	214v	4.52v	1.50
16	Greene, Courtney	Rutgers	6002v	212v	4.56v	1.56
17	Nolan, Troy	Arizona St	6005v	206v	4.65v	1.58
18	Hamlin, Michael	Clemson	6020v	214v	4.61v	1.63
19	Afalava, Al	Oregon St	5110v	207v	4.46v	1.64
20	Clemons, Chris	Clemson	6001v	208v	4.38v	1.65

Free Agents

RK	Name	School	HT	WT	40	GR
	McClinton, Marcus	Kentucky	6002v	210v	4.55v	1.80
	Taylor, Curtis	LSU	6022v	209v	4.64v	1.80
	Goddard, Trimane	North Carolina	5091v	198v	4.69v	1.80
	Wiley, Otis	Michigan St	6010v	213v	4.73v	1.80
	Mitchell, Michael	Ohio U	6005v	221v	4.51v	1.80
	Holmes, Lendy	Oklahoma	6000v	206v	4.69v	1.80
	Hodge, Stephen	TCU	5115v	234v	4.59v	1.80
	McBath, Darcel	Texas Tech	6002v	198v	4.58v	1.80
	Hall, Devon	Utah St	6025v	212v	4.56v	1.80
	Lewis, Trey	Ball St	5113v	194v	4.67v	1.90
	Akins, Kevin	Boston College	6020v	218v	4.86v	1.90
	Anderson, Vincent	SE Missouri St	5114v	209v	4.53v	1.90
	Anderson, Victor	SE Missouri St	5115v	211v	4.55v	1.90
	Campbell, Brock	So Dakota St	6007v	205v	4.53v	1.90