2019 Draft Preview: Safeties
March 22, 2019
by Steve Thomas
Now that the excitement of the start of free agency is past us and the Redskins made a couple of quality moves, it’s the perfect time to get back to focusing on the draft. With the addition of Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins to man the strong safety position in the Redskins’ cover 3 defense, the team is still in the market for a safety who is more of a rangy, coverage type who is best suited to be a free safety. Fortunately, the team has plenty of draft picks this year and will have options; not only that, but the Redskins historically draft a large number of defensive backs as compared to other teams, so it’s a pretty safe bet that this year will be no exception. With the team somewhat overloaded on young-ish corners, it seems more probable that the team will choose to draft a safety this year to pair with incoming stalwart Landon Collins. So, who’s available? This is not a class that has elite, very top of the draft candidates as was the case in some other years. Let’s check out some of this year’s draft-eligible safeties. As I always say, I’m not a professional scout. #notascout. I’ve prepared this piece through my own personal non-expert analysis and by studying the analysis of real experts. The rankings are mine.
1. Deionte Thompson, 6’1” / 195, Alabama. Thompson isn’t necessarily the consensus top-ranked safety in the draft, although some analysts do have him as #1, but the fact that he’s from Alabama may make him the Redskins’ top safety product simply for that reason alone. He played in 29 games in three seasons for the Crimson Tide after redshirting his freshman year, with 112 total tackles, including 69 solo and 43 assisted tackles, and 3 interceptions. His productivity exploded this past season when he was given the starting role, eventually earning 1st team AP All-American and All-SEC honors. He did not perform at the Combine or the Alabama pro day because he’s been recovering from surgery to repair a broken wrist. Some have questioned his athleticism – and those questions remain unanswered due to his injury – but he has quality instincts and football IQ. Hw’s known to have good coverage abilities and has experience playing single-high safety in cover 1, but only has limited experience in man coverage. This is the type of player who would complement the Redskins’ new but now-entrenched strong safety Landon Collins very well and would provide Washington a high-quality safety tandem for years to come. Plus, Alabama, and you know what Bruce Allen thinks about that. He is projected to be a mid to late first round pick.
2. Taylor Rapp, 6’0” / 208, Washington. Rapp played in 39 games in three seasons for the Huskies, with 168 total tackles, including 103 solo and 65 assisted tackles, and 7 interceptions. He was selected as a First-team All-PAC 12 member in both 2017 and 2018. He had the toughness to overcome blatant racial discrimination (Rapp is of Chinese decent) and very difficult personal circumstances in high school. He has comparatively limited athleticism in some respects – he didn’t run the 40 yard dash at the Combine but was timed at 4.74 seconds coming out of high school, and jumped just 9’7” in the broad jump. However, he ran the 3 cone drill in 6.82 (third of all safeties), and also had the top 60 yard shuttle time in the entire Combine (11.33 seconds), and the second-fastest 20 yard shuttle (3.99 seconds). He’s physical, technically sound, and smart. He’ll be more of an in the box safety in the NFL, which is why he may not be on the Redskins’ radar, but he should be drafted sometime in the second round.
3. Johnathan Abram, 5’11” / 205, Mississippi St. Played in a total of 33 games in college, including 8 at Georgia in 2015 before he transferred to Jones County Junior College for the 2016 season, and then to Mississippi St for 2017 and 2018. Had a total of 195 tackles in three seasons, including 107 solo and 88 assisted tackles, with 2 interceptions. He was a Third-Team AP All-American in 2018. He’s a tough, hard-hitting run stuffer and in the box specialist with potential as a nickel-backer in the NFL. Highly rated and a few analysts consider him to be on a par with or better than Thompson. Abram is most likely a low first second or high second round pick.
4. Nasir Adderley, 6’0” / 206, Delaware. Adderley was a 2018 AP FCS (i.e., I-AA) Second-Team All-American, and had 87 tackles and 4 interceptions last season. He was not able to participate in the NFL Combine due to a high ankle sprain, but reportedly runs the 40 in the 4.50 range. Some analysts view him as an NFL corner due to his coverage skills and inconsistency in his recognition and anticipation as a deep safety. He’s projected by most to be a second round pick.
5. Juan Thornhill, 6’0” / 205, Virginia. Thornhill was a three year starter at Virginia, playing in 38 games in four seasons, with 208 tackles, including 141 solo and 67 assisted tackles, and 13 interceptions. He had a highly productive 2018, with 98 tackles and 6 interceptions, earning a First Team All-ACC selection in 2018. Thornhill is athletic in some respects, running 4.42 in the 40 yard dash, posted a 44 inch vertical leap (1st overall at the Combine) and jumped 11’9” in the broad jump (1st overall) at the NFL Combine, although he’s not known to be overly agile. Thornhill has good coverage skills and may end up being a corner in the NFL, although he is good in zone coverage and has the skills to play in single-high coverage, which is what the Redskins need. His destiny in terms of the safety position is at free, not a strong. Grades for Thornhill are a bit varied, with some ranking him as high as the second-best safety in the class, but he appears to be draftable in the low second or high third round.
6. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, 5’11” / 210, Florida. Gardner-Johnson played in 35 games in three seasons for the Gators, and made a total of 161 tackles, including 92 solo and 69 assisted tackles, and also made 9 interceptions. He ran 4.48 in the 40 yard dash and jumped 36 inches in the vertical leap at the Combine. He was the MVP of the Outback Bowl in 2017 and the MVP of the Peach Bowl in 2018. He has good range and versatility, but also has coverage skills and is viewed by most as a free safety in the NFL, which is what the Redskins need most. I think he’s probably a third round pick.
7. Amani Hooker, 5’11” / 208, Iowa. Played 25 games in 3 years for Iowa, with 125 total tackles, including 80 solo tackles and 45 assisted tackles, and 6 interceptions. At the NFL Combine, he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.48 seconds, and had a 37 inch vertical leap, 10’3” broad jump, and did the 3 cone drill in 6.81 seconds, which was the second-best time for a safety behind USC’s Marvell Tell. He earned the 2018 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year Award. He’s not known as overly athletic, although his measurables at the Combine were good, and probably isn’t best suited for a single-high role, which is what the Redskins need, but has some size and a reputation for being able to effectively cover tight ends. He is roughly projected to be selected in rounds three or four.
8. Darnell Savage, 5’11” / 198, Maryland. Savage played 40 games in four seasons for the Terps, making 182 tackles, including 139 solo and 43 assisted tackles, and 8 interceptions. He earned Second-Team all Big 10 honors as a senior. Savage doesn’t have the typical bulk that most NFL teams want in a safety, but he is athletic, doing very well in some of the Combine measurables with a 4.36 40 yard dash and a 39.5 inch vertical leap; however, his 20 yard shuttle and 3 cone drill times (4.14 seconds and 7.03 seconds, respectively) were fairly pedestrian. He’s an aggressive, big hitter and a playmaking ball hawk, so much so that it will sometimes get him in trouble. He has quality coverage skills. With good coaching, he could be an ideal free safety for a team willing to be patient with him. His main drawback is that he isn’t built like the prototypical bulky NFL safety. Savage is projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick.
9. Evan Worthington, 6’2” / 212, Colorado. Worthington played 21 games for the University of Colorado in 2017 and 2018, making a total of 128 tackles, including 83 solo and 45 assisted, with 4 interceptions that time. Earned an Honorable Mention All-PAC 12 selection in 2018. At the NFL Combine, Worthington ran the 40 yard dash in 4.63 seconds, jumped 10’1” in the broad jump and 33.5 inches in the vertical jump. He has character questions resulting from his year-long 2016 suspension from the team at Florida; also saw playing time as a true freshman in 2015. Has good overall skills and has a chance to be successful as both a free and strong safety. He’s most likely a late round pick due in part to the lingering character questions.
10. Jacquan Johnson, 5’10” / 191, Miami. Johnson played 48 games in his four-year career at Miami, with 252 tackles, including 139 solo and 113 assisted tackles, and 8 interceptions. He was a Second-Team All-American in 2017, and a Second-Team All-ACC selection in both 2017 and 2018. He’s not overly athletic, running just 4.69 in the 40 yard dash, jumping 33 inches in the vertical leap and 10’1” in the broad jump. He’s undersized but has quality intangibles and was a team captain. He’s known as an aggressive, big hitter, and does well in the box but doesn’t have the speed to be a big-time NFL free safety. His draft grades are all over the place, with some analysts having him ranked in the high 80s, meaning round 3, but most don’t rank him in the top 100.
11. Marvell Tell, 6’2” / 198, USC. Tell is on this list principally because he annihilated the objective testing portion of the Combine. He did not run the 40 in Indianapolis because of an ankle sprain, but jumped 42 inches in the vertical leap (5th overall), 11’4” in the broad jump (4th overall), 4.01 seconds in the 20 yard shuttle (3rd overall; 2nd amongst safeties behind Taylor Rapp), and 6.63 seconds in the 3 cone drill (2nd overall). He did not run the 60 yard shuttle. His 40 time is supposedly in the 4.50 range. Tell played in 47 games in his four-year Trojan career, making 220 tackles, including 127 solo and 93 assisted tackles, and 5 interceptions. He earned Honorable Mention All-PAC 12 honors in 2018. He’s yet another safety prospect this year who lacks the ideal bulk that NFL teams look for at safety. 4.50 in the 40 isn’t spectacular, but has the range to play the single-high safety role, and is known to have coverage skills and vision. His major questions are his effort, hustle, and tackling ability. His draft grades are all over the place, with Gil Brandt claiming he’s a top 50 selection and others not putting him in the top 150.
Overall, the 2019 class is most likely not going to produce the next Sean Taylor or Ed Reed, but there are quality prospects who could help the Redskins. Deionte Thompson has to be at the top of Washington’s list as a result of the team’s abnormal fascination with Alabama players, but players such as Juan Thornhill, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Darnell Savage, and Marvell Tell all feature the kind of skills that could be of value to the Redskins.
What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below.