2018 NFL Draft: Safety
Phenomenal safety class with two potential All-Pro’s. Safety has been an evolving position and this draft has multiple prospects that can make plays anywhere on defense.
Derwin James-S-FSU-6’2”-215-Top 20-97
What a monster. Watched him play a few times last year and was consistently blown away by how impactful he was at all three levels of the defense. Some may say he’s too bulky for the modern safety but you could say the same thing about Landon Collins and Jamal Adams. When James gets his hands on you it’s over. Derwin has great length including 33” arms that allow him to fend off blockers. His athleticism gets him away from the remaining blockers and with a 4.47 second 40 and 40” vert he can get pretty much anywhere he wants on the field. Now his strength is playing downhill not covering the deep half, but anyone drafting him knows that and should use him accordingly. By all accounts he’s a worker and especially a leader. He’s one of those guys that makes an entire defense better the way Malcolm Jenkins and Tyrann Mathieu can. Derwin is a neck and neck prospect with Jamal Adams, but I also see the Eric Berry comparison, though Berry was a superior coverage player in college.
Minkah Fitzpatrick-S-Alabama-6’1”-201-Top 15-93
Another fixture for the Crimson Tide will hear his name called on day 1 of the draft. Nick Saban’s operating a damn factory down there and if you’ve seen them play over the last 3 years you’ve heard this kid’s name a lot. He took over the mantle from Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and ran with it. He’s a lean athlete that covers a lot of ground running a 4.46 in the 40. I have a list of concerns with Minkah. He was surrounded by overwhelming talent in college that creates a ton of space and opportunities for the floater position that he excelled in. Also, he is not an exceptional coverage player, much like Derwin James and other first round safeties before him, and Minkah has a leaner more wiry build that I don’t think translates quite as well to being a downhill playmaker. That is not to say Fitzpatrick will not be a very good NFL player, he’s the 6th ranked safety I’ve ever scouted, I just view him as more of a jack of all trades guy instead of dominating the game. Now that may be more appealing to some teams, but that’s my reasoning for dropping him to the bottom half of the first round. Malcolm Jenkins on field comparison is spot on.
Justin Reid-S-Stanford-6’1”-204-2nd-91
NFL bloodlines with this one as his older brother is Eric Reid, formerly of the 49ers. Little brother Justin has some burst in his game. He backs up nice size for the position with a 4.40 in the 40, a 36.5 inch vertical and an out of this world 6.65 second 3 cone. He’s not an exceptional tackler, or even a physical one at that, but he got the job done in 2017 to the tune of 99 tackles including 6.5 for a loss. But the real reason I think he’ll be drafted in the first round is what he brings to the table against the pass. He has the ability to play man or zone and can convert interceptions, he had 5 in 2017. I struggle to find any real weakness in his game as he seems like a heady player with terrific closing speed.
Van Smith-S-Clemson-5’11”-185-3rd Day-50
Productive player for Dat Boy. Undersized safety but he’s only a few pounds lighter than Devin McCourty. Smith isn’t afraid to tackle, but his best attribute is fluid athleticism he uses in coverage. I don’t have much to say about him other than he jumped out to me last season and could develop into a starting caliber safety if his instincts improve enough to overcome 4.61 speed.