#5 Duke Williams, S, Neveda

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Jsmith1119

HGT: 6-0 WGT: 190

YR: Sr Pos: S

Notables:

2012: 105 tac, 5.5 tfl, 1 int, 9 pbu, 3 ff
Second-Team All-Mountain West

Pros:

Solid height
Consistently productive year after year
Shows very raw athleticism on the field
High energy player with an aggressive nature
Exudes confidence on the field
Game changer
Comfortable in his back pedal (gets on his heels at times but not often)
Good range
Good ball skills
Comfortable making tackles in the open field
Very good at filing the lane quickly against the run
Great lateral quickness
Good read and react skills (with exception of some play action)
Plays with ideal knee bend and posture
Fairly adequate in man to man on the college level(although technique does need to improve)

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#16 Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Jsmith1119

HGT: 6-0 WGT: 208

YR: Sr POS: S

Notables:

2010 : 64 tkl, 3.5 tfl, 2 ff, 3 int, 9 pbu
2012: 84 tkl, 12 tfl, 4 sac, 4 ff, 8 int (3 for TDs), 5 pbu

Pros

Coming off arguable the most productive year of any safety entering the draft
The ability to see run and come down quickly
Plays fairly well in the box
Exceptional ball skills
Better than most safeties in man to man coverage
Adequate ability to cover TEs and slots
Looks comfortable in all coverages
Shows good aggression when coming on blitzes
Knows when to jump a route to make a play
Knows how to roam effectively when having the free or spy assignment
Good in space

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#6 Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Jsmith1119

HGT : 6-0 WGT: 190

YR : SR Pos: CB

Notables:

2012 First Team All Pac -12
45 Straight Starts

Pros

Good size
Natural instinct you can’t teach
Knows how to be active with his hands in coverage
Great ball skills
Knows how to get off of WR blocks
Fluid hips
Shows good awareness when in zone coverage
Good footwork
All around fundamentally sound
Very good in press coverage
Not afraid to stick his nose in and make a tackle
Rarely allows a WR to get separation
Great straight line speed

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#14 Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Jsmith1119

HGT: 6-0 WGT: 182

Notables:

2012: 34 tack, 5 tfl, 2 sacks, 7 ints
1^st Team All Pac – 12
2012 Consensus All – American

Pros:

Great ball skills
Fundamentally sound footwork
Comes out of breaks quickly and with explosion
Off man coverage is good
Great foot-speed
Doesn’t allow WR to get much separation
Good hips
Good football awareness
Good pad level when transitioning in and out of breaks
Shows good balance

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#22 Matt Elam, SS, Florida

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Jsmith1119

HGT: 5-10 WGT: 202

YR: Jr Pos: SS

Notables:

2012(as of 11/26/12): 65 tack, 10 tfl, 1sack, 4 ints, 5PBU, 1 FF
2011: 78 tack, 11 tfl, 7 PBU, 2 FF

Pros:

Solid frame
Plays with good knee bend and leverage
Has good footwork
Fills the lanes quickly against the run when coming from the deep safety position
Physical with WRs at LOS when in coverage
Naturally instinctive playmaker
Great in the open field
Exceptional when playing in the box
Has good explosion
Isn’t easily blocked on the perimeter by WRs
Fearless and aggressive hitter
Instinctive in zone coverage
Competent in man to man coverage

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#7 Tyrann Mathieu, S/Nickel, LSU

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Trey Randall

HGT: 5-9 WGT: 186

YR: JR POS: S/Nickel

Pros:

Possesses rare instincts
Good straight line speed for Safety/Nickel, closing speed
Good lateral foot quickness
Exhibits balance and body control
Competitor
Productive
Good motor
Excellent ball skills
Displays a since of urgency
Consistently attacks ball in both Run and Pass game, ability to dislodge ball from ball carrier
Looks to support in the Box versus Run
Transitions quickly out of pedal while in off coverage
Properly drives upon the tackle (Trust his eyes)
Delivers a good initial blow upon the tackle
Gets vertical quickly in Return game
Good speed off perimeter while blitzing (Stays tight)

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#28 Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Jsmith1119

HGT: 6-1 WGT: 199

YR: JR Pos: CB

Notables:

2012: 44 tackles (27 unassisted), 4 tfl, 1.5 sacks, 2 INT, 14 PBUs, 16 defl, 1 FF, 1 block

Pros:

Good size
Long arms
Plays with good pad level and posture
Shows quickness out of his breaks
Good straight-line speed
Good ball skills
Good instincts and vision when in zone coverage
Impressive footwork

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#27 Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Jsmith1119

HGT: 6-1 WGT: 217

YR: JR POS: CB

Notables:

2011: 43 tckls(36 solo), 1.5 tfl, 1 int & 4 PBUs
Preseason watchlist for the Bednarik Award & Nagurski Trophy

Pros:

The size of an NFL safety playing corner
Knows how to use his hands effectively in coverage
Likes to play physical
Exceptional in press man
Versatile, can play anywhere in the secondary
Plays like a safety when lined up in the box
Great ball skills
Knows how to fight off of blocks
Wants to be involved in the running game
Good hips

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#1 Eric Reid, S, LSU

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Jsmith1119

HGT: 6-2 WGT: 212

YR: JR POS: S

Notables:

2011 Rivals.com Second-Team All-American
2011 (AP) Second-Team All-Southeastern Conference
2011 76 tackles, 3 PBUs, 2 FF

Pros:

Ideal size and length
Good not great in man to man coverage, but seems comfortable
Very comfortable making plays in the run game
Not afraid to hit
When he does make his read and commits he is violent and aggressive
Plays the spy and cloud in the passing game very well
Does a great job make plays on the ball in between the hashes when playing in the middle of the field

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#13 Johnthan Banks, CB Miss State

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Jsmith1119

HT: 6-1 WT: 185

YR: SR Pos: CB

Notables

2011 Semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award
2011 – 8 TFL, 3 Sacks, 3 FF, 9 PBU, 5 Ints
2012 Preseason 1^st Team All-American (Athlon) & 2^nd Team All-American (Phil-Steele)
32 Career Starts before the start of 2012

Pros

Good height and length for a corner
Great footwork, very smooth and quick coming out of breaks
Comfortable in most coverages, although he may have problems in press man in the NFL
Knows how to use his hands effectively in coverage
A knack for making plays on the ball when he is being thrown at
Good pad level and knee bend when transitioning out of breaks
Technique is refined
When passes are completed on him he brings receivers down quickly not allowing much YAC
Played some safety in the past
Fierce competitor who steps up when needed
Can return kicks