I couldn’t get to five LB or safety prospects to talk about at this point so I’m dropping both of the positions at the same time. There are some other LBs like Carson Schwesinger (UCLA), Smael Mondon Jr. (Georgia), or Demetrius Knight Jr. (South Carolina) that will be ranked by different people but I haven’t spent enough time on them to get a great feel. LB isn’t a high priority position for most teams so these are mid-round guys. LBs matter but teams just don’t invest high draft capital unless a guy really stands out. Here’s the guys I have.
Linebacker
1. Jalon Walker (Georgia): Walker is a bit of an enigma. Georgia lined him up as an off-ball LB but his best plays come when he’s a pass rusher. Unfortunately for him, he 6’2 245 lbs. and is a little small to be a full time pass rusher. He also lacks the top end athleticism that a guy like Abdul Carter has. In the right defense, he’s a monster, in the wrong defense, he’s a complete bust. Some people have him rated as an edge rusher but I’m just unsure that’s his full-time position, he’s a polarizing prospect for sure.
2. Jihad Campbell (Alabama): He’s still a young, developing player, he doesn’t turn 21 until late February. He’s 6’4 244 lbs. and moves very well for a guy that size. His combination of speed and size at his age makes his ceiling quite high. He can work on some technique things like lowing his pad level when he tackles and fighting off blocks but those are coachable skills. Could play multiple LB positions so that helps too.
3. Barrett Carter (Clemson): Carter is undersized but he’s been a solid prospect for a couple of years. He’s definitely a guy who should be used in a subpackage and not as an every down LB to start. He can work on his coverage skills but he’s a good athlete and he can play in the NFL.
*Others player to note: Jay Higgins (Iowa): I’m not going to pretend I’ve been finding a lot of hidden gems in the LB class. It’s not a great group. I wanted to mention Higgins but it’s not the best report. Higgins went to the Shrine Bowl and his measurements are not going to help him. He was barely 6’0 225 lbs. and he’s short-armed and runs a little stiff. He doesn’t have the lateral quickness you would hope from a guy that small. That also means he’s probably only a middle LB prospect. Those things are not going to help him get drafted. That’s the bad news. The good news is he has better LB instincts than half the guy in the NFL. His ability to diagnose a play is uncanny and it gives him an edge. Higgins is going to have to make a team as a special team’s demon to start and hope someone gives him a shot at LB. It’s going to be hard to be a run thumping MLB at his size but there have been small guys who have done it. If he gets drafted, it won’t be high, but once he gets to a team, I’m not betting against him.
Top 3 Safety Prospects
A lot like the LB spot, I just don’t have a lot of these guys I’m really high on and I haven’t gotten deep enough to really like guys like Kevin Winston Jr (Penn St) or Andrew Mukuba (Texas). Starks is the only safety prospect I like near the top of the draft. I’m seeing mock drafts with Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina in round one and that seems too rich for my blood. He’s a hell of a physical specimen but I’ve seen too many tweeners suck because teams don’t know what to do with them. In five years is he playing LB on is third team and trying to figure it out? If you think that can’t happen go look at Kyzir White’s career. He may be having a nice career for himself but ti’s not something you want to see if you spent a first round pick on that guy. Someone should just play it smart and take Sebastian Castro later in the draft, you can thank me later.
Safeties
1. Malaki Starks (Georgia): Starks is the best safety in the class and I don’t think it’s particularly close. He’s great coming downhill to stop the run and he’s athletic enough to play deep. He has good awareness and hands to make plays in the passing game. He doesn’t have the best technique if you want him to run with a smaller, faster player but his pluses far outweigh his minuses. He’s the only safety I would take in round one.
2. Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina): This is a big safety at 6’3 227 lbs. but he doesn’t always play like it. At times he looks like a freak who can dominate any game at any time. Other times, he vanishes a bit. He might be too much of a tweener where teams aren’t sure if he’s a safety or a LB. Some guys excel at the position but others never find their way. A team with a plan on how best to use him will be best.
3. Xavier Watts (Notre Dame): Watts isn’t the most fluid athlete and can be beat by speed but he brings it every play. He won’t be outworked on the field and he’s just a ball player. There are more athletic safeties, there are faster safeties, there are bigger safeties, but there aren’t many better safeties. If you’re going to bet on a day two safety, take Watts.
*Other player to note: Sebastian Castro (Iowa): This is a bit of a homer pick but there just aren’t a lot of safeties in this class that I like. Castro played the Cash position at Iowa which is a hybrid LB/S position and he played in the slot as the nickel corner which is probably where teams will look to use him. He has the size to play the safety spot and the coverage ability to be a real asset for a defense. He’s a high character, high IQ guy and those guys tend to stick in the NFL. Like Jay Higgins, he may have to initially make his living on special teams, but he did that at Iowa before he got the chance to start on defense so it won’t be a problem. Like so many other Iowa DBs before him, Castro will outplay his draft slot, that’s what Phil Parker trained guys do.
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