Future Investments: Safeties
Myles Simmons
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In this edition of our prospect breakdowns, we’re taking a look at the top safeties in the 2015 NFL Draft. While the position as a whole isn’t necessarily held in the highest regard this year, there are still valuable players who can come in and make an on-field impact in their rookie year. And there’s one safety who stands out above all the rest.
SAFETIES
Collins is universally thought of as the top safety prospect in this year’s draft, which is not too much of a surprise considering the system he played at Alabama. He’s a typical Nick Saban, hard-nosed safety who has a strong ability to make plays in the box.
In 2014, Collins was a unanimous first-team All-American, and also received first-team All-SEC recognition. He led the Crimson Tide with 103 tackles and three interceptions over the course of the season. He registered 190 tackles, 13 passes defensed, five interceptions, and three forced fumbles in his collegiate career.
While he’s mostly thought of as a strong safety for the NFL, Collins does have some experience playing free safety with Alabama. That said, according to his NFL.com draft profile, he’s been a little inconsistent in coverage and he does not have the best hands, making strong safety likely his best spot.
Ibraheim Campbell
A four-year starter at Northwestern, Campbell is another aggressive strong safety who can be characterized by his propensity to create turnovers. He missed four games due to injury in 2014, but still led the Big Ten with four forced fumbles playing just 56 percent of the Wildcats’ defensive snaps. Campbell had 54 total tackles, three interceptions, and three passes defensed last season to garner second-team All-Big Ten honors.
According to the team website, Campbell is third in Northwestern program history with 11 career interceptions and fifth with 24 pass breakups.
He did not participate much in February’s combine due to a hamstring injury, but did put up 23 bench reps to rank among the top performers at his position.
While his NFL.com draft profile says that his weakness is coverage, that’s somewhat to be expected as an in-the-box safety coming out of college. But his ability to create turnovers is likely an enticing aspect of his play for pro teams.
Cody Prewitt
Prewitt is also a four-year starter and he had plenty of success in the SEC at Ole Miss. He’s twice garnered first-team All-SEC recognition after strong 2013 and 2014 seasons. As a junior, he led the conference with six interceptions while also recording 4.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Then in 2014, he was named a second-team All-American after registering three interceptions -- including one returned for a touchdown.
At 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, Prewitt resembles an in-the-box safety, but his skill set has shown that he’s more adept in coverage. According to his NFL.com draft profile, he has shown good burst when it comes to closing in on a ball, especially when he’s playing as a “center fielder” type. He’ll likely be best as a Cover 2 or single-high coverage safety, at least early in his career.
Derron Smith.
Smith is a three-time first-team All-Mountain West honoree (2012, 2013, and 2014) and ranks as one of the top defensive backs in recent conference history. His 15 career interceptions ranks as second in the Mountain West since 2000. Statistically, Smith’s best season was 2013 when he registered 87 total tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, and seven interceptions to lead his conference.
While he’s a bit undersized as a safety at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Smith’s play has shown an ability to overcome that fact. His NFL.com draft profile says that he can play both in the box and as a single-high coverage safety, adding that he has the potential to be a plug-and-play slot corner as well.
Also worth a mention…
- Damarious Randall (Arizona State)
- Clayton Geathers (UCF)
- Jaquiski Tartt (Samford)
