After being selected in the second-round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Delaware, there were high expectations surrounding safety Nasir Adderley.
Unfortunately, he was unable to match those. His rookie season was held back by an injury and in his sophomore season, Adderley had his ups and downs in former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s scheme.
Heading into Year 3, Adderley could experience a breakout year since he will be playing for head coach Brandon Staley, a defensive mastermind who’s known for maximizing the potential of his players.
Up to this point, Adderley has done a great job of getting a full grasp of the new system.
In the classroom, the defensive back group used the game-based learning platform Kahoot! to compete through quizzes to test their football knowledge, and it was Adderley that dominated.
“We’re happy where Nas is at right now and we’re going to continue to put him in spots where he can express those things so that he can develop those things as we move forward,” defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill said.
The team believes that they will be able to get the most out of him by utilizing his versatility, where he can be flexed in the slot (Star) and fill a sub-package safety-linebacker hybrid role (Money).
Between Derwin James and Adderley, the coaching staff believes they have two starting safeties with positional flexibility who can operate comfortably in the deep part of the field and play closer to the line of scrimmage.