To get a better look at the Detroit Lions undrafted free agent safety Jeremiah Dinson, let’s take a look at how draft analysts evaluated him in their 2020 NFL Draft guides and website profiles.
The Athletic
Evaluator: Dane Brugler’s “The Beast”
“A confident competitor, Dinson collects his lower body to break on throws or attack downhill in run support, sticking his shoulder into the ball carrier and driving his feet to finish. However, he can be baited out of position with questionable instincts from deep coverage. Overall, Dinson cut down on the mental mistakes as a senior, but his corner safety tweener skills might leave him without a natural position at the NFL level.”
NFL.com
“Dinson’s toughness and consistency of play are obvious on tape, but he’s a defensive back who doesn’t quite fit the physical/athletic pieces together in finding a position. He’s built like a cornerback playing safety but runs more like a linebacker, and he doesn’t have the size teams look for in a safety roaming the box. He has excellent instincts and recognition underneath, but lacks the coverage range and short-area burst to disrupt catches at the desired rate. He might need to add weight and lock into a role as a special teams worker bee and a dime safety, but the lack of speed is a big hindrance.”
Pro Football Focus
“Dinson is another in a long line of college players whose athletic traits simply don’t measure up to what teams are looking for in the NFL. He got protected a lot in a box role for Auburn in his career where he could matchup with tight ends or wrap up in space on screens well. When asked to play on the back end though it was a different story. He showed very limited range and it’s something teams won’t even risk at the next level. To play box full-time though in the NFL, you need a bit more size than Dinson’s listed 191 pounds. At that point, he’s a man without a real position.”
Summary
All three analysts came to the same basic conclusion: Dinson’s size and traits may leave him as a positionless player in the NFL.
Teams often shy away from tweener prospects, as they are challenging to place into a defined role, but the Lions’ have often found homes for untraditional prospects. When you look at the guaranteed money the Lions have invested in Dinson, it appears they have a plan of where to use him and are willing to gamble on his upside.
Detroit Lions signed undrafted rookie Jeremiah Dinson to free agent deal that includes $80,000 guaranteed, with $30,000 signing bonus and $50,000 base salary guarantee
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 26, 2020
Based on Dinson’s struggles in deep coverage, and above-average success in coverage and tackling, he appears pegged for the Lions slot safety role. But knowing where he fits on the roster is only part of the equation.
Dinson’s first obstacle will be the Lions’ depth chart as Will Harris and Jayron Kearse are currently expected to rotate through the slot safety role and both are clearly ahead.
But not all is lost for Dinson.
At the end of the day, Dinson’s path to the roster role probably won’t be determined by what he does on defense but more than likely what he does on special teams. That will put him in direct competition with last year’s undrafted free agent C.J. Moore, who held down the Lions fifth safety role and was a starting gunner in 2019.
It’ll be a tough road for Dinson to make the roster, but Moore showed it can be done, and based on the Lions’ investment in him, they think he has a chance.