Tag: 2024 nfl draft safeties

2024 NFL Draft: Georgia safety Javon Bullard scouting report

Georgia safety Javon Bullard put just about everything he could on tape in the last two seasons, in radically different ways.

Georgia’s defense in 2023 under Kirby Smart wasn’t quite the historic unit it was in 2022, but it was still pretty darned good, and one reason it was pretty darned good was the work of safety Javon Bullard, who allowed just 14 catches on 26 targets last season for 119 yards, 68 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 34.0.

This in a season where he went from a primary box/slot/blitz player the season before to an outstanding free safety and slot defender. That’s not exactly easy to do, but Bullard did it, and this speaks highly to not only his NFL transition, but also his versatility within that transition.

The 5-foot-11, 198-pound Bullard should also be an asset in any defense where coverage switches are the order of the day, and that includes just about any intelligently-designed defense these days.

PLUSES

— Underwent a radical change in deployment last season from 14% deep in 2022 to 83% in 2023 (from 12 to 362 reps at free safety) and didn’t miss a beat.
— Has the transitions, trail ability, and downfield speed to hang with quick receivers on vertical routes.
— Can erase receivers over the middle and in short areas; his quickness to adjust is fine. The tape example below of Bullard shutting Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall down in press slot is really impressive; press slot is tough for most defensive backs to get right. 
— You have to go back to 2022 to see it, but he’s a highly effective blitzer from the edge with speed off the snap, and determination to get home.
— Brings true sideline-to-sideline speed to the field, and the acceleration to close shows up over and over.
MINUSES
— Bullard has far too many “Ole” tackles on his tape where he flat-out misses his target. Seven missed tackles last season.
— Has good recovery speed in space, but tends to need it too often. He’ll need to be more aware of his landmarks in the NFL.
— Struggles at times with his backpedal and turn, though he’s got the athleticism to tie that up.
— Ball skills are inconsistent; if he gets that going, he could be a major interceptor.

Bullard is a guy where you really have to watch his last two seasons because what he was asked to do was so different. As much as any safety in this class, he brings a full array of skills, and it’s all on tape. I’ll be fascinated to see how his NFL team uses him.

2024 NFL Draft: Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin scouting report

Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin has just about every attribute required for NFL success… if he can just clean up a few rogue elements.

After Antoine Winfield Jr. left Minnesota and became a star safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL draft, it was eventually up to Nubin to be the tone-setter in the back of the Golden Gophers’ defense. Nubin really started to live up to that in the 2021 season when, in 341 coverage snaps, he allowed eight catches on 26 targets for 128 yards, 35 yards after the catch, one touchdown, three interceptions, three pass breakups, and an absurd opponent passer rating of 21.5.

In the two seasons since, the 6-foot-1, 191-pound Nubin has been one of the NCAA’s most efficient coverage safeties. In 2023, he gave up six catches on 20 targets for 90 yards, 38 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, five interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 39.6.

There are a few things about Nubin’s NFL transition that cause a bit of concern that don’t show up in the metrics, but are obvious on tape. He’s got the capacity to be a top-tier deep-third safety at the next level if he works those things out. He’s not at Winfield’s level when Winfield came out of college, but the tools are impressive, and the development curve could be highly rewarding.

PLUSES
 
— Smart, aggressive defender in coverage when he’s got the target in front of him and can use his smooth backpedal to match and cover.
 
— Very quick to hide in the weeds and jump routes for pass breakups and interceptions; Nubin has a great sense for that.
 
— Will use that sense of timing to break to receivers and prevent receptions with hits.
 
— Has the open-field speed and lateral agility to credibly cover sideline-to-sideline when he’s in single-high, or half the field when in two-high.
 
— Comes down like a shot from the box and deep third to tackle at the line of scrimmage; when it works, it’s great. When it doesn’t, well…
 
MINUSES
 
— Recovery speed at the turn of the route is inconsistent; there are times when he’s on his target, and other times, he’ll be a step behind.
 
— Needs to work over the receiver too often and can run into trouble in tight spaces.
 
— Can be waylaid from the box to the deep third by receivers running quicker, more angular routes.
 
— Needs to process run fits more accurately; reads can be predetermined and he’ll hit the wrong gap.

— Similarly, he’s not always accurate with his tackling angles, and it shows up pretty clearly on tape. He had 35 missed tackles through his career at Minnesota.

Nubin has a ton of talent, and I’d love him in a quarters-heavy defense, but his NFL team will have work to do with run fits, tackling, and decisiveness in coverage. He’s not a project per se, but I’d struggle a lot with a first-round grade. I’d also like to see him in the box more often so he’s not trying to get to running backs from 20 yards upfield all the time.