The 2020 NFL Combine on-field workouts begin Thursday, February 27th in Indianapolis but the safeties won’t take the field until the final day of on-field drills — Sunday, March 1st.
This is the final article in this year’s Lions Wire NFL Combine series, where the writing staff has identified players they will be tracking in order to determine potential fits within the organization.
If you missed the previous articles in this series, be sure to check out our quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, interior defensive linemen, EDGE rushers, linebackers, and cornerbacks previews.
Safety traits to evaluate
There are several on-field drills that emphasize a player’s abilities and the main areas Lions’ scouts will likely be focusing for the secondary are:
- Balance through the hips, watch when they’re asked to flip sides
- Backpedal, quick feet
- Fluid speed/acceleration when they change direction
- Tracking with their eyes
- Natural hands catching
Grant Delpit, LSU
Suggested by: Max Gerber and Scott Warheit
Once considered a lock for the top-10, parts of Delpit’s skill set were exposed in 2019, including a surprising lack of consistency as a tackler. If teams attribute this decline to injury — he was and currently is dealing with a banged-up ankle — then he could be higher on NFL boards then most perceive right now.
While the tackling issues will likely be a problem for teams — especially the Lions — he has a ton of other skills, that collectively are difficult to find in one package. Delpit is highly intelligent, possesses sideline-to-sideline range, is explosive to the ball, can drop in the box and can roam centerfield.
That positional versatility will be appealing to the Lions and if they want to use Will Harris in the box more in 2020, Delpit is arguably the best single-high safety in this class.
Xavier McKinney, Alabama
Suggested by: Derek Okrie
McKinney has more positional flexibility than he gets credit for — having played in the box, over the slot, and single-high at Alabama — and has an incredibly reliable skill set. He is highly intelligent, an aggressive tackler, comfortable in space, can cover tight ends and running backs, and has a nose for the ball. McKinney is another top option, who if added to the Lions secondary, would give them three position-fluid athletes.
It wouldn’t be at all surprising if McKinney was the top safety on the Lions draft board.
Ashtyn Davis, California
Suggested by: Bryce Rossler
Another safety capable of playing single-high, over the slot, and in the box, Davis’ instincts aren’t as polished as McKinney or Delpit, but he could be the next safety off-the-boards immediately after them. Like Delpit, he is most comfortable up top where he can use his track athlete range to attack. Davis has a nose for the ball and the aggressive demeanor to make plays, filling the playmaker role the Lions are desperate for in their secondary.
Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyme
Suggested by: Scott Bischoff and Ty Finch
At 6-1, 217 pounds, Dugger is a rare athlete who looks like a linebacker but has a safety-like range. His physical strength and nose for the ball always keep him in the play, even when it looks like he will get lost in the wash. His lack of experience playing high-level competition is his only true knock but he showed the gap was much smaller than anticipated when at the Senior Bowl last month.
In the Lions scheme, he would fit into the Tavon Wilson role, and if you are a fan of Isaiah Simmons but don’t want to pay the high cost, Dugger is a player to keep on your radar on Day 2.
Antoine Winfield, Minnesota
Suggested by: Erik Schlitt
Despite being listed as a redshirt sophomore, Winfield is not as young as he appears, turning 22 years old during the season after receiving two medical redshirts in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he lit the Big Ten on fire with nine turnovers — seven interceptions and two forced fumbles — and is capitalizing on his momentum by making the jump to the next level.
Winfield is strong in coverage and run support, using angles and excellent fundamentals to close down lanes. He is most comfortable at the single-high position, relying on his intelligence, instincts, and closing burst to make plays on the ball.
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Jordan Chinn, Southern Illinois
Suggested by: Jeff Risdon
At 6-3, 219 pounds, Chinn joins Dugger — and Isaiah Simmons if you consider him a safety — as draftable options with rare size for the position. He looks like a box safety/undersized linebacker but his background as a corner shows through when he is tasked with covering a tight end or running back. With the Lions, Chinn would likely fill the Tavon Wilson role.
Brandon Jones, Texas
Suggested by: Matt Urben
Jones trusts his eyes and has the speed to run will all sorts of offensive skill players at the intermediate and deep levels, but his best work is when he stays in zone concepts rather than man coverage. In the Lions scheme, Jones would fit in mostly as a single-high safety with the potential to occasionally drift over tight ends and wide receivers in the slot.
Antoine Brooks, Maryland
Suggested by: Zack Moran
A box safety who can live in shallow zones but not man coverage, Brooks is an aggressive tackler who will make his living as a situational/reserve defender and special teams standout. Fitting him in the Lions scheme will be challenging but he could fill the Tavon Wilson role if he wasn’t asked to cover as often.
Tanner Muse, Clemson
Suggested by: Sonja Greenfield
At 6-2, 230 pounds, Muse is bigger than a few of the true linebackers in this class. With the Lions, he could be an option as a Miles Killebrew replacement, as he can contribute on every special teams unit and could be a situational reserve WILL linebacker.
