For the second straight season, NFL teams put defenses with six defensive backs (dime defenses) more often than they did with four defensive backs (base defense). Nickel defenses — those defenses with five defensive backs — have become the new base defense, and that’s a trend that’s increased and advanced for years. But it’s not just nickel — at this point, the standard base defense has found itself trailing in the schematic race.
In 2019, per Sports Info Solutions, NFL teams went all in on this trend…
You know the whole "Nickel is the new base" thing? Very true, as nickel made up 59% of all dropbacks. But this surprised me — in 2019, defenses played more dime (20.9%) than base (18%). Which means that defenses are putting six DBs on the field more than they're putting four.
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 9, 2020
…and the same was true in 2020. Including the postseason, NFL teams played base defense on 3,063 snaps, which represented 19.5% of the league’s 18,934 total dropbacks. Teams put four defensive backs on the field just 3,063 times, or 16.2% of the time. Nickel was once again the new base, with 11,813 snaps against the pass, representing 62.4%.
With that in mind, it’s not surprising that the 2021 draft class has a high number of defensive backs who have excelled in multiple positions — everything from the slot to the box to the defensive line to outside cornerback and free safety. Because in today’s NCAA and NFL, the more you can do, the better your chances are of seeing the field sooner than later. Here are five prospects with specific leanings to the NFL’s current multiplicity paradigm.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions).