The top safety may or may not
even be a safety in the NFL as there are several of the
safeties this year that have the abilities to play any of
the DB positions.
Top
Safeties
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Michael Huff, 6-1, 204, Florida State (Jr.):
It's looking more and more like Huff is
going to have to stay at safety rather
than corner. When it comes to making a
big play in the secondary you won't find
many who have done it as well as this
guy at the college level the past few
years
in a big-time program at Texas. Huff
definitely has more positives then
negatives, which means terrific upside
that coaches love. He will more than
likely end up playing safety in the NFL,
and should make an immediate impact. He
should be a first round pick, and the
first safety off the board.
Huff benefited from his experience playing both
cornerback and safety at the collegiate level. He
may wind up fitting more naturally at free safety in
the NFL, but he certainly has the speed to be given
a chance as a shutdown perimeter cover corner. At
the very least he projects as an extremely versatile
free safety, as he can play deep in zone coverage,
cheat up into the box as an extra linebacker-type in
run support and also match up in man-to-man coverage
in the slot or on the perimeter. Huff built on the
momentum of his strong senior season by showcasing
his elite overall physical tools at this year's
combine. As such, Huff grades out as the best
overall defensive back prospects in the 2006 class
and warrants consideration in the top-15 picks
overall.
FoxSports:
Potential to be dominant player at any defensive
back position, but has been nominally listed at
strong safety by most scouts. Indy workouts only
further validated his physical skills, with a 4.34
clocking in 40 yards. Reminds many of former
Longhorn Quentin Jammer. Enjoyed his best season as
a senior, finishing second on the team with 97
tackles, and also contributing nine tackles for
loss, two sacks, an interception and a team-leading
four forced fumbles. Potential returner, as
evidenced by four of his six career interceptions
being returned for touchdowns.
2. Jason Allen, 6-1,
208, Tennessee: He's fluid and fast, but his
future still seems to be at safety. His ballistic
numbers at the combine put to rest the short-term
fears about his surgically repaired hip. Sources
have indicated that Allen's hip is causing some
strength differential between his two legs. The leg
on the injured side is reportedly about 85-percent
the strength of the healthy leg. That could develop
into a long-term problem, or it might never be an
issue at all. The good news is he ran a 4.38 in the
40 at the combine.
His
ability is unquestioned, and he was a first-round
prospect before the injury. He now must prove he is
the player he was in 2004.
Allen possesses an impressive combination of size,
speed and athletic ability. While the injury still
is likely to cause a dip in Allen's draft value, his
combine performance did serve as a strong indicator
to his return to physical form. On top of easing
concerns regarding his hip, Allen helped answer
questions about his ability to play the cornerback
position in the NFL by finishing near the top of the
defensive backs in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump
(39 ½"), broad jump (10'11"), short shuttle (3.81),
long shuttle (11.17) and three-cone (6.75). In our
opinion, Allen is worth the risk in the late-second
to early-third round range of the 2006 draft.
FoxSports:
Free safety prospect is recovering from a hip injury
but put many concerns to rest at Combine with a
great workout that included a 4.39 in 40 yards and a
39.5-inch vertical jump. Started eight games as a
sophomore at cornerback before switching to free
safety for his junior and senior seasons. Scouts are
split as to whether Allen can be a standout
cornerback at the NFL level, but most believe he
could be a difference-maker at free safety. After a
steady move up the draft boards following a solid
showing at the Combine, Allen has begun to slip
again amid concerns about his dislocated hip from
2005. Has tantalizing talent that will likely see
him go in the first-round, but a hip injury to a
playmaker is a major red flag
3.
Donte Whitner, 5-11, 204, Ohio State (Jr.)
:
Whitner is an excellent safety, and could have an
immediate impact at that position. But, he may also
have the talent to project as a cornerback for some
teams, but he will need a lot of work to make that
move. He can make an impact much more quickly at the
FS slot. He has the tools to project to CB, FS or SS
eventually.
Whitner lacks ideal experience as an early entry
prospect that only started one full season (2005) of
his collegiate career. He still has room to improve
in terms of his recognition skills and overall
awareness, but Whitner has a lot of upside as a
versatile safety. He shows good range and playmaking
skills in coverage, and he also supports the run
hard and has developed into a decent open-field
tackler. Whitner is one of the best overall safety
prospects in the 2006 class and he deserves
consideration as early as the second round.
FoxSports:
Started six games at strong safety for the Buckeyes
in 2004 and the entire 2005 season. Despite all of
the attention devoted to the Buckeye linebacking
corps, Whitner was major factor, finishing among
team leaders in tackles (65), tackles for loss (9),
sacks (4) and interceptions (2). Lacks great size
for the position, but is a nice athlete at safety
and is an instinctive, physical player who some
compare to former All-American Mike Doss.
4.
Ko Simpson, 6-1,
209, South Carolina (Soph.):
A true sophomore who is able to enter the draft this
year because he sat out 2003 before enrolling in
college, thus making it three years since he
graduated from high school. Ko is older than the
average prospect with his experience and will be a
23-year-old rookie in '06 who really has very little
experience. Huge risk/reward.
Simpson might be a bit of an overrated prospect at
this point. After all, he has limited playing
experience, just adequate bulk and room to improve
in terms of overall technique. However, Simpson does
show good athleticism and speed for his size, and he
proved to be a natural playmaker during his two
seasons as a starter at South Carolina. Simpson is a
risk-reward type of prospect who could come off the
board as high as the first round, but we feel a lot
safer giving such an unproven commodity a second
round grade.
FoxSports: A play-making free safety whose
abilities became obvious in 2004 when he
won SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year
honors by the AP, Freshman All-American
and second-team SEC honors after his
61-tackle, six-interception season.
Rarely challenged deep in 2005
5.
Darnell Bing, 6-2, 227, USC (Jr.): Some
feel that because of his speed, he will make a
better free safety in the NFL, but his closing and
hitting abilities lend him better to the strong
safety spot, especially with his occasional problems
in coverage. He has prototypical size for an NFL
safety, with very, very good speed and hitting power
to complement it.
Scout:
Bing remains a bit unpolished and will
need to improve his recognition skills and technique
before competing for a starting job in the NFL.
There are also some concerns regarding his mental
capacity and durability, which could cause him to
slip a bit on draft day. However, Bing is a
versatile prospect with an outstanding combination
of size, strength, athletic ability and speed. He
has natural playmaking skills and projects as a
difference-maker in the NFL, as a safety that can
match up in the box, in deep-middle zone and versus
some bigger receivers one-on-one. In our opinion,
Bing is worth consideration in the second round of
the 2006 draft.
FoxSports:
The
most recent Trojan to be improperly compared with
Ronnie Lott, who was a corner at USC but is
remembered more as a big-hitting NFL safety. Bing, a
strong safety prospect, has instincts to be
effective in coverage but is most impressive coming
up to support the run. Has durability issues
involving a recurring separated shoulder.
The rest of the best
Daniel Bullocks, 6-1, 209,
Nebraska Danieal
Manning, 5-11, 202, Abilene Christian
Patrick Watkins, 6-5, 211, Florida State
Bernard Pollard, 6-2, 225, Purdue
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