By Dane Brugler | NFLDraftScout.com Senior Analyst
February 20, 2013 4:28 pm ET
With every team looking for the next Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham at tight end, versatile safeties are more and more important in today's NFL. Teams are looking for safeties who can play with range to cover the back half of the field as well as attack the line of scrimmage.
Teams ideally want safeties who aren't defined by free or strong but can do both and handle multiple responsibilities. That type of defender doesn't last long on draft day, and they are also few and far between. Only four safeties have been drafted in the top 10 since 2005, including Alabama's Mark Barron, whom the Buccaneers took with the seventh overall pick last April.
This year's crop of safeties might have a few first-rounders, but the strength of this class is the depth. There are multiple future starters in this group, including some intriguing safeties in the second and third rounds.
Most to gain in Indianapolis
Logic says the players who put forth the most impressive workout results have the most to gain at the combine each year. That isn't necessarily the case. In most cases, the elite athletes are already well known by scouts. The players who actually boost their grades during the athletic drills at the combine are those who show better-than-expected athleticism or help their cause through interviews.
While many expect Texas' Kenny Vaccaro to be the first safety drafted in April, Florida International's Jonathan Cyprien has been gaining momentum all season. And with a strong pre-draft process, it wouldn't be surprising if he supplants the Longhorn defensive back as the top safety in this class for several teams. Cyprien is an aggressive striker with the speed to cover in space and the physical demeanor to be a force vs. the run.
Medical watch
Players have the option of passing on workouts at the combine, but every one of the 333 players invited will be subjected to a battery of medical evaluations that range from blood tests to X-rays to psychological testing. Some players have bumps and bruises that plagued them throughout the season while others are more serious.
Entering 2012 with mostly second day draft grades from scouts, Oregon's John Boyett was viewed as one of the top safety prospects in the nation. However, he suffered an early season injury that required surgery on both knees, keeping him sidelined for his final season in Eugene. Boyett's pro future is a question mark at this point, and he'll need positive reviews from the medical staff in Indianapolis to help his draft chances.
Tale of the tape
With scouts having seen most of the top prospects "on the hoof" over the fall and getting a second look at them on the "catwalk" before senior all-star games, the official measuring of heights, weight, hand and arms conducted during the combine is only occasionally newsworthy ... except when it comes to underclassmen, whom scouts often haven't seen up close yet.
Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson has been a starter since he arrived in Norman, impressing with his ability to tackle and make plays in coverage. He has a leaner frame but hits like a truck, and scouts will be interested to see what his official numbers are when he tips the scale.
Next question
Just like any interview that you might have gone through, the players invited to the combine are there to try to get a job. They have to impress their potential employers with intelligence and dedication.
Each NFL team is allowed 60 formal player interviews. Each interview can last up to 15 minutes. The topics of conversation can fluctuate wildly from team to team and from player to player.
Georgia will be well represented at Lucas Oil Stadium this week, including in the secondary led by Bacarri Rambo. However the Bulldog safety missed four games this past season due to suspension after a failed drug test. While his off-field character isn't a substantial concern, Rambo will still need to address the situation and put any worries to rest.
Workout warriors
While the medicals, weigh-ins and interviews all play more critical roles in a player's overall grade than his performance during athletic testing at the combine, there is no doubt that the extraordinary athleticism demonstrated during drills can leave scouts (and the media) buzzing. This hype has helped push players up draft boards in the past, and it will continue to do so in 2013.
While he has room to be more consistent breaking down in space, Texas' Kenny Vaccaro has a versatile skill set to be effective against both the pass and the run. He plays fast with a reckless abandonment and wastes little time in his movements, something that should help him during both the agility and positional drills at the combine. Vaccaro is also expected to be one of the few safeties in this class to run under the 4.5 mark in the 40-yard dash.
Although he doesn't have ideal size for the position, Syracuse's Shamarko Thomas is one of the top physical specimens in this class, with estimated 4.3 speed. He is a regular in the weight room and, while he has a smaller frame, he has maxed it out with muscle and bulk. Thomas won't be as highly drafted as Vaccaro, but he should record better numbers in Indy.
...you were talking out of you ass, now it doesn't matter.
