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Deshon Elliott

Bu-bye Earl Thomas! Who Starts Now?

by Jermaine Lockett August 23, 2020

written by Jermaine Lockett

Thomas – Getty

Bu-bye Earl Thomas! Who Starts Now?

So, who’s job is it? Earl is gone due to conduct detrimental to the team. Yes, there are landing destinations to talk about for Earl. There is the issue of 10 Million dollars to discuss. However, the question that lingers for me is, who takes the Baltimore Ravens’ starting Safety job? Who lines up next to the cerebral Chuck Clark? Everyone is going to have their opinions. Here is one from Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic:

Think Elliott would get the first shot. Geno Stone would probably become the No.3 safety, and they could use Jimmy Smith some in safety looks. I also wouldn’t rule out a vet signing although not ton available. Could go familiarity with a guy like Brandon Carr

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 22, 2020

Let’s take a look at the options.

Jimmy Smith

Ryan Mink of BR.Com made it clear he does not see #22 playing safety full time. I agree with that statement because of his ability to provide such depth to the CBs outside. Jimmy locked down some of the bigger playmakers on the outside last season. There no reason to believe the Ravens will completely set aside his abilities to give bigger playmakers headaches. With the former 1st round pick not starting a playing a full season since 2015, I believe spelling him at both CB and Safety will benefit the team as well as him.

Geno Stone

First look at @GenoStone22 on the field ? pic.twitter.com/Fl5Wcmb8RV

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 8, 2020

Here’s a guy I was excited about since the draft. Mike Rimmers of PFF reports

[blockquote align=”none” author=”Mike Rimmers – PFF”]“The way he trusts his reads is unlike any safety prospect in recent memory”.[/blockquote]

I believe the way the young rookie has impressed the last couple of days at camp, he has a shot at competing for more time at the position. According to BR.com he captured an interception late in Friday’s Sure, his 40-time was 4.62, but what he lacks in top speed he makes up for in vision and decision making.

He nabbed his first pick in practice on 3-on-3 drills against Jaleel Scott to stop a TD. There’s nothing but great things to come with this rising star. However, until he can absorb more of the playbook, I see him splitting reps with this next guy.

The grind doesn’t stop ? pic.twitter.com/YgOgJyTIMu

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 21, 2020

DeShon Elliott

There’s been so much hype about this guy last 2-years only to be disappointed with injuries to the forearm (2018) and knee (2019). The Ravens must view him as a starter if they are willing to send ET to the wind. Take a look at a few of his highlights. You’ll see he is always around the ball.

If the “Joker” can stay healthy, I believe with his size, soft hands, and ability to track the ball, the team can have full confidence in the former Longhorn’s ability to start.

Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter

August 23, 2020 0 comment

NFL NFL Draft Philadelphia Eagles

2018 NFL Draft Prospects: Top 5 Safeties

by EUGENE Holt March 28, 2018

written by EUGENE Holt

The ever evolving Safety position is a very interesting one this year. You have some real blue chip prospects at the top, and also some very talented guys with major upside. The Safety position has turned into a jack-of-all-trades type of position over the years, and versatility is key. Here are a few guys that stand out.

1. Minkah Fitzpatrick 6’1 201 Alabama – To limit Minkah to just the Safety label would be an injustice, but for this articles sake I’ll list him here. Fitzpatrick is the definition of versatility on the field. You can play him at Slot CB, Outside CB, High Safety, In the box Safety and not worry about him getting beat. Excellnt speed and range in coverage. Not afraid to come up and be physical. Will need to focus on eye discipline so not to be fooled by coverage or manipulated by the QB. Overall he’s everything you want in a Safety in today’s NFL.

2. Derwin James 6’3 215 Florida State – Another very talented and versatile Safety. Imposing size and uses every bit of it when tackling. Great speed for a player his size. Has range as a single high safety and can also drop down to play LB if needed. In the locker room he is considered an Alpha which coaches will love. Common in young players, eye discipline must be worked on. Sometimes over zealous in taking tackling angles. Overall Derwin James is a weapon on defense, that a creative coordinator can wreck havoc with.

3. Ronnie Harrison 6’3 214 Alabama – a great height/weight/speed athlete. Can knock your socks off while tackling. Can function in the box as a hybrid Linebacker or get out over the top to cover a WR. Versatile. Needs to work on his technique when tackling, must wrap up instead of always going for the big hit. Harrison is best suited to be around the line of scrimmage, but with his athleticism he can be put anywhere.

4. Jessie Bates 6’1 200 Wake Forest – Bates is your classic free safety. He moves like a Cornerback, quickly reacting to passes with hips to change direction with ease. Added value as a kick returner on special teams. Natural ball skills make him dangerous on deep passes. Not as physical as you would like. He’s a willing tackler, but lacks the bulk for real stopping power. Bates can offer excellent back end coverage early on and bulk up in time, making his upside very high.

5. Justin Reid 6’1 204 Stanford – Another one of those do-it-all players. Reid has a very high football IQ. He knows his assignment on the field and is also aware of the responsibilities of those around him. Good enough speed and coverage ability to be placed all over the field. Strong enough to be a factor against the run. Limited lateral quickness will keep him from lining up against quicker shifty receivers. A solid player all around ready to make an immediate impact.

Honorable Mention

Deshon Elliott 6’2 205 Texas – Good range and ball skills, some athletic limitations.

Siran Neal 6’0 200 Jacksonville State – Physical versatile player, gets grabby in coverage. Raw

Kyzir White 6’2 216 West Virginia – Good frame, aggressive player, limited in coverage.

March 28, 2018 0 comment

NFL NFL Draft

2018 NFL Draft: Eric’s Top 5 Safeties Rankings

by Eric Kirschenbaum February 19, 2018

written by Eric Kirschenbaum

This is the safety rankings for the 2018 NFL Draft. This year’s safety class doesn’t seem as great as last year was but the top 3 players can be very dangerous.

1 Derwin James, FSU

James has elite speed and size combination, is a vicious hitter, good instincts and has that attitude you look for in a safety. In 2017, James totaled 84 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 1 sack with 11 passes batted, two interceptions and a touchdown. His versatility is a huge plus, as he was lined up all over the field. He is coming from a season in which FSU played awful and he wasn’t amazing either. His biggest issue is his inconsistency reading the quarterback’s eyes and locking to a receiver.

2 DeShon Elliott, Texas

Elliott is a personal favorite of mine, he can do it all: very good run support, is solid in coverage, hard hitter, that can also blitz if needed. The Texas Product is a very smart player who can also cover pretty consistently on man and zone coverages. He has good size at 6’2 210 and posted good stats this year, 6 interceptions, 2 touchdowns, 9 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. According to Pro Football Focus, Elliott had the 2nd most plays around the ball with 13 as an active defender against the pass and the run. He might not be the athletic freak James is, but you can argue his game is a little bit more polished. He had 6 interceptions and could have gotten more, but he had some concentration drops after making great plays on the ball. Some of his interceptions were thrown directly to him but still he made the catch and was in good position. The biggest fear on him is the lack of elite speed, which could get him beat on coverages if he bites on a fake or pump fake.

3 Ronnie Harrison, Alabama

Harrison possesses an outstanding combination of size and speed. Is comfortable and experienced playing high or low safety. He reads the quarterback’s eyes and has good route anticipation. He is a physical hitter, has the range to go sideline to sideline and is a quality blitzer. The Alabama product doesn’t show a high football IQ and was helped with having one of the best defensive rosters in the country, if not the best (only talking about defensive backs Alabama has 4 top 100 players). He has shown issues covering receivers in man coverage. He finished the year with 3 interceptions and 4 passes defended.

4 Marcus Allen, Penn State

Allen works at his best when playing safety in the box. He is an outstanding run defender, who hits hard and rarely misses tackles. He is a team leader and plays with the aggression you look for in a safety. Has just one career interception and few passes broken up. May not run well enough to handle single-high duties in NFL. He is not a rangy corner and will be a good addition in run support and a liability in pass coverage especially on middle to deep throws. A change to ILB or a ‘‘moneybacker’’ role like Mark Barron’s, might be for the best.

5 Justin Reid, Stanford

Reid had 5 interceptions, 6 passes defended and 1 fumble recovery in 2017. Reid shows very good hands and a ballhawk mentality. He shows good instincts and covers well in zone and man coverage. Some scouts say he is too small, yet say Minkah Fitzpatrick has great size, in reality, they are the same height (6’1) and Reid is actually 2 pounds bigger, so it’s a non-issue there. Reid is solid in the running game, albeit not a big hitter. Reid’s biggest issue is he gets lost sometimes while in coverage, which leads to mistakes. Those kinds of mental mistakes can be easy to correct to some and will follow them forever to others.

6 Armani Watts, Texas A&M

7 Quin Blanding, Virginia

8 Terrell Edmunds, Virginia Tech

9 Jordan Whitehead, Pittsburgh

10 Kyzir White, West Virginia

Honorable Mention: Jesse Bates, Wake Forest

Eric Kirschenbaum is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Check out the other 2018 NFL Draft rankings: https://www.couchriderreport.net/2018-nfl-draft-erics-top-5-wr-rankings/

February 19, 2018 0 comment