[Chico23231]

Safety prospects from Keim's report:

Eyeing the draft: Safety

With no first-round pick the Redskins won’t have a chance to grab one of the elite players at a position. But they can still find a solid player in the second. Considering safety is a primary position of need, we’ll take a look at this spot first with the help from ex-NFL scout Russ Lande, currently in charge of scouting for the National Football Post. These are not Lande’s official rankings, but rather grouped by projected rounds. There are two corners included because some teams consider them best at safety.

1. FS Kenny Vaccaro, Texas »

“He’s the only guy that is consistently productive in coverage, not just playing deep. There were one or two times this year they brought him down and said this receiver is your guy and he covered him the whole game. He can cover in the slot, the tight end, deep. He comes up in run support. He’s a hitter and a tackler. He’s a top-10 guy in the draft – better than Mark Barron coming out a year ago. There’s no question he’s a better athlete.”

Range: First round. Barron was picked seventh by Tampa Bay last April. Obviously the Redskins have no shot at him.

2. FS Eric Reid, LSU »

“He’ll be the next guy picked. He’s a tremendous athlete, a highly competitive kid who loves blowing plays up. He flies around the field and plays with an ‘I’m going to knock your head off’ attitude. He gets out of control and misses tackles but athletically he’s all there. He has great range. I’d like to see more consistency. He likes to bite on stuff.”

Range: Middle of the first round to around 25. That’s too early for the Redskins.

3. SS Matt Elam, Florida »

“He’s a very intriguing kid. He’ll have issues. He’s the old-school, close-to-the-line-of-scrimmage safety. There aren’t many teams that play with differentiated safeties. Most have to cover and this kid has issues in coverage. He’s not great in coverage. He’s not a big kid, but he can run with guys man to man. But at 5-foot-10, it’s an issue defending the pass against tight ends. Against the run this kid is a missile. He attacks the play. He can get through traffic. He’s more a launch-and-hit guy than a wrap-up guy. There’s a lot to like about what he contributes against the run; he’s a physical player. He could be exposed in coverage at the next level. He may be a backup, but he’ll be a dynamic special teams guy.”

Range: Second round. He could be available at 51 when the Redskins pick.

4. SS Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International »

“This kid walks in the room and [people are like], ‘That’s my guy.’ He’s muscled up, thick, but athletic. He has nice feet and can peddle and change direction. He’s what you want in today’s NFL. He can be a box guy, but he can cover. It wouldn’t floor me if he ends up being the second or third safety taken. He’s a really good player. But small-school guys aren’t well-known and that will cause some teams to pass him up. He occasionally would get flexed deep and at the Senior Bowl people were shocked at how easily he moved and his range. I was standing with a DB coach who has been in the NFL or Division I college football for more than 20 years and he said, ‘Russ, I’m telling you those are the feet of a starting safety. This is what you want in a starting safety.’ “

Range: Second. At one point he seemed like a safe bet to be available for the Redskins’ first pick. But after offseason workouts he could go higher.

5. FS Bacarri Rambo, Georgia »

“He’s an athletic kid and can run. He has great coverage skills, especially when you look at the history of covering in the slot and tight ends. He’s not afraid to hit guys even though he’s slender-framed. He’s not big. He’s versatile.”

Range: Second-third round. He’ll be available for Washington. One good thing for the Redskins: Their ex-linebackers coach, Kirk Olivadotti, is Georgia’s linebackers coach and could provide a good scouting report for them.

6. FS Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma »

“Very athletic. Long, linear. He can hit but he misses a ton of tackles. He really misses a lot of tackles. A low, dive-and-lunge guy. I wonder about his overall awareness. He often seems lost in coverage. He’s an athlete and he’ll probably work out well.”

Range: Second-third round. Clearly in the Redskins’ range.

7. FS Phillip Thomas, Fresno State »

“He’s one of those typical Fresno State guys who plays with a chip on their shoulder. An aggressive kid. Good at everything, but not elite at anything. That’s why teams like him. He’s not a special athlete, but he’s a good one. He’s effective in coverage. He’s not Ed Reed. Overall he’s just one of those guys who will probably be a workmanlike starter, but not a guy you read about much. He does his job and doesn’t make errors but he won’t make highlight-reel plays. He’ll be a consistent guy. He’ll have some trouble with really fast guys if you pair him up one on one, but otherwise he’s a good solid player.”

Range: Second-third round.

8. FS T.J. McDonald, Southern California »

“I’m not a big fan of him. Someone will take him in the second or at worst in the third. He’s what you want when getting off the bus. He looks like an All-Pro specimen. But when you put in the game film he’s a disappointment. He doesn’t attack the play; he’s hoping teammates make the play. When he wants to he makes it, but he’s not a consistent tackler. He can be one of those guys who strikes a guy and knocks him off his feet and does it with great technique about once a game. He can run and he has range deep and over the tight end but I don’t know if he’s instinctive or not being real aggressive. But he always seems to be on the periphery and not involved in a lot of plays. At the Senior Bowl I had a few people say he didn’t look good moving around with those other athletes.”

Range: Second-third round.

9. CB/FS David Amerson, N.C. State »

“He’s been a corner his whole life. Many projected him as a top-10 pick as a corner [before last season]. But he’s not a fast guy. If a team plays cover-2 and their corners don’t have to be great runners, … or if you want a real athletic safety who’s willing to hit, he could be the sleeper safety of the draft. He’s tall, linear and for a safety he can run and is athletic.”

Range: Second to third round. His future could be at corner or safety.

10. SS Shawn Williams, Georgia »

“One kid who will go higher than he should. I could see any team where the coaches have the power falling in love with him. Like McDonald, walking off the bus this kid is unbelievable. He has the intangibles, the leadership. He’s top of the line and he’s freaky smart so when you put him on the chalkboard he’ll be unbelievable. The problem is he’s not very good. But he’s a three-year starter and so smart that some team will say he’ll be a great last guy on defense and making the calls. But he’ll have trouble in coverage because even though he’s athletic ,he’s not natural in terms of football. Even at the Senior Bowl where he wasn’t impressive he just looks the part. Rambo is the better player.”

Range: Third round.

11. SS Duke Williams, Nevada »

“The kid who may end up being the best of all of them other than Vacarro. He’s a violent player. He flies up the field. He also played a bunch of corner. He’s 6-foot or 5-11 and is versatile, and in today’s NFL teams will love having a guy like him because he can move around. He’s a smart kid. He’s one of the more intriguing guys at the position because of his experience at corner and his willingness to hit. He’ll test great on the chalkboard.”

Range: Third-fifth rounds.

12. FS D.J. Swearinger, Clemson »

“He has experience covering and being deep. He’s aggressive. He has great range and versatility. I like him. He’s not a guy you take in the second, but in the third or fourth round area he’s very intriguing. He’s a good player.”

Range: Fourth round.

13. CB/FS Micah Hyde, Iowa »

“He’s not a high pick, maybe a fourth rounder. He’s a very intriguing kid. He started his whole career at corner. He’s a tall, long-armed linear athlete. But he’s not an explosive kid, which is why he could be moved out of corner and to safety. But he’s so smooth and a very bright kid. I don’t love him, but I could see him being that type of guy who people aren’t high on but who gets into camp and you say he’s a smooth, fluid athlete and does all the things you want him to do.”

Range: Fourth-sixth rounds.

14. SS JJ Wilcox, Georgia Southern »

“He’s a dominant small-school kid. The big question on him is when you watch a play he looks like he’s fast enough and a good athlete, but you want to see how he handles it in coverage in the NFL. The biggest issue I have with him is, does he have the athleticism and speed to cover at the NFL level?”

Range: Fifth-sixth round.

15. SS Cooper Taylor, Richmond »

“He has a chance to not just make it but be good. He started his career at Georgia Tech. He measured in at 6-4 ½ and 225 pounds and he looked so athletic for a big kid with such range. I know a lot of teams don’t like tall safeties because they don’t feel they can change directions and can be exposed. But in all-star games he doesn’t look like he has any issue in coverage.”

Range: Late rounds.