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| ..Thompson has been at the facility most of this offseason rehabbing his right foot and "things are looking up." His progress has been smooth and there are not expected to be any long-term ramifications from the injury. Thompson is expected back at full strength this season. The third-round pick out of Boise State began running on land several weeks back. He ran with cleats for the first time last week and has been backpedalling and pushing sleds. |
for me, this year is all about the interior, guards and DTs, and anyone who is ready tp play at other positions helps that.
in addition, DThomas is a 'type' we have lacked for years and years and years, we may simply love to see what he can do if we get that pass rush cranking!
Yes, because the alternative to just in case is Andrew Adams.
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But I'd still draft a good FS prospect (or another hybrid) this year...just in case.
There are a bunch of good hybrids to be had on Day 2 who can back up both FS and nickel CB. Josh Jones, Marcus Williams, Marcus Maye, Desmond King, Eddie Jackson, Jourdan Lewis, Rasul Douglas are all on my wish list.
Day 2, Day 3, I don't care. It just seems to me that there's a ton of uncertainty at the position except for Collins. I'm not as down on Adams as some are, I just feel that he's eminently upgradeable (sic), and it's no secret that this is an excellent draft for DBs.
how he bounces back from his rehab
this has been the achilles 's heel (YES PUN INTENDED )of previous S & C staff
many Giants players in recent memory came back from injury only to get injured in a new place when they returned to the field - some even before they returned to the field (Victor Cruz , Will Beatty)
The improper rehab was the reason many Giants players have shorten and disappointing careers
hopefully new regimes' S & C staff will correct this issue
So its a lynchpin position.
But, as I said, to me, this year is all about maxing the currently weak G/C/G on O and taking advantage of the current 0 to 3 opportunity on DL.
Klaatu : 8:45
But I'd still draft a good FS prospect (or another hybrid) this year...just in case.
We're still thin at FS and could use a solid 4th S option. Adams will be fine backing up Collins at SS but his range is an issue.
If healthy - a huge "if" - he might offer more upside and versatility than Adams. Two years with Merritt and Spagnuolo, albeit mostly in the classroom, should give him a head start over most rookies. It's easy to dismiss a guy who has spent his whole career on IR and who wasn't a popular pick to begin with, but there are reasons he was drafted and Adams wasn't.
Cautiously optimistic..
May the best man win in camp.
Totally with you.
TO KING BLUE-SAFETY SLEEPER
nflscouting : 4/15/2017 2:15 pm : link : reply
As stated, I think the secondary will be a "secondary" issue due to other needs on D & the OL line, but there is a free agent safety that really impressed me this year out of South Dakota, Tyson Graham. A former WR who played FS as a soph, SS as a junior & Cover-2 OLB last year, here is an excerpt from his scouting report;
Named one of three defensive captains for the 2016 season, Graham was selected to The NFL Draft Report’s All-American Super Sleeper Team, as that scouting service has favorably compared him to former San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots safety, Rodney Harrison. While he does not have Harrison’s reputation for “dirty play,” (Harrison was voted the NFL’s dirtiest player multiple times), he does perform with a consummate team-first attitude, combining that with excellent range, a nose for the football and a “take no prisoners” approach.
His team-first approach has been his “badge of honor” ever since the once 175-pound wide receiver arrived on campus as a freshman. He understudied at the position while a member of the scout team in 2012, but saw some early season action at that position earlier in the 2013 campaign before becoming a wedge-busting special team coverage standout.
The 2014 campaign saw him shift to the defensive backfield, starting nine contests at his new position while compiling a team-high 97 tackles, the seventh-highest figure in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. He gained national attention while wreaking havoc in the backfield and harassing eventual Heisman Trophy quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in the season opener vs. the Oregon University Ducks. He also broke up seven passes and intercepted another.
The 2015 campaign saw Graham become the vital cog on defense, playing a variety of both free and strong safety. He received All-MVFC recognition, finishing second in the league with a quartet of interceptions. He delivered 71 tackles to rank second on the team, breaking up three passes while again enticing professional scouts with a standout performance vs. another major college team – Kansas State (caused a fumble that USD recovered at the goal-line).
The 2016 season again brought about several changes for the senior. He opened his final campaign at free safety, but injuries to the second unit forced the coaches to switch the talented defender to outside linebacker, where he roamed the field while performing at both the weak- and strong-side slots – depending on the opponent’s formation. His season was cut short by an injury, but he still managed to register 60 tackles that included a trio of sacks and five stops behind the line of scrimmage.
What was truly remarkable was his ability to defend vs. the pass in 2016, despite the constant shifting of positions. All told, there were 46 passes targeted into his area, allowing just eight receptions in man coverage and thirteen catches total (.2826 pass completion percentage allowed). That performance would earn him an invitation to play in the 2017 College Gridiron Showcase.
While Graham shows impressive ability to possibly enter the professional ranks as a Cover-2 linebacker, most scouts are impressed with his coverage skills as a free safety, but see his size, field vision and ability to keep plays in front of him as a better fit on the strong side.
The free safety position is much different than the strong safety position. With strong safety, you really need a particular style of player who is rugged and rough – much like Graham demonstrated before his injury in 2016. At free safety, the player normally needs to be great at coverage and understanding the angles to get to the ball – another trait that Graham has demonstrated, evident by the fact that team’s averaged just an overall 3.07 yards per pass attempt (1.91 yards in man coverage) vs. the hybrid linebacker/safety last season.
It helps that Graham is tall and strong and is a great jumper as well. He has shown that he will not hesitate to make a big hit, but he also demonstrated perfect ability to his hit the right way to jar the ball loose and not get a penalty. He is the guy that makes the wide receivers scared to go over the middle, as he enjoys being the performer who is tasked with locating the ball and meeting it at the point of attack, whether that point is an interception, deflection, or that big hit.
Graham has also been tasked with "playing the field" and assisting the cornerbacks and he often plays zone when others around him are playing man coverage. When he does play man defense, it's often because there may be a blitz package or a run style defense they are in. At that point, he has the duties of a corner in coming up more to pick up a wide-out.
As the weak-side linebacker, he normally acted much more like the strong-side linebacker does with the tight end and has the footwork needed to drop in coverage with the wide receiver for a few yards until the free safety picks him up. Even his own coaches were surprised how quickly Graham adapted and played with the flexibility needed as a linebacker, as he proved to be a solid blitzer and run stopper (on 43 plays vs. the run last season, opponents managed just 76 yards, an average of 1.77 yards per attempt vs. the newly installed linebacker).
Versatility has always been Graham’s trademark. While attending Highlands Christian Academy, the Florida native was named one of the top fifty players in Broward County, while earning Defensive Player of the Year honors and all-conference honors as a senior. That year, he was selected for the Palm Beach vs. Broward All-Star Game after he led the team in tackles as a free safety with 96.
On offense, Graham recorded ten total touchdowns and 500 receiving yards, along with five touch-downs and three interceptions as a senior. He also competed in track, earning second place finishes in the 100 meters (12.12 at the South Atlantic Coast Conference Championship) and 200 meters (23.88 at the Pine Crest Meet), in addition to helping his prep team capture the Florida Christian Patriot Invitational 4x100 relay (45.66). He also competed in the shot put and was a member of the basket-ball team.
CAREER NOTES
Graham has started 41-of-44 contests for the Coyotes – three at receiver, twenty-two as a safety and six as a linebacker, recording 238 tackles (123 solos) with three sacks for minus 13 yards, 8.5 stops for losses of 25 yards and eleven quarterback pressures, as he caused two fumbles and recovered another, deflecting twelve passes and intercepting five others…Also caught one pass for 37 yards.
School Season-Record List…Graham led the team with 99 tackles in 2014. Since the turn of the century (year 2000), only two other Coyotes recorded more tackles in a season – 106 by Jet Moreland in 2016 and 102 by Adam Broders in 2011.
Graham Statistical Breakdown…Graham made 148 plays vs. the pass, allowing 44 receptions (.2973 pass completion percentage) for 488 yards and twenty first downs, an average gain of 11.09 yards per pass completion and 3.30 yards per attempt…In addition to his five interceptions and eleven pass deflections, Graham rerouted/jammed his coverage assignments on sixty other pass plays (40.54% of passes targeted into his area) that were either intercepted or rules incompletions…He posted 42 third-down stops and eight more on fourth-down snaps vs. the aerial game…He also made 169 plays vs. the ground game, limiting those ball carriers to 468 yards (2.77 yards per attempt), producing 23 third-down stops…Delivered 8.5 stops-for-loss and took down fifteen ball carriers and two receivers at the line of scrimmage for no gain…Made 53 of his tackles inside the red zone, including twelve on goal-line snaps.
2016 SEASON
Graham earned All-American Super Sleeper Team and All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors from The NFL Draft Report, as that scouting information service regarded him as the most underrated player in the league and one of the most versatile in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision ranks…Named one of three defensive captains, Graham opened the season at free safety, but shifted to the linebacker unit after three contests…In all, he started nine times, but in addition to free safety, he lined up at strong safety, weak-side outside linebacker, on the strong-side and was also utilized as a pass rusher coming off the edge…Despite sitting out the Coyotes’ final two contests – vs. South Dakota State and North Dakota State, he finished fourth on the team with 60 tackles (28 solos) that included three sacks for minus 13 yards, five stops for losses of 16 yards and six quarterback pressures…Also deflected one pass and recovered one fumble.
Graham Statistical Breakdown…Graham made 43 plays vs. the running game, allowing 74 yards (1.72 ypc) with just two first downs. He made six touchdown-saving tackles vs. ball carriers, posting seven third-down hits and eighteen tackles inside the red zone, including three on goal-line snaps… He took down seven opponents for losses and four more at the line of scrimmage for no gain on running plays…In pass coverage, 46 were targeted into his area, breaking up one pass while he
Either rerouted or jammed his coverage assignments on sixteen incomplete throws, recording ten third-down stops, seven inside the red zone while allowing a total of thirteen receptions (28.26%), for 141 yards (10.85 yards per completion/3.07 yards per attempt) including eight catches for 89 yards when lined up man-on-man. He also produced two touchdown-saving tackles vs. the aerial game… Posted three special team tackles that included a crushing tackle on a punt return of one yard at the New Mexico 13-yard line, adding a kickoff return tackle at the UNM 15-yard marker in that contest.
Adams is just a safety valve out there, with no football instincts, and lacks real speed...with a year's experience, he could be better, but falls way short of what we need back there...
We basically have no depth at FS or SS....
So, yes, we need DB's at FS, SS, and CB(DRC's eventual replacement)......someone who could play multiple positions would be a plus....
It's getting old, let's see if Thompson or whomever is starting in Week 1. Kind of hoping the veteran, Rahim Moore, has been given a wake up call, and pushes people to start.
Just a thought, after being bounced by his two previous teams.