Safeties - 2023 Ourlads' Draft Preview

2. Johnson, Antonio*

Texas A&M  6030 195

Two year starter, East St. Louis, IL. Second team All-SEC in 2021. Versatile prospect with outstanding length. Has been primarily used as a big nickel playing as an overhang player but has experience over the top. Quick read and react with sudden change of direction. Explodes downhill with a sense of urgency. Will beat blocks with quickness. Attacks blockers with his hands and can stun and separate on the move. Excellent fundamental tackling skill with knee bend and hip roll into tackles. Rarely misses in space. Solid intermediate zone defender with quick plant and drive with the ball in the air. Finds the throwing lane and has some big hits on underneath throws. Shows match and mirror ability on tight ends and slot receivers. Shows speed to stay on phase on vertical routes. At his best close to the line with some questions on reactions as a deep defender. Some segmentation flipping his hips shows at times. Has what NFL teams want in a box safety with multiple role potential. Has been taking more traditional safety reps this fall.  

3. Smith, Christopher

Georgia  5103  188

Three year starter, Atlanta, GA. Second team All-SEC in 2021.  Became a starter in 2020 halfway through the season after playing special teams and sub packages in a talented Georgia secondary. Solid athlete he’s adept at deep zone coverage with outstanding ability to read the quarterback and receivers. He consistently finds the throwing lane forcing hesitancy and bad throws by quarterbacks. Excellent range in deep coverage he can get over a vertical route with smooth transition from pedal to opening up. He’s also sudden to break on throws in front of him and can get to the catch point. He’s shown the ability to work in the box and match inside receivers. Mirrors route breaks and stays focused on the receiver. Consistent in run support he is quick to read run/pass and covers ground in a hurry getting to the alley. Doesn’t shy away from contact but is undersized for the position and has shown some inconsistency tackling bigger targets. Has played well early in the season including an interception. 

4. Battle, Jordan

Alabama  6010  215

Three year starter from Fort Lauderdale, FL. First team All-SEC in 2021. Battle plays free safety but also rolls to the box in flat coverage as well as matching slot receivers.Outstanding in zone coverage he also flashes man cover ability. Primarily a one high safety he shows above average range in deep zones and does a solid job breaking on throws in front of him. Rarely beaten in the deep middle. He has a knack for reading route combinations and closing voids in zones. Adept at reacting to the quarterback delivery key and finding the throwing lane. Solid flat defender vs. high low routes.  In run support tracks well downhill and is quick to force the alley from deep. Normally a secure tackler and showed improvement in 2021. Still there have been some misses as there is inconsistency gathering on tackles. Shows some inconsistency in man cover as he can let cushions break and be late to turn and run. Some hesitation breaking on the ball at times. He makes more tackles than plays on the ball at this point. He has the size and physical attributes of a solid NFL safety. 

5. Joseph, Brandon

Notre Dame  6010  196

Three year starter, College Station, TX. Joseph is a redshirt junior transfer from Northwestern coming to the Irish after two seasons at Northwestern. All Big Ten honorable mention in 2021 after being first team in 2020. Has been productive with six interceptions his freshmen year and three more last year. Has played multiple roles including deep safety, box and slot defender. Overall read and react is outstanding with solid reactions in run support along with excellent man and zone cover skill. Shows sideline to sideline range in coverage and pursuit. Excels at finding the ball in the deep zones. Quick to read route combinations, he shows outstanding ball skills with a knack for getting to the throwing lane and high pointing interception opportunities. Gets his hands on a lot of balls. Has shown ability to match and mirror speedy slot receivers with speed to cover deep vertical routes. There is some inconsistency in pursuit angles as he will at times over or under run a play.This has led to lunging at tackles and either missing or hanging on by the ankles. These issues showed up more in 2021. With improvement in those areas he will be in elite territory.