Safeties 11) Bacarri Rambo School: Georgia, Sr. Height: 6’ 0” Weight: 211 lbs. 40-Yard Dash: n/a In a nutshell: On one hand, Rambo might be the best ballhawk of the top dozen or so safeties in this year’s Draft class. But on the other hand, he might be the least physical safety and is more of a “pile inspector,” as Pro Football Weekly’s 2013 Draft Guide describes him.
12) Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
16) Duke Williams, Nevada
Thomas missed his entire junior season after breaking his leg and dislocating his ankle just days before the season opener. But he returned with a vengeance as a senior by leading the nation with eight interceptions.
Williams is a hard hitter, the type that throws his body around and isn’t afraid to mix it up with receivers at the line of scrimmage. Quicker than he is fast, Williams will give maximum effort on the field. He was suspended three times in his first 12 months on campus at Nevada but has kept his nose clean since that time.
13) Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
The knock on Jefferson is that he misses too many tackles, which he admitted to at the NFL Combine. He’ll go for the big hit and then whiff entirely. But Jefferson does His 16 career interceptions are dif- have a high ceiling. Before declaring ficult to ignore. There are also con- for the Draft as a junior, he accucerns about his four-game suspen- mulated eight interceptions and 18 sion in 2012 for allegedly failing a tackles for a loss. drug test. 14) T.J. McDonald, USC All-Star game: In addition to his 16 interceptions at Georgia, Ram- T.J. is the son of former 49ers and bo added to that total at the Senior Cardinals safety Tim McDonald, a Bowl when he picked of Syracuse six-time Pro Bowler. The younger McDonald has a reputation as a quarterback Ryan Nassib. hard hitter like his father, but he’s a “It made me feel like I was ready,” liability in coverage and is probably best confined to the box. Doug FarRambo said at the NFL Combine. rar of Yahoo Sports compared him “He’s one of the top quarterbacks in to former Packers safety Atari Bigby. this year’s draft. Just having an interception against him, it showed I was 15) Sanders Commings, Georgia ready and could play with the best A cornerback at Georgia, there’s of them.” some feeling that Commings could 2012 stats: 73 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, become a safety in the NFL. He has the size needed to play safety at 6’ 3 FF, 3 INTs, 2 PBU 0” and 216 lbs., but he’s not at all a physical presence. Commings is more of the free safety type, but that suits his coverage skills fine.
SAFETY
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17) Keelan Johnson, Arizona St.
Johnson didn’t become a full-time starter during college until his senior year but gained some attention when he grabbed five interceptions. He kept the momentum going at the NFL Combine where he posted good times in the three-cone drill and short shuttle. 18) Zeke Motta, Notre Dame
In comparison to former Notre Dame safeties, Motta is probably more Tom Zbikowski than Harrison Smith. He’s trending upward after a season in which he helped the Fighting Irish reach the National Championship game. 19) Terence Garvin, West Virginia 20) Bradley McDougald, Kansas 21) Daimon Stafford, Nebraska 22) Rashard Hall, Clemson 23) Brandan Bishop, N. Car. St. 24) Dexter McCoil, Tulsa 25) Robert Lester, Alabama 26) Jawanza Starling, USC 27) Jahleel Addae, C. Michigan 28) John Boyett, Oregon 29) Ryan McWethy, Wis.-Platte. 30) Jamoris Slaughter, ND. CheeseheadTV.com