Keep this in mind when you vote
Nasir Adderley:
Range - Calling his range elite might be a tad generous, but can absolutely get to the boundary from the sideline in a timely fashion. Has for real speed (I'll be shocked if he doesn't run at least 4.5s) and the closing burst to arrive in time to contested throwing windows. Good length to help close down space. Good read-and-reaction timing from a single-high position.
Ball Skills - Was not targeted a ton in 2018, but over the course of his career has consistently shown the ability to make plays at the catch point. Ability to elevate and pluck the ball is outstanding. The one-handed interception he made in 2017 is among the toughest catches I've seen. Consistently competes at the catch point and contends for the football in the air every time. Doesn't settle for the big hit, always has his eyes on the prize.
Man Coverage - Cornerback experience has absolutely paid off. Terrific patience at the line of scrimmage and ability to mirror receivers out of their breaks with smooth footwork. Last two years he has not spent as much time in man coverage in games I've seen, so tough to say how skills have developed. From off-coverage, impressive burst to close and make plays on the ball. As an outside corner playing vertical routes, typically played the pocket more than he did get his head around to contest the ball.
Fluidity/Agility - Outstanding athlete with terrific short-area movement skills and quick-twitch change of direction. Seemed very loose in the hips and ability to open up and run on a moment's notice is top-notch. Consistently altered angles on the move and still arrived in time to help make a play.
Tackling - Excellent form tackler who will wrap up and drive through contact. Delivers big hits as frequently as possible, but won't abandon form for a knockout blow every time. Occasionally allows a runner to slip his grasp on a low tackle, but generally gets his man on the ground. Come over the middle on him, keep your head on a swivel.
Run Defense - Outrageously physical taking on blocks. Feels cracks coming and will take receivers apart if they challenge him physically. Stood up an offensive lineman and rocked the world of two tight ends when Delaware playing North Dakota State, despite his team getting blown out. Will fly up to the edge and turn runs back inside by blowing up the perimeter blocker. Uses his hands to shed, but also knows when to lower a shoulder and leverage a gap with some knockback. Terrific timing to trigger downhill in run support never hesitates to get in on a gang tackle. Takes mostly good angles to the ball, occasionally slightly aggressive in his pursuit to the perimeter.
Route Recognition - The more I watched, the more impressed I was. Consistently recognizes key offensive concepts and drives on them right away. Plays instinctive and trusts his reads. Can tell he recognizes certain things from film study, especially receiver screen concepts. As a middle of the field zone defender, made life miserable at catch point for receivers with his ability to recognize patterns developing and drive on the ball.
Versatility - Plays single-high, in the box and occasionally in the slot for Delaware, showing the ability to do all three at a high level. Man coverage reps were somewhat limited in the tape I saw, and he rarely blitzed, but see no reason why those couldn't be strengths of his as well.
Competitive Toughness - Extremely physical and hard-nosed with an elite competitive motor. Played his heart out in a blowout loss to North Dakota State, chasing down every play from all over the field. A relentless competitor who does not back down from anyone and plays with excellent conditioning. Has made some of the best hustle plays in college football over the past couple seasons, including this:
Athleticism/Size - Hitting 200 pounds will be key for him at the Senior Bowl/Combine but plays like a linebacker at whatever his current weight is. Play strength is a huge positive in his eval, arms appear to be decently long as well. Looks like an outstanding athlete amongst FCS level competition, but Combine testing will reveal all.
BEST TRAIT - Physicality/Closing Burst
WORST TRAIT - Man Coverage (due to heavy deep safety usage last two years)
RED FLAGS - None
One of the most exciting things about being a draft evaluator is finding players like Adderley that you never expected to be anything special, yet they blow you away on tape. The toughest thing about Adderley's evaluation was finding a weakness, as he appears to be a top-notch athlete with exceptional short-area quickness and fluidity, while also possessing the ability to open up and cover ground with speed and range as a single-high safety.
He's incredibly physical, bringing the fight to everyone on the field without sacrificing technique or responsibility. I think he'll check in around 205 pounds with an ideal build for a deep safety, yet also perfectly sized to slide into the slot against all types of receivers when a team needs that role filled as well. The only real question mark with Adderley is the level of competition he faces, as he wasn't targeted a ton and will need to adjust some to the speed of the NFL game. His traits and intangibles seem to be perfectly in line with the top safeties in the league today, and as long as he checks boxes at the Senior Bowl and Combine, Adderley will likely be a top 15-30 player on my board.
Byron Murphy:
Feet - Exceptionally balanced and quick feet. Blends patience with clean transitions and elite burst. Explosive plant and drive skills when breaking forward. Has no issues pattern matching and his change of direction ability is rare.
Man Coverage - Blends quickness and fluidity with astute mirroring skills. Has a natural feel for anticipating routes with the ability to remain in phase with anyone. Often finishes running the route for the receiver. Sticky and competitive.
Tackling - Closes in on receivers with purpose and intent. Has a consistently low aiming point. Rarely gives up large amounts of separation so not only can he close in a hurry but the distance is often minimal. Plays well above his weight class. There are some reps on tape where he unnecessarily leaves his feet and dives into the ball carrier instead of squaring and wrapping up.
IQ/Awareness - Tremendous ability to anticipate routes. Knows how to layer coverage and squeeze throwing lanes. Finds the football in the air. Has a natural feel to coverage spacing and knows how to leverage routes. Diagnoses route combinations rapidly with an understanding of what the play concept is intended to achieve and how to take that away.
Physicality - Willing to mix it up in the contact window, use his hands to redirect routes, crowd receivers and play a disruptive style of football. Plays above his weight class when corners are aggressive with him at the release or at the top of routes. Brings good contact power for his size.
Ball Skills - Modest length works against him but has a natural feel for the ball's arrival and how to extend his arms and disrupt at the catch point. Plays with precise timing and technique when breaking on the football. Mitts are reliable to secure interceptions. The game slows down for him at the catch point. Does well to scrape at the football as an assisted tackler.
Press Technique - Will stalk receivers at the line of scrimmage and operates from a balanced base. Gets his hands into the framework of the receiver to achieve firm jams. Has redirect power in his hands. Recovery speed allows him to be aggressive.
Flexibility - Loose and fluid in his hips, ankles, and torso. Has a smooth and explosive change of direction skills and cleanly transitions. Plays with great bend and leverage. Springy and explosive mover. He glides moving in all directions.
Versatility - Can fit in any scheme and play any technique at a high level. Love him in zone, press, man, off-man... he does it all. Can be a touch more consistent in run support but it's a fairly minor gripe. Has been an effective blitzer and features tremendous ball skills.
BEST TRAIT - Coverage
WORST TRAIT - Run Support
RED FLAGS -
Murphy's fluidity, quickness, speed, ability to mirror routes, press technique, zone awareness and ball skills make him a scheme-transcendent talent. He features lockdown coverage skills with the ability to make game-changing plays on the football. He may have only started 20 games in college but his football IQ and athletic ability is good enough to contribute right away. Murphy has the potential to be among the top cornerbacks in the NFL by year three.
Nasir Adderley:
Range - Calling his range elite might be a tad generous, but can absolutely get to the boundary from the sideline in a timely fashion. Has for real speed (I'll be shocked if he doesn't run at least 4.5s) and the closing burst to arrive in time to contested throwing windows. Good length to help close down space. Good read-and-reaction timing from a single-high position.
Ball Skills - Was not targeted a ton in 2018, but over the course of his career has consistently shown the ability to make plays at the catch point. Ability to elevate and pluck the ball is outstanding. The one-handed interception he made in 2017 is among the toughest catches I've seen. Consistently competes at the catch point and contends for the football in the air every time. Doesn't settle for the big hit, always has his eyes on the prize.
Man Coverage - Cornerback experience has absolutely paid off. Terrific patience at the line of scrimmage and ability to mirror receivers out of their breaks with smooth footwork. Last two years he has not spent as much time in man coverage in games I've seen, so tough to say how skills have developed. From off-coverage, impressive burst to close and make plays on the ball. As an outside corner playing vertical routes, typically played the pocket more than he did get his head around to contest the ball.
Fluidity/Agility - Outstanding athlete with terrific short-area movement skills and quick-twitch change of direction. Seemed very loose in the hips and ability to open up and run on a moment's notice is top-notch. Consistently altered angles on the move and still arrived in time to help make a play.
Tackling - Excellent form tackler who will wrap up and drive through contact. Delivers big hits as frequently as possible, but won't abandon form for a knockout blow every time. Occasionally allows a runner to slip his grasp on a low tackle, but generally gets his man on the ground. Come over the middle on him, keep your head on a swivel.
Run Defense - Outrageously physical taking on blocks. Feels cracks coming and will take receivers apart if they challenge him physically. Stood up an offensive lineman and rocked the world of two tight ends when Delaware playing North Dakota State, despite his team getting blown out. Will fly up to the edge and turn runs back inside by blowing up the perimeter blocker. Uses his hands to shed, but also knows when to lower a shoulder and leverage a gap with some knockback. Terrific timing to trigger downhill in run support never hesitates to get in on a gang tackle. Takes mostly good angles to the ball, occasionally slightly aggressive in his pursuit to the perimeter.
Route Recognition - The more I watched, the more impressed I was. Consistently recognizes key offensive concepts and drives on them right away. Plays instinctive and trusts his reads. Can tell he recognizes certain things from film study, especially receiver screen concepts. As a middle of the field zone defender, made life miserable at catch point for receivers with his ability to recognize patterns developing and drive on the ball.
Versatility - Plays single-high, in the box and occasionally in the slot for Delaware, showing the ability to do all three at a high level. Man coverage reps were somewhat limited in the tape I saw, and he rarely blitzed, but see no reason why those couldn't be strengths of his as well.
Competitive Toughness - Extremely physical and hard-nosed with an elite competitive motor. Played his heart out in a blowout loss to North Dakota State, chasing down every play from all over the field. A relentless competitor who does not back down from anyone and plays with excellent conditioning. Has made some of the best hustle plays in college football over the past couple seasons, including this:
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Athleticism/Size - Hitting 200 pounds will be key for him at the Senior Bowl/Combine but plays like a linebacker at whatever his current weight is. Play strength is a huge positive in his eval, arms appear to be decently long as well. Looks like an outstanding athlete amongst FCS level competition, but Combine testing will reveal all.
BEST TRAIT - Physicality/Closing Burst
WORST TRAIT - Man Coverage (due to heavy deep safety usage last two years)
RED FLAGS - None
One of the most exciting things about being a draft evaluator is finding players like Adderley that you never expected to be anything special, yet they blow you away on tape. The toughest thing about Adderley's evaluation was finding a weakness, as he appears to be a top-notch athlete with exceptional short-area quickness and fluidity, while also possessing the ability to open up and cover ground with speed and range as a single-high safety.
He's incredibly physical, bringing the fight to everyone on the field without sacrificing technique or responsibility. I think he'll check in around 205 pounds with an ideal build for a deep safety, yet also perfectly sized to slide into the slot against all types of receivers when a team needs that role filled as well. The only real question mark with Adderley is the level of competition he faces, as he wasn't targeted a ton and will need to adjust some to the speed of the NFL game. His traits and intangibles seem to be perfectly in line with the top safeties in the league today, and as long as he checks boxes at the Senior Bowl and Combine, Adderley will likely be a top 15-30 player on my board.
Byron Murphy:
Feet - Exceptionally balanced and quick feet. Blends patience with clean transitions and elite burst. Explosive plant and drive skills when breaking forward. Has no issues pattern matching and his change of direction ability is rare.
Man Coverage - Blends quickness and fluidity with astute mirroring skills. Has a natural feel for anticipating routes with the ability to remain in phase with anyone. Often finishes running the route for the receiver. Sticky and competitive.
Tackling - Closes in on receivers with purpose and intent. Has a consistently low aiming point. Rarely gives up large amounts of separation so not only can he close in a hurry but the distance is often minimal. Plays well above his weight class. There are some reps on tape where he unnecessarily leaves his feet and dives into the ball carrier instead of squaring and wrapping up.
IQ/Awareness - Tremendous ability to anticipate routes. Knows how to layer coverage and squeeze throwing lanes. Finds the football in the air. Has a natural feel to coverage spacing and knows how to leverage routes. Diagnoses route combinations rapidly with an understanding of what the play concept is intended to achieve and how to take that away.
Physicality - Willing to mix it up in the contact window, use his hands to redirect routes, crowd receivers and play a disruptive style of football. Plays above his weight class when corners are aggressive with him at the release or at the top of routes. Brings good contact power for his size.
Ball Skills - Modest length works against him but has a natural feel for the ball's arrival and how to extend his arms and disrupt at the catch point. Plays with precise timing and technique when breaking on the football. Mitts are reliable to secure interceptions. The game slows down for him at the catch point. Does well to scrape at the football as an assisted tackler.
Press Technique - Will stalk receivers at the line of scrimmage and operates from a balanced base. Gets his hands into the framework of the receiver to achieve firm jams. Has redirect power in his hands. Recovery speed allows him to be aggressive.
Flexibility - Loose and fluid in his hips, ankles, and torso. Has a smooth and explosive change of direction skills and cleanly transitions. Plays with great bend and leverage. Springy and explosive mover. He glides moving in all directions.
Versatility - Can fit in any scheme and play any technique at a high level. Love him in zone, press, man, off-man... he does it all. Can be a touch more consistent in run support but it's a fairly minor gripe. Has been an effective blitzer and features tremendous ball skills.
BEST TRAIT - Coverage
WORST TRAIT - Run Support
RED FLAGS -
Murphy's fluidity, quickness, speed, ability to mirror routes, press technique, zone awareness and ball skills make him a scheme-transcendent talent. He features lockdown coverage skills with the ability to make game-changing plays on the football. He may have only started 20 games in college but his football IQ and athletic ability is good enough to contribute right away. Murphy has the potential to be among the top cornerbacks in the NFL by year three.
