Is this a &#039;deep&#039; Safety Class?

Is this a 'deep' Safety Class?

nickbradley · 2012-09-22T14:09:28-07:00

With the probable departure of Dashon Goldson after the season, safety will be a top priority in the draft; with our future cap situation and need to extend our young stars, its highly unlikely that we re-sign him. Thankfully, Safety is purported to be a 'deep' class this year after two years of weak S classes. Reid might be a top 10/15 pick, but I'd **love to get T-Mac Junior...that'd be awesome. So, do you guys concur? I've copied the following list from the Cowboys SBNation Site. Eric Reid, LSU: 6-2, 208 (FS) A free safety at LSU, Reid has the potential, skill-set and size to play either safety position, boasting the capability to come up and play the run or be a free roamer in centerfield. Reminds people of former LSU All-American and the sixth pick in the 2007 draft LaRon Landry. Like Landry, Reid can lay the wood; here he isdoing precisely that against Vandy. Moreover, he's an intelligent player who takes good angles to the football, using uses his size and instincts to put himself in a position to make plays. Reid's smarts suggest he might be an "RKG." Reid has a good GPA and is on the watch list for the Lott Impact Trophy, which is awarded to college footballs Defensive Player of the Year who best exemplifies integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity. Indeed, his tenacity was evident in last year's "battle of the century" against Alabama, when he went up to battle Alabama tight end Michael Williams for a ball inside the Tigers' 10 yard line. Although Williams has position and the ball, Reid wrestled it away from him, preserving a 6-6 tie in a game LSU went on to win 9-6. T.J. McDonald, USC: 6'2", 205 (FS) McDonald boasts NFL bloodlines. His father, Tim, was also a safety at USC, leading the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory before a pro career with the Cardinals and 49ers. T.J.'s family pedigree shows up on the field and in the film room; he's a great athlete with a very high football IQ. McDonald doesn't have the short-area quickness to run with slot receivers; that's not his game. However, at 6'2", with a frame that could add at another 10 pounds of mass, he is fast and physical enough to stay with tight ends and bigger wideouts over the middle and down the seam, which fulfills an important role in today's NFL. As a deep safety, McDonald covers a lot of ground, and reads the quarterback's eyes and reacts quickly to sideline throws. His fluid hips and long frame will help him break up a great number of pass plays in his area. McDonald isn't great against the run, but plays intelligently with instincts in his assignment. He is a willing tackler who aggressively attacks screens and short routes. Robert Lester, Alabama: 6'2", 210 (FS) In 2011, Lester started all 12 games at strong safety for the eventual BCS Champions, and then, much to head coach Nick Saban's delight, opted to return for his senior season. Lester is a very smart, hardworking player who is always around the ball (as evidenced by the fact that he's involved in a lot of turnovers). Furthermore, he has demonstrated the propensity to make plays with the football after an interception or fumble. In Alabama's scheme, Lester was used interchangeably; at times he was a box safety, at others he dropped into a deep zone or lined up on a slot WR (where he has been successful, showing good coverage skills). At the NFL level, he figures to be a free safety, largely because he excels as a centerfielder, and has tallied 10 interceptions in his career at 'Bama, most of them when lined up in deep zone and reacting to the developing play. SS Ray-Ray Armstrong (6'4", 216) and FS Vaughn Telemaque (6'2", 211) Miami, FL. Once again, "The U" boasts two terrific safety prospects. The better of the two is Armstrong, a big, aggressive athlete with excellent size and speed, as well as the range and instincts to cover both sidelines. He's an extremely physical player who flies around the field punishing opposing ballcarriers. With his rare size, Armstrong is capable of matching up with tight ends but can use his 4.4 speed to run with slot receivers. Telemaque not only makes the all-name team, but also demonstrates NFL caliber athleticism. In 2011, he started all 12 games, finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 59 (36 solo, 23 assists). Some scouts believe that Telemaque is a better prospect than Armstrong, due to his ability to be equally effective against the run and in coverage. Indeed, he's a rangy player and a strong tackler. That said, both players come with multiple red flags. In 2011, Armstrong was suspended for four games for dealings with convicted felon and former UM booster Nevin Shapiro; Telemaque was part of the scandal but wasn't suspended. On Monday, rumors circulated that Armstrong had been dismissed from the team after he tweeted that he had had interaction with a booster via Twitter. And, reports out of spring practice suggest that Telemaque has been demoted to second team, passed on the depth chart by Kacy Rodgers. The Best of the Rest: Kenny Vaccaro, Texas: 6'1", 215 (FS) Although he has the size to play strong safety, Vaccaro's NFL position will likely be at FS. At UT, Vaccaro has primarily been given coverage assignments rather than being asked to line up in the box and defend the run. Vaccaro has good range, and covers a lot of ground, boasting the quickness to cover the deep part of the field. The Longhorns' defensive staff often lined him up in the slot, where he covered an inside receiver. From this position, Texas has asked him to execute both man and zone coverages, and to blitz (he had five QB pressures in 2011) Vaccaro's fluidity as well as his instincts allow him to shadow quicker receivers while his size makes him a difficult matchup for bigger receivers as well. At the same time, he is aggressive in pursuit, has good size to defend the run and is a nice form tackler, wrapping up ballcarriers rather than simply hitting them or diving at their legs. On the other hand, he gets impatient at times, and will get out of his backpedal a little too quick, and he needs to improve his hands; Vaccaro dropped a several potential interceptions last season. Bacarri Rambo, Georgia: 6'0", 218 (FS) In 2011, Rambo was named All-SEC First Team and First Team All-American while starting all 13 games for the Bulldogs, recording 55 tackles, eight PBUs and a team-best eight INTs - which was enough to rank first in the SEC and second in the NCAA in interceptions (0.62) per game. He's got terrific size and an impressive skillset, and is reportedly a hard worker and he pushes everyone on the team to work hard and to get better each day. Before you label him an RKG, however, note that Rambo will miss the first four games of the coming football season after testing positive for marijuana use after waking up hungry and eating some pot-laced brownies while on vacation. Why four games? Because he had already violated the team's drug and alcohol policy. Hakeem Smith, Louisville: 6-1, 185 (SS) Based on his impactful play over the first two starting seasons of his career, one could make the argument that Smith deserved to lead this list. After redshirting in 2009, Smith led the Cardinals with 88 tackles, including six tackles for loss, earning Big East Defensive "Rookie of the Year" honors. In 2011, Smith emerged as a playmaker in the secondary, demonstrating the ability to come up and make sure-handed tackles and developing his coverage skills, with 9 PBUs, his second career interception and four forced fumbles, resulting in his earning First Team All Big East accolades in 2011. These players figure to be drafted anywhere from the first (Reid, McDonald) to the third-fourth (Telemaque) rounds. The larger takeaway here is that there will be plenty of premium prospects available at a position where the Cowboys desperately need to add quality. Bill Parcells always used to say that personnel requires a meeting of need and opportunity; next April, we should see a welcome synchronicity between these two. http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2012/7/4/3034220/building-the-cowboys-roster-2013-safety-class-shows-promise

Sep 22, 2012 at 2:16 PM

jreff22
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Posts: 67,372

Ray Ray was suspended....no longer in Miami

and yes its deep

you also forgot Shawn Williams GA

[ Edited by jreff22 on Sep 22, 2012 at 2:16 PM ]

Sep 22, 2012 at 3:18 PM

hofer36
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Posts: 8,257

Originally posted by jreff22:
Ray Ray was suspended....no longer in Miami

and yes its deep

you also forgot Shawn Williams GA

ray ray is gone gone?

Sep 22, 2012 at 3:40 PM

mtminer
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Posts: 338

Originally posted by hofer36:

Originally posted by jreff22:
Ray Ray was suspended....no longer in Miami

and yes its deep

you also forgot Shawn Williams GA

ray ray is gone gone?

Yep, tried to transfer to an NAIA program, but was ruled ineligible to even play there.

Sep 22, 2012 at 3:52 PM

DVDA
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Posts: 2,367

The Texas safety is someone I would be excited to see play for the 49ers.

Sep 22, 2012 at 4:18 PM

49ersalldaway126
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Posts: 14,549

in no order

for FS

mcdonald
reid
rambo
and vaccaro

are the best players for the team

i think all of them can be dangerous weapons keep in mind we have the best DB coach in the country and all already have a great foundation

[ Edited by 49ersalldaway126 on Sep 22, 2012 at 4:20 PM ]

Sep 22, 2012 at 4:29 PM

Allx9er
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Posts: 11,690

What does rkg stand for

Sep 22, 2012 at 4:37 PM

Mr.Mcgibblets
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Posts: 15,079

Can't say I have watched much of any except Reid.. which I like. From what I read of Vaccaro, he sounds perfect.

Sep 22, 2012 at 4:41 PM

49ersalldaway126
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Posts: 14,549

Originally posted by oldman9er:
Can't say I have watched much of any except Reid.. which I like. From what I read of Vaccaro, he sounds perfect.

vaccaro and rambo are the ball haawks

those are the gamechangers that will get you the int and both are great in coverage as well

McDonald and reid are the most fundamentally sound when it comes to tackling both have great fundamentals and close in on defenders very fact and have great instincts both are good defenders however wouldnt categorize them as ball hawks or game changers but that could easily change

[ Edited by 49ersalldaway126 on Sep 22, 2012 at 4:41 PM ]

Sep 22, 2012 at 4:48 PM

Mr.Mcgibblets
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Posts: 15,079

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:

Originally posted by oldman9er:
Can't say I have watched much of any except Reid.. which I like. From what I read of Vaccaro, he sounds perfect.

vaccaro and rambo are the ball haawks

those are the gamechangers that will get you the int and both are great in coverage as well

McDonald and reid are the most fundamentally sound when it comes to tackling both have great fundamentals and close in on defenders very fact and have great instincts both are good defenders however wouldnt categorize them as ball hawks or game changers but that could easily change

Thanks for the insight. I like what I'm reading on Vaccaro and now Shawn Williams. Does look like it will be a nice and deep group for teams looking for S.

Sep 22, 2012 at 5:01 PM

#10

SanDiego49er
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Posts: 52,301

We don't need a Safety. We need to sign Goldson long term. Dude is a monster. He flys up from 15 yards back to make tackes around the line of scrimmage. And he's a major ball hawk with interceptions. Plus he hits hard. As much as Delanie Walker is overrated on the WZ Goldson is way underrated. Our secondary is NOT THE SAME without him. People need to remember back to the past when we had bad safetys. We were awful. Now we have 2 good ones. And one great one. Keep him. Pay the man.

Sep 22, 2012 at 5:32 PM

#11

jreff22
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Posts: 67,372

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
We don't need a Safety. We need to sign Goldson long term. Dude is a monster. He flys up from 15 yards back to make tackes around the line of scrimmage. And he's a major ball hawk with interceptions. Plus he hits hard. As much as Delanie Walker is overrated on the WZ Goldson is way underrated. Our secondary is NOT THE SAME without him. People need to remember back to the past when we had bad safetys. We were awful. Now we have 2 good ones. And one great one. Keep him. Pay the man.

Even if we get Goldson back with the way this class is looking I would still go FS/SS early....the talent i too good to pass up...think BPA. McBath will be let go so that leaves Spillman and Robinson.....I would rather have a top tier talent being the 3rd guy up.

Sep 22, 2012 at 5:32 PM

#12

jreff22
Veteran
Posts: 67,372

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:

Originally posted by oldman9er:
Can't say I have watched much of any except Reid.. which I like. From what I read of Vaccaro, he sounds perfect.

vaccaro and rambo are the ball haawks

those are the gamechangers that will get you the int and both are great in coverage as well

McDonald and reid are the most fundamentally sound when it comes to tackling both have great fundamentals and close in on defenders very fact and have great instincts both are good defenders however wouldnt categorize them as ball hawks or game changers but that could easily change

With the LSU D I think its hard to tell how good each guy is on his own...same with bama

Sep 22, 2012 at 5:56 PM

#13

9erfanAUS
Veteran
Posts: 16,281

Originally posted by jreff22:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
We don't need a Safety. We need to sign Goldson long term. Dude is a monster. He flys up from 15 yards back to make tackes around the line of scrimmage. And he's a major ball hawk with interceptions. Plus he hits hard. As much as Delanie Walker is overrated on the WZ Goldson is way underrated. Our secondary is NOT THE SAME without him. People need to remember back to the past when we had bad safetys. We were awful. Now we have 2 good ones. And one great one. Keep him. Pay the man.

Even if we get Goldson back with the way this class is looking I would still go FS/SS early....the talent i too good to pass up...think BPA. McBath will be let go so that leaves Spillman and Robinson.....I would rather have a top tier talent being the 3rd guy up.

Given the deep safety class, it's a safer option to let Goldson walk and sign Bowman long term.

Sep 22, 2012 at 6:02 PM

#14

BobSacamano69
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Posts: 1,643

hahaha i think its hillarious that its week 3 and the very first thing you said in this thread is "with the probable departure of goldson this year" lol are you serious? we just went to the nfc title game an are 15-3 in the regular season with goldson at FS. we are a good team right now, a super bowl team, we are winning and having success why would goldson leave? no one is going to offer him the 7 or 8 million a year he wants, an even if they do like i said we are 15-3 with him, the FO is going to work with him to keep him. ya theres safetys out there who are better in coverage but will they help us get to the nfc title game? idk. if we have a bad year thats one thing, especially int he secondary, but we wont an i see no reason why the FO wouldnt get a deal done with him. unless your one of those people who just follow whatever espn says or believe the "every player that gets franchise tagged leaves the next year" theory. aka BS.