Jimmie Ward Strong Safety

I did a search and could not find a thread for Jimmie Ward. I do believe he merits a thread.

He has good size and better than average speed for a safety.

At the Senior Bowl, Ward played safety and he functioned as a slot cornerback.

In the past two years, Ward has demonstrated exceptional ball skills.

The chart below shows the top 15 defensive backs in defending the pass.
Players are ordered by passes defended per game.

Ward is ranked #8 on this list. He is the only safety in the top ten.

I believe we need a safety with good ball skills.

In the table above, I showed that Jimmie Ward had exceptional ball skills.

But, a safety must be able to tackle. The chart below shows the safeties in this draft class with the top tackle numbers.

Jimmie Ward is 4th on this list. His ball skills are exception and apparently he can tackle.

Ward measured in at 5-10 ½ inches and 197 pounds, ran the 40 yard dash in 4.45 seconds, had a 38-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 ½ feet.

"All these teams wanted to see how fast I was," Ward said.

Ward was eager to show them. He knew the fastest time at the combine was a 4.26 from Kent State running back Dri Archer, whom Ward had faced in a 38-24 NIU win in October.

"I covered Dri Archer," Ward said with a smile. "I just wanted to show I could run a 4.4."

SS Ward worthy solidified a 2nd round pick as he is scheduled for surgery on his foot expected to be out 6-8 weeks

# 30.... no joke.

If Whitner isn't back my first preference is to trade a 3rd and move up to get Pryor or Clinton-Dix. My 2nd preference would be to take Ward (or Joyner) in the 2nd. I'm not too confident in any of the 2nd-3rd round SS's to come in day 1 and start but out of them all I think Ward or Joyner would my choice. Would be nice to finally have a cover guy back at SS though especially in today's passing NFL. Hopefully Ward could hold up in the run game. I think we would have him bulk up even more to around 195-200 to handle NFL RBs like Lynch.

Originally posted by Gore_21:
If Whitner isn't back my first preference is to trade a 3rd and move up to get Pryor or Clinton-Dix. My 2nd preference would be to take Ward (or Joyner) in the 2nd. I'm not too confident in any of the 2nd-3rd round SS's to come in day 1 and start but out of them all I think Ward or Joyner would my choice. Would be nice to finally have a cover guy back at SS though especially in today's passing NFL. Hopefully Ward could hold up in the run game. I think we would have him bulk up even more to around 195-200 to handle NFL RBs like Lynch.

Ward measured in at 5-foot-101/2 and 197 pounds, 14 pounds heavier than when he began his pre-draft training in January.

Originally posted by Harbaalke:
Ward measured in at 5-foot-101/2 and 197 pounds, 14 pounds heavier than when he began his pre-draft training in January.

I thought he weighed in at 193 at the combine. Yeah he really bulked up already and that has helped in his value IMO. He was definitely too light for SS in the 180s. I'm sure we would have him in the best shape of his life training with our vet group and if we can add 5-7 pounds of muscle and bulk while keeping his speed I think he would be good to go body wise.

S Ward to undergo foot surgery next week

NIU S Jimmie Ward will undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot next week.

The six-to-eight week recovery timetable ensures that Ward will be healthy in time for the draft, and ready to go for minicamp. Ward is a versatile prospect capable of lining up in the slot or playing effective center field. If a safety-hungry team misses out on Alabama's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Louisville's Calvin Pryor, they'd do well to snatch up Ward, whom Rotoworld's Josh Norris believes is Pryor's equal.

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/cfb/30310/report-major-red-flags-surface-on-de-lynch


Jimmie Ward runs two 4.47 scout-timed forties

NIU S Jimmie Ward was timed by one scout at 4.47 seconds on two forties at the school's pro day.

Rotoworld's Josh Norris has said Ward is a top three safety in this class and has a legitimate chance to be a first-round pick. Ward's versatility to play corner, line up in the slot, or cover ground in the deeper portions of the field could lead to some Kenny Vaccaro comparisons.

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/cfb/30310/report-major-red-flags-surface-on-de-lynch

Originally posted by buck:
S Ward to undergo foot surgery next week

NIU S Jimmie Ward will undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot next week.

The six-to-eight week recovery timetable ensures that Ward will be healthy in time for the draft, and ready to go for minicamp. Ward is a versatile prospect capable of lining up in the slot or playing effective center field. If a safety-hungry team misses out on Alabama's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Louisville's Calvin Pryor, they'd do well to snatch up Ward, whom Rotoworld's Josh Norris believes is Pryor's equal.

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/cfb/30310/report-major-red-flags-surface-on-de-lynch


Jimmie Ward runs two 4.47 scout-timed forties

NIU S Jimmie Ward was timed by one scout at 4.47 seconds on two forties at the school's pro day.

Rotoworld's Josh Norris has said Ward is a top three safety in this class and has a legitimate chance to be a first-round pick. Ward's versatility to play corner, line up in the slot, or cover ground in the deeper portions of the field could lead to some Kenny Vaccaro comparisons.

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/cfb/30310/report-major-red-flags-surface-on-de-lynch

Ward having the same surgery Crabtree had our of college can be troublesome imo

He expects to be cleared to return to the field before the May 8-10 NFL Draft.

Ward had 95 tackles and seven interceptions last season, and is considered to be a versatile back-end defender who boasts speed and good instincts despite being relatively small at 5-feet-11 and 193.

He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as a senior, and has even displayed the ability to drop down to handle slot receivers in man coverage.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl-draft-scout/24472088/pro-days-jimmie-ward-displays-speed-before-foot-surgery

2014 NFL Draft Top 32 Big Board: Jimmie Ward Rising

25. Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois

Rangy safety who can make plays everywhere, can line up as nickel CB, and do everything. Love his skill set.

http://nflmocks.com/2014/03/04/2014-nfl-draft-top-32-big-board-jimmie-ward-rising/

Safety List from Mike Mayock

1. Calvin Pryor, Louisville
2. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama
3. Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois
4. Deone Bucannon, Washington State
5. Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State

Rise: Ward (4)
Fall: Joyner (3)

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000330427/article/mike-mayocks-updated-position-rankings-for-2014-nfl-draft[/url]

The more you think about it, it's between him and Deone Bucannon if we lose Whitner.

Thanx now I want every SS in this yrs draft lol except Bucannon