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2010 Safeties

R

rmartin65

Hall of Fame
Safety... The last line of defense. A good safety can change games by shutting down the passing game or a monster hit. Sadly, our Texans have never had an elite safety, and rarely have we had passable safeties. Next years draft class is pretty thick at the top with safety talent. Here are the top prospects, by my rankings.

Tier 1- Elite Prospects

Tennessee FS/SS Eric Berry, 5'11" 203
Berry is the cream of the safety crop. Quick, fast, agile, strong, the kid has it all. He will most likely hold the record for interception return yards by the end of the season, as just a junior. Ball hawk with power.

USC FS/SS Taylor Mays, 6'3" 235
Mays is a LB sized safety with elite speed. Dont believe the 4.2 rumors though, the USC track is very fast. If he came out last year, he would have been a top 15 pick, and the first safety off the board. Next years draft could see him sliding into the top ten. A punishing hitter, he is not the ballhawk that Berry is. This could be because of the system he plays in. Still, a great player.

Tier 1 1/2- Very Good Prospects

Georgia Tech FS/SS Morgan Burnett, 6'1" 210 lbs
Burnett is flying up my draft board thanks to some of the posters here. I urge people to start watching him closely, he is the real deal. He should be available in the late teens, so maybe within our grasp. He is more of a coverage DB.

Tier 2- Good Prospects

Georgia SS/FS Reshad Jones, 6'2" 212 lbs
Jones is a hard player to figure out. Some people love him and put him in the middle of the first, others put him in the 3rd. I am in the middle. Jones was the best player in the Georgia secondary. He is not afraid to stick his nose in, and has good ball skills. I think he will go in the early second.

Kansas SS Darrell Stuckey, 5'11" 205 lbs
Stuckey is one of my favorite DB's in the draft. He is a great tackling safety who is unafraid of contact. He is also a very high quality person. I am a little afraid of his pass defense, but it happens.

LSU FS Chad Jones, 6'3' 214
Jones is an athletic centerfielder who does not quite live up to his billing. His play needs to step up this year.

Tier 3- Solid Prospects

Ex- Florida State SS Myron Rolle, 6'2" 223 lbs
Rolle was a great safety, but is taking a year off from football to further his education. Reports are that he is still training, but we will see how he does in the combine (he will get an invite).

South Florida FS Nate Allen, 6'1" 206 lbs
An underrated safety from the Big East, Allen has ball skills, athleticism and is a physical player. The problem? He plays in the Big East. Allen should be a solid contributor at the next level.

Florida FS Major Wright, 6' 204 lbs
I am not as high on Wright as other people are, but he could be a good backup that turns into an effective starter in a few years. I feel that he looks better than he is because of the level of talent on the Florida D.

Virginia Tech SS Kam Chancellor, 6'3" 230
I was very high on Chancellor before the season, but he disappointed last week. He has all the ability, but does not seem to understand the safety position. He might be more suited to a move to OLB. However, he does have the speed for SS, and more than enough strength


Ok, thats what I got. Please discuss, disagree, or suggest people that I left out.
 
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Arguably two of the best defenses the last few years have had top caliber S play. The Steelers with Polamalu and the Ravens with Ed Reed. Different styles but an impact player who changes the game. Defensive guru Jeff Fisher has always put a premium on S play as well and Michael Griffin is a rising star on what was a heck of a D last year too.
 
I think Myron Rolle is going to end up being classified in the tier 1 1/2 classification. He is a very fluid player, extremely intelligent, and a great athlete to top it off. Hopefully TexansSeminole comes in here and can add some more information since he's watched him play for the past couple of years.

However Eric Berry is at the top of my list. I love the way he plays. I have a huge man-crush on him.
 
Vinny said:
Arguably two of the best defenses the last few years have had top caliber S play. The Steelers with Polamalu and the Ravens with Ed Reed. Different styles but an impact player who changes the game. Defensive guru Jeff Fisher has always put a premium on S play as well and Michael Griffin is a rising star on what was a heck of a D last year too.
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Yeah, I think elite safties are starting to make more and more of a difference now days. Bob Sanders has been a huge difference maker for the Colts and was that difference in that season when they made that SB run.

Griffin was the guy I wanted the Texans to draft over anyone when we went after Okoye. Everyone raved on and on about Landry and Nelson, but Griffin had clearly been the best safety in college between all 3 and I knew he would be the best in the pros. Griffin is such a freaking stud.

I would do every thing to get Eric berry and even trade up for the guy. He would mean so much to any defense. Safeties like him only come along every 4 years or so like a Griffin, Sean Taylor, or a an Ed Reed.
 
pbat488 said:
I think Myron Rolle is going to end up being classified in the tier 1 1/2 classification. He is a very fluid player, extremely intelligent, and a great athlete to top it off. Hopefully TexansSeminole comes in here and can add some more information since he's watched him play for the past couple of years.

However Eric Berry is at the top of my list. I love the way he plays. I have a huge man-crush on him.
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I like Rolle well enough, its the layoff that worries me. I had him as a 2nd rounder last year, but a year off knocks him back a round or two.
 
The thing with Taylor Mays is that USC's defense has been very stout on the front 7.

Yet, a lot of teams still try to run on them (and/or go with the short pass) at the beginnning of the game to keep the score close.
So he does not have as many chances as other safeties.

You would think that with USC mostly ahead that the other teams would pass more, but it wasn't the case.

Last year, their opponents ran the ball 387 times, while attempting only 345 passes in the regular season (4 TDs).

And when they did pass, they stayed away from him mostly.

And it looks the same this year.
In a losing effort (3-56), the San Jose St. Spartans ran 31 times and passed 30 times, none his way.

There was only one instance that he had to come over to the side line to help out a CB.
The CB committed interference.
That slowed down the WR and they called a late hit on Mays.
(I don't think it was but I would have to go back and check).
It was a big hit, an enforcer type of hit.
There was no way that receiver (6'0-190) can hang on to the ball.

He had to go get after the ball himself to get into action.

5 assists and one solo tackle (all on running plays).

The solo was when he came up close to the LOS and chased behind the LOS to the other side to get to the ball carrier, who had run off-tackle or some sort of outside run. (I might have to go back and look at this play.
I don't care if he doesn't run a 4'2.
That right there is faster than fast.

I will try to watch Burnett next in the Ga Tech game.
 
Rolle was always a solid player but two things concern/ed me about him. One is that he never really improved that much, he was pretty much the same player in his last year than he was in his first year. The other is that he never made any big plays. Game after game, year after year Seminole fans would wait for him to have a breakout year but he never did.

Rolle overall is a good tackler when he gets his hands on you and average in coverage. However, he will take really bad angles on occasion, he doesn't take full advantage of his athleticism, and he is the opposite of what you would call a ballhawk.

I love Myron Rolle for everything he has accomplished, he is a truly great Seminole but as far as NFL potential I wouldn't take him until the 4th round in the 2010 draft.

I've always said that Myron Rolle needs to stick to academics. For as good as he is at football, he is 10 times more talented in the academic world. He's already starting up a free medical clinic in Exuma in the Bahamas. He is going to finance the project through his non profit foundation that bears his name. The free clinic will also bear his name. He's partnered up with FSU so med students will provide free treatment. Rolle said that if they need an X-ray done on the island they have to make a plane ride and he felt it was wrong.
 
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Dont get me wrong; I love Mays as a prospect. If Berry is 1a then Mays is 1b, the Texans would be upgraded big time with either of these guys. Burnett as well.
 
rmartin65 said:
Dont get me wrong; I love Mays as a prospect. If Berry is 1a then Mays is 1b, the Texans would be upgraded big time with either of these guys. Burnett as well.
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I know! What I want to do is to study these guys, that's all.
I'm not endorsing any of these guys 110% at the moment.
 
rmartin65, excellent write up. For purposes of the Texans I think I'd rather have Burnett over Mays at SS, because I want someone who has better coverage and ballhawk skills. Mays is a great athlete with great speed as well but I also wonder if he's patially at least a product to the system that he plays in and the fact that he has so much talent around him. I saw Burnett in the 1st quarter of the Clemson game tonight and he was impressive, very good speed and seemed to be in on almost every defensive play and wasn't afraid to tackle.

I know it's overrated but does anyone know what Burnett's 40 time is?
 
Wolf6151 said:
rmartin65, excellent write up. For purposes of the Texans I think I'd rather have Burnett over Mays at SS, because I want someone who has better coverage and ballhawk skills. Mays is a great athlete with great speed as well but I also wonder if he's patially at least a product to the system that he plays in and the fact that he has so much talent around him. I saw Burnett in the 1st quarter of the Clemson game tonight and he was impressive, very good speed and seemed to be in on almost every defensive play and wasn't afraid to tackle.

I know it's overrated but does anyone know what Burnett's 40 time is?
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Out of HS, his 40 time was mediocre 4.56; but his shuttle speed of 4.00 was better. (At the Nike camp).

I think I've read somewhere that he runs in the 4.40s; I can't be sure of that though.
 
Well, after doing some research they only credited him to 1 tackle, but I can't see how that is accurate as I saw him in on a bunch of tackles.
 
TexansSeminole said:
Ramblinwreck.com
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What I know for sure is that he should be credited for an assist for the first running play.

Then he came up and made a nice PBU but the D was called for offsides.

On 3rd and 2 he came up and made a tackle to stop the runner one yard short of the first down.

On the next series, he came up and turned the runner in, then joined the tackling. Don't know if he will get credit for an assist or not.

I'll look at the game some more later!

At any rate, the official tallies should be out tomorrow.
 
TexansSeminole said:
Well, after doing some research they only credited him to 1 tackle, but I can't see how that is accurate as I saw him in on a bunch of tackles.
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I actually think that is pretty accurate. He might have had a couple more, but I mainly saw him as the third or fourth guy in, not the guy actually making the hit.
 
rmartin65 said:
Eric Berry highlight videos:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=eric+berry+highlights&hl=en&client=firefox-a&emb=0&aq=0&oq=Eric+Berry#

The best two are the 2nd one down, and the Berry vs. Mays one.
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Eric Berry really reminds me of Troy Polamalu, the way he runs, his speed, his fearlessness, his tackling ability, his wreckless abandonment in the secondary and athleticism. Some really bad team is going to get him, hopefully not Oakland, or some mediocre team is going to trade up and get him. I hate watching his video highlights because I get hyped up about someone who won't be available for us and would cost way to much to trade up and get. Maybe we can get Morgan Burnett instead, he's almost as good.
 
Vinny said:
Arguably two of the best defenses the last few years have had top caliber S play. The Steelers with Polamalu and the Ravens with Ed Reed. Different styles but an impact player who changes the game. Defensive guru Jeff Fisher has always put a premium on S play as well and Michael Griffin is a rising star on what was a heck of a D last year too.
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I think Tennessee usually plays with CB/S hybrids. Guys who can cover and get to the ball.
 
bah007 said:
They do. Eric Berry was a CB in high school.
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Last year, they played Eric deeper than most teams (confirmed by several announcers during games).

This first game, I haven't seen how they use him; but according to the Volsnation site, they brought him up and use him more as a rover a la Patrick Chung. Also, according to that side, he missed one tackle.

Officially (ncaa.org), he ended up with one pass defended, one tackle and two assists .
 
rmartin65 said:
I actually think that is pretty accurate. He might have had a couple more, but I mainly saw him as the third or fourth guy in, not the guy actually making the hit.
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There's no official numbers for the Clemson game yet.

But against Jacksonville St. Burnett' lines were:

One Int
One pass defended
Three tackles (one for loss)
Two assists.
 
I don't think that the Texans will ever use a 1st round draft pick on a safety. They'll most likely waste another draft pick on a poor DT again next year.
 
76Texan said:
There's no official numbers for the Clemson game yet.

But against Jacksonville St. Burnett' lines were:

One Int
One pass defended
Three tackles (one for loss)
Two assists.
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Its Jacksonville St. though. I am not doubting that Burnett is good, he certainly has his moments. I just did not see much of him last night.
 
Texecutioner said:
I don't think that the Texans will ever use a 1st round draft pick on a safety. They'll most likely waste another draft pick on a poor DT again next year.
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I hate it but your probably right. Next years 1st round draft pick needs to be spent on a CB or FS/SS. We have spent entirely to many high draft picks trying to fix the D-line, spread some of that talent around the team.
 
rmartin65 said:
Its Jacksonville St. though. I am not doubting that Burnett is good, he certainly has his moments. I just did not see much of him last night.
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I did!

I've rewatched the game until somewhere in the third.
Lots of good things and one questionable decision (depending on the defensive scheme, which I will elaborate when I have time).
But he definitely had more than 1 tackle, along with the assists.
 
TimeKiller said:
Right now I can't imagine a scenario where the Texans don't give up what it takes to grab Berry or Mays.
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I'd love for the Texans to get Berry but I also think that it would cost way to much to move up that high. We'll probably be drafting in the 18-22 range and Berry will most likely go in the top 5. That would be a very expensive trade up and I don't see Kubiak trading up. If anything I think he'd trade down for extra picks. Mays is a great athlete with great speed but I don't think the Texans will be looking for his type of player. I think they'll want someone much better is pass coverage with some serious ballhawk skills. Hopefully we take Morgan Burnett in the 1st round and hopefully we don't go for another DT in the 1st.
 
Sorry this is late, I have been away from a computer for the last day and a half (probably a good thing, considering the Jets game. Holy **** that was ugly).

Of the top 3 safeties (Berry, Mays, Burnett), I would rank them: Mays, Berry, Burnett. Mays was more of a force during the game than the other two, as he stepped up against both the run and the pass. Berry was a force along the line of scrimmage, and average against the pass. I did not see anything spectacular from him there, which means he won the battle. Burnett was invisible to me. I saw him run in late on quite a few plays, but the guy was already wrapped up.
 
Statistical production so far:

Berry - 3 tackles, 1 pass defended vs Western Kentucky
10 tackles, .5 TFL, 1 QB hurry vs UCLA

Burnett - 5 tackles, .5 TFL, 1 pass defended, 1 INT vs Jacksonville St
1 tackle vs Clemson

Mays - 6 tackles vs San Jose St
8 tackles at Ohio St
 
In a previous post I said that we won't be in a position to draft Berry because he'll go way to early for us to think about. If we keep playing like we did yesterday then we won't have to worry about the cost of trading up for Berry, we'll just pick him ourselves.

If we can't get Berry then I'd like to have Burnett over Mays. Burnett is more of a coverage Safety and more of a ballhawk than Mays.

I'd also like to have a better coaching staff, but that's a topic for a different thread.
 
It would be nice to find a Bob Sanders clone in the 2nd. An early 2nd might net Kansas SS Darrell Stuckey. In last years draft I watched in horror as Louis Delmas went to Detroit #33 & Patrick Chung went #34 to New England. Stuckey is more polished than either, head hunter with ball skills. It's early but projecting him in the 30-35 range seems about right, how the Texans get there I have no idea :pop:
 
beerlover said:
It would be nice to find a Bob Sanders clone in the 2nd. An early 2nd might net Kansas SS Darrell Stuckey. In last years draft I watched in horror as Louis Delmas went to Detroit #33 & Patrick Chung went #34 to New England. Stuckey is more polished than either, head hunter with ball skills. It's early but projecting him in the 30-35 range seems about right, how the Texans get there I have no idea :pop:
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Some listed him at 6-1, 6-0.
NFLDraftscout had him at 5'11
What's his real height, anybody knows?
 
5'11" sounds about right for Stuckey. If we dont go safety in the first round, Stuckey in the second is a good idea. He should be there in around the middle of the round.
 
Wolf6151 said:
I'd love for the Texans to get Berry but I also think that it would cost way to much to move up that high. We'll probably be drafting in the 18-22 range and Berry will most likely go in the top 5. That would be a very expensive trade up and I don't see Kubiak trading up. If anything I think he'd trade down for extra picks. Mays is a great athlete with great speed but I don't think the Texans will be looking for his type of player. I think they'll want someone much better is pass coverage with some serious ballhawk skills. Hopefully we take Morgan Burnett in the 1st round and hopefully we don't go for another DT in the 1st.
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rmartin65 said:
I wish. I see about a 5% chance of a trade up, historically the Texans dont do it, and this one would be expensive.
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Could you guys speak into the microphone please? It's hard to hear you with my fingers stuck in my ears while I hum the national anthem....:)

Great athlete and great speed...from USC....sure, the Texans would never dare spend a 1st round pick on something like that. If you're going to address it you may as well address it right. I know the Texans are probably gonna F it up somehow but for once, if they just did something like this....MAYBE it would work out nicely.
 
Statistical production so far:

Berry - 3 tackles, 1 pass defended vs Western Kentucky
10 tackles, .5 TFL, 1 QB hurry vs UCLA
11 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT at Florida

Burnett - 5 tackles, .5 TFL, 1 pass defended, 1 INT vs Jacksonville St
1 tackle vs Clemson
8 tackles at Miami

Mays - 6 tackles vs San Jose St
8 tackles at Ohio St
DNP (injury) at Washington

And I'm adding a new guy to the list, Earl Thomas of Texas. He is a redshirt sophomore so he is eligible for the draft after this season. And though he probably will not enter, I think we should at least keep an eye on him. I think he is going to be special.

2 passes defended vs UL Monroe
2 tackles, 1 pass defended at Wyoming
8 tackles, 1 pass defended, 1 INT vs Texas Tech
 
Berry played very well against the Gators, I must say.

Right now I have Berry & Mays in a dead heat.
And Burnett in third.
 
76Texan said:
Berry played very well against the Gators, I must say.

Right now I have Berry & Mays in a dead heat.
And Burnett in third.
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I've got Berry as the top player on my draft board....by a lot.

He was easily the best player on the field in the UT-UF game.
 
76Texan said:
Berry played very well against the Gators, I must say.

Right now I have Berry & Mays in a dead heat.
And Burnett in third.
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That seems pretty fair, but I would give Berry the edge over Mays. He just looks more like a playmaker out there.

Burnett is dropping in my rankings a bit. Still the 3rd safety, but he is losing ground.

bah007 said:
I've got Berry as the top player on my draft board....by a lot.

He was easily the best player on the field in the UT-UF game.
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Word.
 
We had a great win today over Tennessee, but can you imagine how good we could be with real safeties that could fight off blocks and weren't afraid of contact and knew how to tackle. Along with real CB's who knew how to find the ball and knew how to cover and didn't give 10 yd. cushions.
 
bah007 said:
I've got Berry as the top player on my draft board....by a lot.

He was easily the best player on the field in the UT-UF game.
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He was!

Mays missed the Washington game, so we can't really compare the two of them. But then again, Mays might have made a difference for USC in that game. Did they miss him? I dunno.

Just have to wait for the next game, I guess!
 
76Texan said:
He was!

Mays missed the Washington game, so we can't really compare the two of them. But then again, Mays might have made a difference for USC in that game. Did they miss him? I dunno.

Just have to wait for the next game, I guess!
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I imagine that USC missed Mays back there. I don't think Locker completes that bomb to set up the FG if Mays is back there in Cover 2.
 
I would love to see Mays in place of Berry on that Tebow's run on the right sideline.

Tebow won that collision over Berry, I'd say.
 
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