1. Jamal Adams (LSU)– In his three years in Baton Rouge, he developed into the most well-rounded defensive back in the country. He plays the position on the balls of his feet and has the flexible joints to change directions and accelerate with fluidity. He possesses great size for the position but plays bigger than he looks. When he makes contact, he’s very explosive in his ability to make contact with a ball carrier. He has a large strike zone and he doesn’t miss often. He’s involved in every single play and is very aggressive in run defense. It’s safe to say he’s a linebacker in the secondary with his style of play and how he crashes down in the box to make tackles. He also covers a lot of ground and can defend receivers. He’s made comparisons to another LSU defensive back in Tyrann Mathieu.
2. Jabrill Peppers (Michigan)– He was considered “Mr. Versatility” last season in the nation and was involved in just about everything that the Wolverines did. He took snaps at 15 different positions on offense, defense (of course) and special teams and that earned him the Paul Hornung award as the nation’s most versatile player and the Lott IMPACT award as the nation’s top overall defender. What makes Jabrill Peppers so good? His instincts are what sets him apart from a lot of young players looking to take that next step to the NFL. He shows outstanding awareness and has the closing speed to take advantage of that awareness. He accelerates very quickly to burst through gaps and close in on the ballcarrier. His agility and acceleration help him defend all receivers. Despite his lack of size, he’s extremely physical and uses that speed to make a tackle in the open field. He may only have one career interception, but, he tracks the football down and has good hands. He’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Troy Polamalu with the versatility factor and how he’s able to make a play no matter where he is on the field.
3. Obi Melifonwu (Uconn)– At 6’4, he’s more than built to play the position. He reads the routes that a receiver will run and then attacks so he can make a play. He’s very active and plays the position as if he were a center fielder on the baseball field. He’s disruptive and closes in on anyone coming in his direction. He has the speed to stick with slot receivers and mobile quarterbacks and is very productive with his open field tackling. He wants the football and reads the quarterback at all times to strike and come away with the football. He’s a turnover machine and lures quarterbacks into throwing the football sooner rather than later.
4. Josh Jones (NC State)– He explodes out of a cannon on his tackling angles, accelerating in a flash. Speedy in pursuit to track down ballcarriers from behind. Aggressive hug-and-finish tackler in the open field. Creates stopping power with his downhill demeanor. Physical take-on skills to attack and tear through blocks. Evades blocks with bobs and weaves with finding the ballcarrier in the lane. He shows quick diagnose skills to sense what is about to happen, keeping his eyes on the prize. Steady at the catch point to find the ball and finish interceptions. Versatile experience across the secondary, including inside cornerback and both safety spots.
