Pass Coverage
In terms of core coverage skills, Igwebuike demonstrated both good deep speed and ball skills on tape. On this play, he shows the ability to run downfield with a receiver in man coverage:
And on these, he shows the ability to make plays on the ball, even coming down with a contested high-point catch on the second play:
While these are useful building blocks, for Igwebuike to be an effective NFL player he will need to show the ability to turn these core skills into a more nuanced coverage skill set; while Igwebuike wasn’t used extensively in man coverage at Northwestern, he did show both decent lateral agility and the ability to pressure the catch:
While decent, Igwebuike will likely need to develop this area of his game further, especially if teams want to use him to cover receivers rather than just running backs and tight ends. Where he will likely be used more effectively and extensively, however, is in zone coverage. Here, Igwebuike is able to use his short-area quickness to limit yards after the catch:
He also shows a good awareness of where he needs to be in zone; here, he sits underneath the routes the quarterback is reading, forcing him to hold onto the ball and allowing the defensive front to get pressure. Igwebuike then takes advantage and makes a play on the underthrown ball.
He also shows the range to make plays across the field; while he wasn’t used frequently as a deep safety at Northwestern, this ability to cover ground on the back end should allow him to function as a high safety when applicable.
What he does need to be careful of, however, is being overly aggressive on underneath routes. While not a frequent occurrence on tape, he was sometimes caught looking for the underneath pass and this can result in plays like the following:
Further to this, there were odd occasions in which there appeared to be communication issues. This was far from frequent, and it is hard to identify who is at fault without intimate knowledge of the defensive scheme, but this could potentially be a source of error in the NFL.
Igwebuike is certainly not going to be a target in the first couple of rounds of the NFL draft, but should the Panthers still be in need of safety help towards the end of the second day of the draft, then Igwebuike can offer both a strong current skill set with the potential to develop further. He also offers positional versatility with both the speed to play the free spot and the size and run defense to play in the box.
NFL Best Case Scenario: TJ Ward
NFL Worst Case Scenario: Josh Jones
One Sentence To Tell Your Friends On Draft Night: “An athletic safety prospect with the ability to play either in deep coverage or in the box. Will need to play with a little more discipline and has room to grow in man coverage but could offer immediate safety help with room to grow.”
Grade: B-
