Each week this offseason, we’ll be focusing on one position and how the Panthers may choose to address their needs; whether they’re in the market for an upgrade at starter or just a reliable backup, every player on the 53-man roster is going to be important in 2018.
This is Safety Week.
The Panthers entered the offseason with some uncertainty at both safety positions, and while the free safety spot has remained as such, the signing of Da’Norris Searcy and the return of Mike Adams has minimized the need at strong safety but the distinction between the two positions varies significantly from player to player and some of those listed as strong safeties could possibly play free safety, or in a pinch Adams might be able to move over to the free spot. With that in mind, what does the 2018 class have to offer in this regard?
The Big Board
The thing that will stand out with this draft board compared to others is the lower ranking of Alabama’s Ronnie Harrison. While Harrison is a good athlete, especially when working downfield, there are a reasonable number of concerns about his ability to reach his potential, hence the lower rating. While he is effective at shedding blocks and making plays in the run game, his tackling technique is extremely poor, rarely wrapping up and often resorting to shoulder-charging ball carriers with as much force as he can muster. In coverage, he is reasonably effective in zone in terms of movement, but does make some mental mistakes. He showed the ability to be effective in man coverage against slower tight ends, but struggled significantly against more adept route runners; on tape, he does offer undoubted potential, but his technical flaws are made more worrying by his Alabama pedigree. It’s far from certain that his technical flaws aren’t fixable, but given the level of coaching he has received and the generally excellent technique of Alabama defensive backs in the past, this should be of some concern. Harrison is far from a terrible prospect, but is likely to be overdrafted based simply on what he might become; in reality, he probably should be drafted either in the late second round or early third round but is being viewed as a late first-rounder.
Want more info on why my draft board looks different than others?
Derwin James and DeShon Elliot both offer intriguing options at the top of the class. James offers all kind of potential, with the ability to cover tight ends in man coverage, blitz the quarterback and stuff the run from the box. However, he does look a bit clunky some times in space and his zone coverage will need some work at the next level. Further to this, there is also the issue of how you use him, as he could easily be a jack-of-all-trades who masters none; players like Shaq Thompson are useful pieces of a defense, but it is not clear to this point how that varied skill set can translate to elite production. Elliot is more of a classic strong safety, and in that regard possibly has a higher floor than James; what lets him down is his over-aggression in zone coverage. If a team believes that this is a fixable issue, he might actually have a more obvious fit than James, even if his absolute ceiling isn’t as high.
There are a number of intriguing options who are likely to go towards the end of the second day of the draft or early on the third day; Cruikshank and Edmunds in particular show enough for some teams to view them as starting material in the near future. Edmunds does have an athletic ceiling that will limit him, but is a fairly well-rounded safety prospect and Cruikshank is one of those players most likely to be able to play the free spot, as he played somewhat of a hybrid/nickel role at Arizona. He does need to demonstrate that ability to be an effective zone corner in order to play the classic strong role in the NFL, but the potential is there. Neal has a huge ceiling as a box thumper with some coverage skills, but will likely take some time to develop before he is able to contribute.
The other player who it is hard to gauge is Troy Apke, who posted some excellent combine numbers but fails to demonstrate that athleticism on tape. He is likely to be taken earlier than shown above based on those combine numbers. If teams think that he can play as fast as he tests, then his stock should rise considerably, and private workouts will likely be key in this, but based on the tape alone it is hard to imagine him being an impact player at the next level. There aren’t many intriguing late-round options for the Panthers in this class, but there are at least some potential special teamers if they feel that is going to be a need.
