With the Panthers re-signing Eric Reid to start the season, their need in terms of box safeties is pretty limited – the question at free safety, however, is much larger. But even if this isn’t a position the Panthers are necessarily going to target, it is worth knowing what is out there. So what is out there in terms of the 2019 box safety class?
The Usual Housekeeping
In terms of what separates box safeties from deep safeties, the box safeties are generally those who don’t have the speed and movement skills to be effective in the deep middle but who are able to make up for that in terms of their run defense.
In terms of coverage ability, players still need to show the awareness to process in zone and have the ability to make plays on the ball, both in terms of ball skills and athleticism. The best prospects will also have the ability to cover underneath in man against tight ends and running backs; a lot of college defenses don’t use a box safety in this form, and so there is a reasonable amount of projection for many prospects, with a lot of players who lack the athleticism to play the deep middle dropping down into the box in the NFL.
This is also relevant to run defense, where a lot of players weren’t asked to move with gaps in the box. As with all defenders, prospects need to show the ability to tackle effectively in space, and even for those who weren’t asked to play in the box, a huge amount can be assessed on the angles they took to the ball and their ability to work through traffic.
As always, evaluations don’t take into account off-field or medical concerns.
Up Next: Strong Safety Big Board
