Perry's Prototypical Patriots: Which safeties are best fits in New England?
The New England Patriots used their top draft pick on a safety last spring. Might they make it two years in a row?The Patriots have experience and talent at the position with veterans Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips and 2020 second-rounder Kyle Dugger leading the way. But in the wake of Patrick Chung's retirement, New England may look to add another versatile playmaker who can fill multiple roles on defense.So, which safety prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft should be on the Patriots' radar? Phil Perry's Prototypical Patriots series concludes with a look at the safeties in this year's class who fit the mold of what New England looks for at that position.
The state of the safety position in New England is a fascinating one to try to figure out ahead of the draft.
Patrick Chung has retired, but the Patriots look well-suited to handle his departure with veteran Adrian Phillips and second-year talent Kyle Dugger having the ability to make plays in the box as Chung did.
Devin McCourty is under contract for one more season, and there's no real clear-cut succession plan behind him. Maybe that will be a focus in this year's draft. Or maybe Jonathan Jones is an option to eventually succeed McCourty in the deep middle portion of the field. We've seen Jones get reps at safety before. He has two years left on his deal.
Of course, if Jones eventually moves to safety, then the Patriots will need a starting-caliber slot. Dugger, funny enough, played primarily a centerfield role in college and maybe the Patriots believe he has the range to play back there if and when there's a need. That, of course, could create a need for a box player.
You can see how the dominoes start to fall as you anticipate what's next at safety.
The reality in New England is that anyone playing safety is going to have to know the entire defense. They may not be the world's best slot corner, but they should be capable there. They may not be built to hold up at the linebacker level for 50 snaps per week, but they better be able to hold their own in there depending on the situation.
Luckily for the Patriots, there are do-it-all playmakers in this year's draft who look like fits. The mold? Athletic. Safeties drafted in the first three rounds usually had 40 times close to 4.5 seconds or lower. Their verticals were in the 35 to 40-inch range. Most had broad jumps of 10 feet or better. Jordan Richards -- an athletic outlier for the Patriots at the position (4.65-second 40, 32-inch vertical, 9-foot-3 broad) -- had an above-average three-cone time (6.74 seconds), but most others were closer to 7.0 seconds.
Safeties drafted in the first three rounds by Bill Belichick have been at least 5-11 and 192 pounds. Players who skewed more toward free safety (McCourty, Duron Harmon, Eugene Wilson, Brandon Meriweather) were all between 5-11 and 6-feet, between 192 and 196 pounds. Players more built for the box (Chung, Dugger, Richards and Tavon Wilson) -- not surprisingly -- were a little bigger, measuring between 5-11 and 6-1, between 205 and 217 pounds.
Now that we understand what the Patriots have drafted in the past at the position, let's get to the fits...
Height, weight: 6-feet, 197 pounds
Grant is the prototype for the Patriots in that he may be suited to play either safety role. He checks the boxes in terms of his frame and athletic profile (4.54-second 40, 34.5-inch vertical, 129-inch broad, 6.78 cone), and he lit it up at the Senior Bowl.
Grant was voted by opposing receivers and quarterbacks as the top safety on the American team. And with good reason. He shined in one-on-one drills and looked like a more-than-capable slot corner, flashing good hands and good instincts.
The three-time All-AAC honoree is also an excellent tackler (only two missed tackles in 2020, per Dane Brugler of the Athletic) with a nose for the ball (three picks, six pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles in nine games in 2020). If there's a safety fit in this class, it's Grant.
Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 202 pounds
Moehrig (pronounced MAIR-ig) is another box-checker for the Patriots here. He didn't run a three-cone or broad jump before the draft, but his 4.5-second 40 and 4.19-second short shuttle were impressive enough. He's played in the box, but he could play centerfield or in the slot.
He has extensive experience in the kicking game and he was a captain for the Horned Frogs. He went home with the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football in 2020. In the second round? Don't be surprised if he gets a call from Foxboro.
Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 207 pounds
Holland opted out of the 2020 season and isn't often mentioned as one of the top safeties in this class. Out of sight, out of mind? Shouldn't be the case with this particular player.
Is he a good candidate to play in the deep middle? Maybe not. He plays with an aggressive demeanor, but that can get him in trouble at times and may lead to teams not being willing to trust him as a last line of defense.
But in the box or facing off against receivers in the slot? He's physical, unafraid. And he's a good enough athlete (4.46-second 40, 35.5-inch vert, 126-inch broad, 4.16-second shuttle) to handle a variety of roles.
Might the Patriots be willing to take a chance on a Duck with just two seasons under his belt in the same offseason that they lost a Duck at safety to retirement?
Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 226 pounds
Deablo is an outlier in that he's bigger than any safety the Patriots have taken before. Is he too big? He doesn't move like it.
His 4.42-second 40 ranked him in the 89th percentile among safeties despite having height and weight measurements ranking him in the 98th percentile. Impressive. His 34-inch vertical is good enough compared to other safeties the Patriots have drafted, as is his 126-inch broad jump.
If the Patriots want two safeties who can lay the lumber in Dugger and Deablo, perhaps Dugger could eventually take on deep safety duties because he's such a next-level athlete. That could leave Deablo to handle more of the second-level linebacker duties that Chung performed for so long.
Deablo has over 700 career special teams snaps and he was a team captain. Have to have him on this list. And if the Patriots wait until late on Day 2 to add a safety, he could be their guy.
![<p><strong>Height, weight:</strong> 5-foot-11, 209 pounds</p>
<p>After tearing his ACL before the 2019 season, Wiggins bounced back quickly and had himself a First-Team All-American kind of year in 2020 with 32 tackles, seven pass breakups and a pick in nine games. Not bad for a guy coming back from a serious injury.</p>
<p>No surprise he may have some freaky healing powers, though, because... he's a bit of a freak. He landed on Bruce Feldman's "Freaks List" for the Athletic in part thanks to his recovery from the torn ACL. "He probably could have played in [Cincinnati's] bowl game -- and he wanted to." His 725-pound squat helped him land on the "Freaks List" as well.</p>
<p>His strength, compact frame and athleticism (4.41-second 40, 38-inch vertical, 127-inch broad) make him a good candidate to live in the box and go to work as one of the best tacklers at the position in this year's class.</p>](https://media.nbcsportsboston.com/2023/05/Forrest_D_USATSI_15825731.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=1280%2C721)
Height, weight: 5-foot-11, 209 pounds
After tearing his ACL before the 2019 season, Wiggins bounced back quickly and had himself a First-Team All-American kind of year in 2020 with 32 tackles, seven pass breakups and a pick in nine games. Not bad for a guy coming back from a serious injury.
No surprise he may have some freaky healing powers, though, because... he's a bit of a freak. He landed on Bruce Feldman's "Freaks List" for the Athletic in part thanks to his recovery from the torn ACL. "He probably could have played in [Cincinnati's] bowl game -- and he wanted to." His 725-pound squat helped him land on the "Freaks List" as well.
His strength, compact frame and athleticism (4.41-second 40, 38-inch vertical, 127-inch broad) make him a good candidate to live in the box and go to work as one of the best tacklers at the position in this year's class.
Height, weight: 5-foot-11, 206 pounds
Another Cincinnati safety with some eye-opening traits, this Bearcats captain lit up his pro day (4.41-second 40, 1.51 10-yard split, 39-inch vertical, 132-inch broad, 6.91-second cone). That kind of explosive ability allows Forrest to be an effective click-and-close defender and impact special-teamer.
He was a member of the Cincinnati kicking game all four years he was there and he never missed a game (49), racking up a career-high 106 tackles in 14 games in 2019.
Height, weight: 6-feet, 202 pounds
This five-star recruit out of high school has some big-time physical gifts. He clocked a 4.4-second 40 (94th percentile) to go along with a 42-inch vertical (98th) and a 132-inch broad jump (95th). Plus he's played all over the field for the Longhorns, seeing snaps at free safety, in the box and in the slot over the last three seasons.
A captain in 2020, Sterns will get knocked because he never really recaptured the form he showed when he was named a First-Team All-Big 12 honoree as a freshman in 2018. But he's dealt with injuries, and if he can get healthy (and stay that way), he may have some value in the eyes of Patriots evaluators on Day 3.
Height, weight: 6-feet, 196 pounds
Bynum is right on the line for our purposes here. A corner by trade at Cal, he ran a 4.56-second 40, had a 34-inch vertical and a 6.99-second three-cone time. Not elite by any means. Then he went to the Senior Bowl and struggled at times in coverage.
But his shuttle time (4.10 seconds) was strong, he was a two-time captain for the Bears, he disrupted 41 passes as a four-year starter (six picks), and he's a glutton for contact. He'll have to play faster than his timed speed in order to thrive as a deep safety with the Patriots; he's not exactly built for box duties.
As a late-round pick, his leadership qualities and football IQ might coax the Patriots into taking a chance on his savvy.
Height, weight: 6-feet, 197 pounds
Another member of the 700-snaps-on-special-teams club, Breeze has enough athleticism and kicking-game value to be considered on Day 3. His 4.52-second 40 is right on the line of being in line with other Patriots draft picks at the position. Harmon, for example, was 6-feet, 196 pounds and ran a 4.51-second 40.
Breeze had a good vertical (38 inches) and adequate three-cone (7.03 seconds) as well. He opted out of the 2020 season and only has four starts to his name. That could be a concern. But if he can show he has the ability to play mistake-free on the back end -- while also contributing on special teams -- he could end up in Foxboro.
Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 215 pounds
Let's be honest. We should have White up higher on this list. Even though he's not considered to be a draftable player by many experts. He's a defensive back. From Rutgers. He's a defensive back from Rutgers who is beloved by Greg Schiano.
Even if it's as a priority free agent, White could be next in the McCourty, Harmon, Logan Ryan line.
White began his career at Ohio State, playing for Schiano, and in 2018 was the Rose Bowl MVP. After starting only one game in 2019, White transferred to Rutgers in 2020 to reunite with Schiano.
"I look at him as more than just a coach," White told the Asbury Park Press, "he's kind of like a father figure to me." Schiano called White "an integral part of our program."
He's received good coaching from a Belichick favorite. He's a good enough athlete to warrant consideration from teams late on Day 3 or soon thereafter (4.62-second 40, 34.5-inch vertical, 6.82-second three-cone drill). We just couldn't leave him off this list.
Height, weight: 6-feet, 209 pounds
Every once in a while, the Patriots will take a chance on a ridiculous athlete because he can move in ways that others simply can't. Coyle might fit that category for them. He's big enough. And, man, is he fast enough. Easily. His 4.36-second 40 is one of the best in the class at the position, as is his 133-inch broad jump and his 4.02-second shuttle time.
From Windsor, Connecticut, Coyle spent the majority of his career at UConn where he played for Randy Edsall, who has coached a number of eventual Patriots players in the past, including 2009 second-round corner Darius Butler. After transferring to Purdue last season, he saw action in just four games and made one start.
Height, weight: 6-feet, 208 pounds
Any time a player has made 49 starts -- including 43 straight -- he deserves a look if he can show any kind of NFL-caliber movement skills. No matter the level of competition. That's Key, who ran a 4.53-second 40, jumped 38 inches in the vert and 123 inches in the broad at his pro day. He also clocked a solid 4.15-second shuttle time and benched 225 pounds 20 times.
A two-time team captain at Western Kentucky, he looks like he could be a special-teamer who'll grind for more work defensively whenever that opportunity arises.
