Each year at Lions Wire we examine the athletic testing scores of the upcoming NFL draft class, looking for prospects who qualify for our Quinn Influenced Benchmarks (QIB) system. In a nutshell, QIB is designed to identify common athletic characteristics Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn has previously targeted at each position, with the focus on finding similarly athletic prospects that could be offseason targets for the Lions.
The Lions deploy their defensive backs all over the field, using five in their base set, but will put six and even seven on the field at any given time. Last season, they used three safety sets about a third of snaps, but that number could be significantly reduced with the addition of stud slot corner Justin Coleman, who should be difficult to take off the field.
If the Lions use three corners at a heavy rate as expected, the third safety role appears to be reduced to a situational matchup role in five defensive backs sets and would likely only see regular snaps when more defensive backs are deployed or in specific game plans.
Quandre Diggs is locked in as a starter and Tracy Walker appears ready to step into the starting line up. Tavon Wilson competed for the third safety role last season and should have the inside track for the job but he will be challenged by free agent Andrew Adams.
That doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for a rookie, but don’t put it past general manager Bob Quinn to bring in a player who can challenge for the third or fourth safety spot. The real question is, with that spot potentially being a reduced role, how much draft capital is Quinn willing to invest in a situational matchup player?
QIB Benchmarks
Like with the QIB cornerbacks, QIB for safeties relies on four categories, both vertical and broad jumps, the short shuttle, and 3-cone drill, but the athletic benchmarks are slightly lower than at corner. If prospects pass all four categories they are considered Full QIB qualifiers, but if they only pass three of four, they get a Partial QIB qualifier designation.
Top-100
The Lions are a matchup defense and if the third safety holds more value to the team than I am currently projecting, and the draft board falls the right way, Quinn may elect to grab one of the top safeties on the board.
If the Lions want to land an impact player, they will likely have eight options to choose from in the top-100 picks but because of injuries and incomplete testing, not all of them qualify for a QIB score. Let’s take a closer look at the top prospects at safety.
Nasir Adderley (Incomplete QIB, Deleware) is an aggressive ballhawk capable of playing single-high safety and in the slot. He didn’t run agility drills, leading to an incomplete QIB score, but he passed the jumps score fully. Despite being from a small school he could be the first safety to hear his name called, possibly in the first round.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (Full QIB, Florida) is as multi-purpose a defender as there is in this draft class and would fit in perfectly with what the Lions want — a position flexible (can play in both slots and at single-high) defender with a nose for the ball and can disrupt plays all over the field.
Juan Thornhill (Full QIB, Virginia) is my sleeper at the safety position due to his instincts, explosion, tacking ability and positional range –Thornhill can play in the slot and at single-high. His previous experience playing corner gives the Lions even more reason to consider him.
Jonathan Abram (Incomplete QIB, Mississippi State) is a thumper from the strong safety position, excelling in the run game and capable of holding his own in coverage against tight ends. Abram’s linebacker mentality would make it easier to play multiple defensive backs without sacrificing tackling power.
Taylor Rapp (Partial QIB, Washington) mirrors a lot of the same attributes as Abram but has more coverage range despite his underwhelming 4.72 40-yard-dash. He has Patrick Chung-like upside and would fit the defense in a similar way.
Deionte Thompson (injured, Alabama) is a pure single-high safety but has fallen out of most conversations after laying an egg in the National Championship and an offseason injury that has kept him from working out. While there are some consistency issues that need to be cleaned up, he is a ballhawk with Pro-Bowl potential.
Darnell Savage (Full QIB, Maryland) checking in under 200-pounds (198) is a red flag for some teams but he has the instincts, coverage ability from the slot, and aggressiveness to earn a nickel role early in his career.
Armani Hooker (Full QIB, Iowa) is what Lions fans wanted Miles Killebrew to be a hybrid safety/linebacker who can cover tight ends and bring the noise as a tackler.
This group of players is expected to be taken on Day 3 of the draft or signed post-draft, and could challenge for a developmental role on the roster.
Full QIB
Marvell Tell III (USC) is an intriguing player and my Day 3 sleeper pick in the secondary for the Lions. At 6-2, 198 pounds and above average cover skills, Tell could be a candidate to switch to oustide corner, where he is also a Full QIB qualifier. The price would need to be right but he’s the type of player who has the positional range (he can also play single-high) and upside that the Lions crave.
Will Harris (Boston College) is a slot safety who can cover tight ends but will make his living in the NFL because of his special teams ability. Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni should be familiar with Harris from his days at Boston College.
Saquan Hampton (Rutgers) is another safety who can cover tight ends and will likely shine on special teams, but he’s not as consistent as Harris (above). He will likely appeal to teams who run more Cover-2 concepts than the Lions.
Andrew Wingard (Wyoming) projects as a reserve safety at multiple spots, while his hitting will put him in the conversation on special teams and potentially as a dime linebacker.
Zedrick Woods (Mississippi) turned heads at the Combine with a 4.29 40-yard-dash, but the reason people were so stunned is that he doesn’t play at that speed. Regardless, that speed will likely get him drafted, despite some on-field concerns.
D’Cota Dixon (Wisconsin) is a strong tackler and has the potential to develop into a special teamer but his height (5-9.5) and recovery speed (4.69, 40-yard-dash) leave a lot to be desired.
Partial QIB
Sheldrick Redwine (Miami-FL) didn’t run the 3-cone, keeping him from being a potential Full QIB qualifier. Redwine projects as core special teamer who can contribute early as a third safety with the upside to develop into a starter with more consistency.
Lucas Denis (Boston College) is an undersized cover corner who could find a home as a reserve single-high safety. He would challenge Andrew Adams for that role in Detroit if he can put on weight and find a role on special teams.
Donovan Wilson (Texas A&M) projects as special teamer because of his athletic traits and hitting skills. He will likely find more success in a Cover-2 scheme which will hurt his chances with the Lions.
*Update* after obtaining additional pro day numbers, Marquise Blair (Utah), Khari Willis (Michigan State), Jaquan Johnson (Miami-FL) and Tyree Kinnel (Michigan) are now added to the Partial QIB qualifier list.
