It’s no secret Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard is one of the most dominant players in today’s NFL.
So, it comes as no surprise that Touchdown Wire analyst Doug Farrar included him in his Top 100 list.
Here’s what he had to say about Byard, who he ranked at No. 20 overall.
“This particular millennium hasn’t been a great one for safeties wanting to rack up huge interception numbers,” he wrote.
“Since the 1970 merger, 11 safeties have grabbed at least 10 interceptions in a season, and none of them did it after 1986, when Ronnie Lott had 10. A handful of players at the position have nine picks since 2000 (Darren Sharper three times and Ed Reed twice, among them), so Byard’s eight-interception season for the Titans in 2017 was remarkable. He followed up with four more picks in 2018, proving that, as a deep safety, he’s no fluke when it comes to patrolling the deep third of a defense and taking the ball away.
Byard brings every possible attribute you want in a deep safety to the field. Not only does he have the lateral quickness and range to cover to either boundary seamlessly, but he also has an impressive ability to read quarterback intentions and receiver routes. This gives him an additional athletic advantage as he closes to the ball — at times, it looks as if he’s running the route for the receiver. Byard’s status as the NFL’s best safety is well-earned.”
Last year, Byard allowed 21 catches on 30 targets for 172 yards, 83 yards after the reception, one touchdown, two passes defensed and held opponets to a passer rating of 55.8.
He was also credited with one sack, seven total quarterback pressures, 62 tackles and 17 stops.
On a three-season career, Byard has racked up 235 tackles, three sacks, 28 passes defensed and 12 interceptions over 48 appearances.
Expect Byard to continue to capitalize upon his success in 2019.
