On Friday night, the safeties wrapped up the on-field drills for the defensive side of the ball. This group was highly impressive across multiple phases of the Combine, with the fastest straight-line speed in history for the group, and their on-field drill performances were equally up to task. When we previewed these defensive backs ahead of the Combine, we knew this was a deep group, but they exceeded expectations. I typically try to keep the “winners” articles to five players, but this group pushed
me to include more.
Here are the top prospects from the safety group at this year’s NFL Combine.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, SAF, Toledo (6-foot-3 1/2, 201)
McNeil-Warren is a tall, long, and fluid-moving athlete. He ran a 4.52 40-yard dash, jumped 35.5 inches vertically, and 10-foot-2 in the broad jump, all very solid numbers for his size. Despite his height, he is very smooth in his backpedal. He gains ground quickly, shows great change-of-direction skills, and looks full speed by his second step. McNeil-Warren is also a hands catcher who cleanly plucks the ball away from his frame. A selection in the first round could be in his future, and the Lions reportedly met with him in Indianapolis.
Dillon Thieneman, SAF/NB, Oregon (6-foot-0, 201)
Thieneman ran an electric 4.35 40-yard dash with a 41-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot-5 broad jump, giving him the honors of landing at the top of the NFL’s athleticism scores amongst this group. While not as tall as McNeil-Warren, Thieneman has a well-built frame, smooth hips for a big man, and flips them with speed. He displays great burst when changing directions, covering a ton of ground, and smoothly transitions between attack locations. He’s a strong hands catcher and showed off his ball skills at the Combine. The first round may also be in his future.
A.J. Haulcy, FS, LSU (6-foot-0, 215)
Haulcy is the heaviest safety at the Combine, and it shows in a positive way. Despite his thick frame, a 4.54 40-yard dash is very solid, and he looks like a player who could drop into the box as a coverage linebacker in passing situations. Haulcy showed the experience to properly throttle down, so as not to let his weighted-momentum carry him out of place, and then was able to explode out of his breaks, showing great acceleration and powerful body control. Haulcy did a nice job tracking the ball and high-pointed it at the catch point.
Jalen Kilgore, NB/FS, South Carolina (6-foot-1 1/2, 210)
A nickelback/safety hybrid, Kilgore ran a clean 4.40 40, jumped 37 inches vertically, and landed a 10-foot-10 broad jump. He has a stout frame, showed the ability to turn and run, got downhill in a hurry, and displayed great recovery skills. A true defensive back with the range to play multiple spots.
Bud Clark, FS, TCU (6-foot-1, 188)
Clark is a rangy, deep safety with great range who showed out in the measured testing, recording a 4.41 40-yard dash, 38-inch vertical jump, and 10-foot-7 broad jump. Clark has a solid, clean backpedal, changes direction with ease, and gets downhill in a hurry. His ball skills are what separate him, as he catches the ball like a wide receiver and has the turnover history to back that up. Clark also reportedly met with the Lions at the Combine and has some Kerby Joseph in his game.
VJ Payne, FS, Kansas State (6-foot-3 1/2, 206)
There’s not a ton of hype surrounding Payne right now, but he jumped off the film for me when I was studying this group. His performance at the Combine only solidified my opinion that he is being criminally underrated right now. With a long frame and above-average athleticism, he put on a great show in Indy. Payne ran an impressive 4.40 40-yard dash, jumped 35 inches in the vertical, and 10-foot-7 in the broad jump. Payne displayed smooth hips, opened them up well in his backpedal, and showed fast acceleration when moving backwards and laterally. Everything was smooth. He cuts hard, gets to the sideline quickly, comes downhill in a hurry, and shows easy transitions when changing direction. He also has plus ball skills, tracking the ball well, and catching with his hands.
Lorenzo Styles, DB, Ohio State (6-foot-0, 194)
The fastest defensive player at the Combine, Styles—brother of linebacker Sonny—ran an impressive 4.27 40-yard dash, and his speed translated into drills. His speed can cause him to get his feet outside of his frame, causing balance issues, but when his feet stay under him, it’s impressive. With smooth hips and a low center of gravity, Styles accelerates quickly and transitions well. He’s a hand catcher, making him an interesting candidate for special teams, with the potential to work in multiple phases.
