Kenny Vaccaro, Texas - 6'0 215lbs
After going back and looking over a few of Vaccaro's games, I am left with more questions than answers. The best word to describe his play would probably be inconsistent - especially in run support. In the games against Oklahoma State and Kansas State, he took a few bad angles to the ball. Vaccaro also uses inconsistent form in his tackles - somtimes trying to arm tackle and sometimes throwing a shoulder for the big hit. It was a bit tougher to evaluate his cover skills, as Texas used him as a deep safety, a safety in the box, and as a nickel corner in some pass sets. He seemed to perform better when playing closer to the line of scrimmage. When asked to play Cover 2, occupying half of the field seems to be too much groud for him to cover as he is often late with help over the top on deep outside routes. In the game against Kansas State, he blows his coverage because he was peeking in the back field and bit hard on the play action. Touchdown K-State.
Don't get me wrong, Kenny Vaccaro is a decent athlete who shows flashes of good play. But his body stiffness and inconsistency in run support and coverage worry me. Which Kenny Vaccaro are we really getting?
Matt Elam, Florida - 5'10" 208lbs
The game that I first watched of Matt Elam was his game against Florida State. And those first two plays scared the crap out of me... First play - he is on the line of scrimmage playing tight to the formation, and he's double teamed and driven out of bounds on a toss play. Second play - he abandons his zone (and the ILB is also at fault as he does the same), not seeing the crossing receiver which gives up a huge gain. Finally, on the third play, Elam is playing off man, scrapes by a deep pick to intercept an overthrown out route - displaying good man coverage skills and range. As the game continues, his coverage skills appear to be decent, which caused EJ Manuel to have trouble finding and windows. I will note that he rarely appears to be a willing tackler in run support. There is one play in particular where he blitzes, slightly overrunning the the play, but stops and watches the running back break tackles when he could be making an attempt to help bring the ball carrier down.
It looks like Elam played closer to the line of scrimmage as opposed to the deep free safety. Because of the questions I have with his game in run support, I feel he would translate better as a free safety at the next level.
Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International - 6'0 217lbs
After the Senior Bowl, there was a lot of buzz about Jonathan Cyprien out of FIU. Cyprien a surely an athletic specimen who looked impressive in the Senior Bowl practices. His performance translated to the game, where he diplayed great speed and range as a single high safety and in 2 deep coverage. Cyprien also looked great in run support when playing in the box near the goal line. When he played closer to the line of scrimmage, he was also able to blanket tight ends in man coverage. He also stood out in his game against Louisville, where he again displayed great speed and range. Though he was decent in run support, he did take a bad angle or two, but was able to get good outside leverage when playing on the line of scrimmage to force runs back inside.
Overall, Cyprien looks like a more complete safety than both Elam and Vaccaro. He has far more range in coverage and has good instincts. I see Cyprien being a very good free safety at the next level as he can cover the whole football field.
Eric Reid, LSU - 6'1" 213lbs
From watching his tape against Texas A&M and Alabama, Reid looks like a fairly consisent player in all phases of the game. He is willing and capable in run support, although, he sometimes overruns the gap - giving the back a crease. I love how he does not get beat by play action fakes, keeping himself in good position for run or pass. He was asked to spy on Manziel a few times, nearly coming up with a great interception. However, there are times where Reid seems lost in coverage, allowing crossing routes to find the opening and allowing backs (Trent Richardson) release down the sideline without coverage over the top.
Reid doesn't have the range that Cyprien has, but has decent movement skills and is effective in all aspects of the game. I feel that he could play either safety position at the next level.
Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse - 5'9" 213lbs
Shamarko Thomas is a physical safety who loves to hit and will never shy away from contact. Sometimes his aggression gets the best of him, causing him to miss tackles because he is diving and leaving the ground. In the tape against USC, he was able to blanket Robert Woods for the most part - even at corner for a play. Seems to be decent in coverage, and is fast enough to fly around the field.
I see him at strong safety at the next level, but he will need to improve his angles in run support. Though he is considered short for the position, I believe he is physical enough to handle one on one matchups with tight ends. Thomas is a raw prospect who can be coached into a solid player.
The Best?
While Mike Mayock has both Kenny Vaccaro and Matt Elam ranked ahead of Jonathan Cyprien, I believe Cyprien will be the best of this group at the next level. I was expecting more consistency from Vaccaro and Elam, but their tape (not highlight tape, game tape) did not impress me like I thought it would. Cyprien's length and range make him the type that can play center field at the next level. It will be interesting to see where he gets selected in the draft.
