Top-graded rookie safeties
Keanu Neal, @AtlantaFalcons 80.8
Andrew Adams, @Giants 79.4
Kevin Byard, @Titans 79.0
Karl Joseph, @Raiders 77.5 pic.twitter.com/uxxEtBzxOt— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 6, 2017
A lot of the so-called experts cited a need for the Tennessee Titans to select a safety early in this year’s NFL Draft. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I’m certainly guilty of this myself. I didn’t think Johnathan Cyprien would be dynamic enough to pair with 2nd-year safety Kevin Byard. To me, it was unfair to make Byard shoulder the load, and the team needed to add a more complete safety (like Jamal Adams) into the rotation.
The NFL Draft is over, and it’s pretty clear that general manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Mularkey don’t think that way at all. I was pretty damn wrong. This Titans regime did not view safety as a need, considering they didn’t draft one at all. They’re content to ride into the 2017 season with Cyprien and Byard at the helm, so Titans fans, if they aren’t already, should get used to that idea.
This means a couple of things. First, they don’t see Cyprien as strictly a run-stuffer, like most Titans fans do. He wasn’t signed to be a role player, as I initially thought – he will likely be a starter come week one. And, they believe Byard is ready for an expanded role in the Titans defense. Now, Pro Football Focus is putting out that Byard graded among the top three rookie safeties in 2016.
That’s elite company, too. Keanu Neal had a hell of a season with the Atlanta Falcons. Andrew Adams is a key piece on a New York Giants defense that emerged as one of the NFL’s best last season. Karl Joseph was a first-round pick in 2016 for his incredible range and playmaking abilities. Indeed, the future of the safety position is in good hands. Byard is just as big a part of that as any of the aforementioned guys.
You can flip on the tape and immediately see proper technique and a high football IQ. Byard’s instincts seem to always put him around the ball or in a position to make a play. He’s the exact type of player you want at safety. The Titans think so, and the analytics back it up. The sky’s the limit for the former Blue Raider (shout out to Middle Tennessee State, aka the Harvard of the South).
The Titans have an underrated history of defensive backs – think back to Samari Rolle, Cortland Finnegan, Blaine Bishop, Marcus Robertson, Michael Griffin, Chris Hope, Jason McCourty, etc. etc. etc. – who knows? Byard could be next in line.
I’m all in on Pro Football Focus, by the way. Sure, you can get caught up in analytics and stats and lose sight of the eye test. It’s always best to use some sort of combination of all the tools you have at your disposal. Still, that being said, the crew at PFF continuously puts out reliable and interesting information.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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