Day 2 safety options for the Washington Commanders
Taking a closer look at some potential safety options for the Commanders on the second day of the draft
One of the positions the Washington Commanders appear to be keen to fill in the draft is their Buffalo nickel spot. The Commanders found success with Kam Curl in that big nickel role in his rookie year before moving Curl to strong safety and having Landon Collins play the role towards the end of last season. But with Collins now gone, Washington has a hole to fill. Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton would be ideal, but he could easily go in the top 10 picks and not be available to the Commanders at 11. So who are some other options that could fill the role, perhaps in a trade back scenario or in the second round? Let’s take a closer look at a couple.
Daxton Hill
Michigan defensive back Daxton Hill is listed as a safety but spent the majority of last season as the slot corner. That would make him the perfect candidate for the Commanders’ Buffalo nickel spot. Hill is more of a coverage specialist than a thumping run defender, but he’s versatile in the types of coverages he can play.
This play comes from late in the game against Nebraska. Nebraska tries to work a slot fade against Hill, using the outside receiver to try and create traffic while the slot receiver works outside and down the sideline. Hill matches up against the slot receiver in man coverage, which would be a tough ask for most safeties, but Hill has the ability to do so. He doesn’t attempt to jam the receiver, instead staying slightly off while spotting the outside receiver working across to try and pick him. Hill does well to avoid the traffic and stay on top of the slot fade. He closes the gap and keeps on top of the route, essentially taking it away from the quarterback. The quarterback gets pressured early and decides to just throw it out to his receiver in hopes of him making a play, but Hill shows the receiver to the sideline and takes him out of the play completely.
Having Hill as a capable man coverage defender in the slot would be a huge addition for the Commanders because it would enable them to play more man coverage if they so desired. However, the team played at its best using zone coverages last year. Many defensive backs specialize in either zone or man depending on their skill sets, but Hill shows the ability to do both well.
On this play, Hill aligns over the slot receiver to the left, but drops off into a zone coverage in the middle of the field. As the ball is snapped, Hill gets his eyes on the slot receiver, who quickly breaks over the middle on a shallow cross. Hill extends his arm and signals to his teammates that the slot receiver is coming their way, then sinks back into his zone and gets his eyes on the quarterback. While he’s looking at the quarterback, Hill has a natural feel for where the outside receiver is going. He deliberately sinks back to gain more depth and get underneath that receiver and feels him breaking inside behind him. Hill adjusts his coverage to match that receiver and takes away his route from the quarterback.
Having good zone coverage awareness and communication skills, along with being able to match up man-to-man makes Hill a very intriguing prospect. He’s also a solid blitzing option from the nickel spot, which is something Washington does like to do with the nickel defender occasionally.
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