Welcome to our annual Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Profiles! Each of these articles will feature all of the positions in the game of football and more importantly, the top-rated players at these positions and those that the Steelers may be interested in! This one features the Safeties.
Kamren Kitchens – Miami, FL, 5’11” 210lbs
Started in the secondary as a true freshman and improved immediately… Ball hawk who is your proto-typical center field safety… Physical in coverage especially with tight ends… Big hitter who can force turnovers… Very solid build and imposing presence physically… Has all the tools but must tackle more consistently… Has average speed which can affect him in deep cover situations… Has a tendency to bite on double moves… Will be an immediate impact on Special Teams while further developing his coverage skills.
Our Projection: Mid to Late Second Round
Tyler Nubin – Minnesota, 6’2″ 210lbs
Heavily recruited yet stayed close to home in Minnesota… Played five years for the Gophers… Physical and aggressive player… Extremely versatile as he was able to play in the box, cover the slot and play deep… Appears to be an excellent communicator… Displays high-level recognition skills… Has the ability to get into passing lanes quickly… Ideal body size and seems best at covering tight ends in man coverage… Can be over-aggressive at times leading to some penalties for too much grabbing in coverage… Will need to clean up his angles a bit.
Our Projection: Early to Mid-Second Round
Javon Bullard – Georgia, 5’11” 180lbs
Classic zone coverage free safety… Might be the best man cover guy in this safety class… Plays in space very well… Can come up and cover those shorter, quicker routes… Really good ball skills… High football I.Q… Might be able to play cornerback if needed on the outside… Has had some off-field issues and minor injuries… Will need to clean up tackling… His fit in the NFL will be interesting.
Our Projection: Mid to Late Second Round
Calen Bullock – USC, 6’3″ 180lbs
Receiver-Defensive Back in high school and he excelled at both… His receiver skills are on display as his ball skills are terrific… Versatile Man/Zone type of guy… Communicates extremely well… Has a penchant for making big play in big moments… While athletic and fast, he lacks the top end speed desired in the NFL… Aggressive player but it also leads to missed tackles… Definitely concerns about his size at just 180lbs.
vs San Jose State, vs Utah
Our Projection: Mid to Late Third Round
Cole Bishop – Utah, 6’2″ 206lbs
Over 1,500 snaps in just three seasons… Effective tackler and powerful hitter… Anticipates and reads things in front of him rather well… Solid frame and good strength… Covers tight ends well and provides physicality to knock guys off routes… Initial burst is good but lacks the speed you desire in the position… Can sometimes react too quickly and leave gaps in coverage zones… Only time he really misses tackles is when he over-pursues… Will likely find most of his NFL success as a box safety.
vs Florida,
Our Projection: Fourth Round
Renardo Green – Florida State, 6’0″ 185lbs
Played five seasons for the Seminoles… Good open-field tackler who plays aggressively… Really good athlete… Versatile player who saw action at numerous spots in the FSU secondary… Plays well when in man coverage especially against the slot receivers… Solid in both man and zone coverage… Should be an immediate impact for Special Teams units… Size is a tad average and will be a concern for some teams… Can occasionally go too far with tackles and over-aggressive play which can lead to penalties.
vs Duke,
Our Projection: Mid Third to Mid Fourth Round
Jaden Hicks – Washington State 6’2″ 210lbs
Three-year player for Wazzu who saw limited action his freshman season and then blossomed his second and third years… His versatility is an immediate plus for NFL teams… Tremendous feel for the game… I would suggest a guy with a high football I.Q… Don’t sleep on his blitzing skills… Plays man and zone well… Has those ball-hawk traits teams covet… Willing to come downhill against the run… Open-field tackling will need some work… Needs to clean up footwork especially against the quick slot guys… Can get sloppy on pursuit angles.
vs Washington, vs Arizona
Our Projection: Third Round
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson – Texas Tech, 5’10” 195lbs
Came to the Red Raiders as a running back out of Oklahoma… Made transition to safety and has improved steadily… High level athlete who runs in the 4.4 range… Seems to read the QB really well often enticing him into mistakes or poor throws… Has had experience in multiple schemes… Excellent recovery speed in coverage… Appears to be a natural leader who other guys look to… Uses the ‘grab and roll’ tackling technique well but that could be an issue in the NFL… Can definitely bite on play-action a bit too much… Doesn’t always recognize deep throws and is late to react… There’s a lot of rawness that needs work but he’s on the up and is also great on Special Teams.
vs BYU,
Our Projection: Late Third to Late Fourth Round
Sione Vaki – Utah, 5’11” 210lbs
Do-It-All guy for the Utes who had a stellar season in the secondary and also racked up big plays as a running back due to injuries… Explosive athlete with very good straight-line speed… Tough kid who plays with the right kind of aggression on both sides of the ball… Can play in the slot or as a free safety but his NFL career will almost certainly be in the box due to some limitations in coverage… There is a real possibility that a team takes him as a ‘unique contributor’ using him in all three phases… He showed good vision and exceptional receiving skills out of the backfield… His tackling is a work in progress too.
Our Projection: Seventh Round
Tykee Smith – Georgia, 5’11” 200lbs
Played two seasons at West Virginia before transferring to Georgia… In 2020, he saw over 550 snaps for the Mountaineers then that dwindled significantly in his first two seasons at UGA… His final season is where he finally caught on with the Bulldogs… High energy guy who gets everything there is out himself… Excels in the Red Zone often baiting QBs into mistakes… Definitely plays with a physical edge… Above average run support guy… Pursuit angles need to get cleaned up quickly at pro level… His ability to recognize routes is a question mark for me/Often late to make plays.
vs Tennessee,
Our Projection: Sixth Round
Other Guys to Keep an Eye on…
Kitan Oladapo – Oregon State… Josh Proctor – Ohio State… Malik Mustapha – Wake Forest
