NFL Draft Stock Report: Defensive backs

With the college football season winding down, we take a look at some of the NFL prospects who have helped or hurt their stock for April’s draft and those who remain stock steady. We conclude today with the defensive backs.

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Recruiting: A few days before National Signing Day, Hill picked Texas over Texas A&M. LSU, Alabama and Baylor were also highly considered.

Stats: In nine games, Hill has totaled 51 tackles along with two interceptions and a forced fumble. On Nov. 7, Hill was suspended for the remainder of the season for a violation of team rules.

Farrell’s take: Despite his suspension, which will certainly be a topic of conversation at the combine, Hill’s play this season has raised his stock. Out of high school he was a tall, angular defensive back with the size to play safety but the footwork to play cornerback, which is why we liked him so much. It’s rare for someone with such height and such a great frame to fill out who can play on an island, but Hill was that guy and he’s proven it at the next level.

Recruiting: An outstanding receiver and defensive back in high school, Oliver picked Colorado in early December of his senior season. New Mexico was his only other offer.

Stats: In nine games, Oliver has totaled 22 tackles and a team-high 11 pass breakups. He has also added two interceptions.

Farrell’s take: Oliver’s ability to get his head around and play the ball has been noticed and his ball skills are excellent. A low three-star out of high school and projected as a safety, he was not heavily recruited at all mainly due to questions about his ability to cover in space and speed. He was thin but had a tall frame and always had solid ball skills, and he has taken that to the next level in college.

Recruiting: A former Ohio State commitment, Davis backed off that pledge following a late visit to Auburn and decided to sign with the Tigers.

Stats: Davis has 26 tackles, an interception and 10 pass breakups this season. He’s also added a fumble recovery.

Farrell’s take: He was tall, angular and covered a lot of space as a cornerback out of high school. He had good instincts although his technique was slightly awkward as he was growing into his tall frame. Davis was a guy I could see growing into a free safety or staying at cornerback. He needed to work on his run support, but made up a lot of ground in the passing game by being so long. He dominated the Semper Fi All-American Bowl week and it would have been interesting to see him in one of the two big all-star games. He’s a tall corner scouts like. Davis takes chances and tries to lay the big hit too often but his upside is impressive.

Recruiting: Ward was offered by Ohio State at summer camp and he committed to the Buckeyes before he left campus. Kentucky, Rutgers, Washington State, Cincinnati and others were involved.

Stats: Ward has 26 tackles, an interception and 12 pass deflections this season. Ward has also blocked a kick.

Farrell’s take: Ward has made some plays this year that have everyone talking and his ability to play the football is impressive. He wasn’t filled out in high school despite having a solid frame and average height to work with. He was better on offense than he was on defense, so you can see where his ball skills come from and despite his lack of size, he was a willing tackler. He could push his way toward the top of this group like others before him did from Ohio State.

Recruiting: McFadden played a little game during his commitment ceremony. First, the five-star picked up a Florida State hat, only to put that down and pick up a Georgia hat. He then discarded that one and chose Florida State.

Stats: In nine games, the former five-star has 26 tackles and five pass deflections.

Farrell’s take: McFadden is still high on many boards, but he has been exposed quite a bit in solo coverage this season. A controversial five-star as many questioned our ranking, McFadden was a tall kid who could have projected at safety as well. While he did get beat deep at times, he had the length, speed and hips to be special. After a slow start to last season, he came on and started to be more consistent in coverage and that has carried over for the most part this year except for a few bad mistakes . Nearly everyone had him as a five-star at the end of the 2015 recruiting cycle, but we had him ranked higher at cornerback than anyone else. His size will still have the NFL infatuated.

Recruiting: While on his official visit to Louisville in December, Alexander flipped his commitment from South Carolina to the Cardinals.

Stats: Alexander has only played in four games this season as he’s dealt with knee and hand injuries. He has only nine tackles and a pass breakup.

Farrell’s take: The injuries and getting tossed badly by a freshman running back in the BC game have led to questions about Alexander, who was very high on many lists heading into the season. A skinny cornerback out of a newer school in North Carolina, Alexander was a mid-three-star recruit who started to emerge a bit at the end of the rankings cycle. In high school, he never showed the ability to dominate as he had done after two full seasons of college football, but this season he has come down to earth a bit. Alexander had ball skills and ability in coverage, but the way he can physically manhandle players in coverage at times can be as impressive as any cornerback in the country, but he’s been inconsistent and we have to assume it’s the injuries.

Recruiting: Elliott declared Baylor as his leader shortly after receiving an offer, but Texas moved to the top after a junior day visit. The Longhorns beat out Texas A&M and others in March of his junior season. Oklahoma, TCU and others were also seriously involved.

Stats: Third on the team in tackle, Elliott has 52 stops along with 8.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. He’s also added a team-high six interceptions along with three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Farrell’s take: Elliott has really stepped up his game this season not only with his ball skills but with his ability to support the run. A four-star player outside the Rivals250, Elliott was a talented kid who never really broke out in any setting to push higher in the rankings. We saw him in camps, we saw him in games and we saw him at Under Armour week, and felt he was good but we weren’t sure he was elite. In fact, he added his fourth star after Under Armour, where he showed better coverage skills than he had before and started to show off those ball skills.

Recruiting: Stanford did not offer Reid until late in his senior season, but the Cardinal immediately became a contender and beat out LSU, Notre Dame and others. Oklahoma and Texas Tech were also involved in his recruitment. His brother, Eric, still plays for the San Francisco 49ers and that played a major role in his decision.

Stats: Reid is second on the Cardinal with 69 tackles including three for loss. He also has a team-high five interceptions and three pass breakups.

Farrell’s take: Reid has been very effective in run support, has shown he can be a big hitter and his ball skills have improved, so scouts are taking notice. Out of high school, he was a mid-level three-star because he had great size but didn’t move that well. He had a frame where he could have grown into a linebacker if needed but he improved his quickness and footwork greatly in college and has emerged as one of the best strong safeties around.

Recruiting: During a junior day visit to Florida State when James was just a freshman, he committed to the Seminoles. He called FSU his dream school and Karlos and Vince Williams are his cousins. Auburn, Clemson, Miami, Ohio State and others had also offered.

Stats: James is second on Florida State with 62 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and an interception. The former five-star also has delivered 10 pass breakups and a blocked kick.

Farrell’s take: It’s been an up and down season for James with more ups than downs, but high expectations have led to some thinking he’s been a disappointment. The NFL scouts still love him. James is the most athletic and dynamic safety I have ever scouted. And, after an average start, he came on and became a dominant defensive back as expected his freshman year. His sophomore season was a washout due to injury, but his return this year has been solid although some still worry about the injury issues. He can blitz, he can tackle in space and support the run and he can cover a ton of ground in the passing game so the upside is strong.

Recruiting: Fitzpatrick committed to Alabama in the spring before his senior season but leading up to Signing Day there was a rumor he was torn between the Crimson Tide and Florida State. Shortly before Signing Day, Fitzpatrick announced he was sticking with Alabama.

Stats: Fifth on the Crimson Tide with 44 tackles, the former five-star also has 5.5 stops for loss and an interceptions this season. Fitzpatrick has also added six pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.

Farrell’s take: Fitzpatrick has had a stellar year again working all over the field and being mentioned in some Heisman talk. I've watched Fitzpatrick since he was a freshman in high school. He has always been a five-star talent, but scouting him so much might have led to expectations that were too high. It's why we moved him from cornerback to safety in the end because he struggled in solo coverage against elite wide receivers. So much for that, huh? Fitzpatrick's instant impact as a freshman on the Alabama defense was amazing and he took it to the next level last season. Now he’s one of the top players in all of college football but we are projecting him to safety all over again? When will we learn? The NFL will love his ability to play corner, safety and come off the edge as a blitzer.

Recruiting: After a visit to Ohio State in January of his junior year, Webb committed to the Buckeyes. It was thought Michigan or Michigan State was favored in his recruitment. LSU, Illinois and others were also involved.

Stats: Second on the Buckeyes with 47 tackles, Webb has also compiled three interceptions, four pass deflections and a fumble recovery.

Farrell’s take: Much was expected of Webb, mainly because of the recent run of Ohio State defensive backs and he hasn’t played poorly, but there have been some noticeably lapses and he’s not the biggest safety. Out of high school, he was another undersized corner from Cass Tech with good coverage skills, but question marks regarding how big he could get and potential in run support. His ball skills were always excellent however.

Recruiting: Whitehead committed to Pitt in October of his senior season but Penn State, Ohio State and West Virginia continued to pursue him. Despite rumors late in the process and a coaching change, Whitehead stuck with the Panthers.

Stats: Whitehead has played in seven games this season and is third on the team with 48 tackles. He’s also added an interception, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups.

Farrell’s take: Whitehead has struggled at times and is a victim of not having a ton of talent around him. He was very well-regarded coming out of high school as a two-way guy who projected as a cornerback, but his ability to play offensively in college was a bit unexpected. His true focus is on defense, of course, and he has great athleticism and good length with solid instincts. He was suspended for one game so he will have to answer those questions, but getting lost in coverage at times is what has become a bit problematic.