Big Board ranking: #95
Positional ranking: #9
Overview
Position: S
College: Iowa
Class: Junior
Age: 21
Measurables
Height: 5’10 3/8”
Weight: 207 lbs.
Arm length: 29 1/4″
Hand size: 9 1/8”
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: 4.62 sec.
Vertical jump: 33.5”
Broad jump: 116.0”
Bench press: 12 reps
3-cone drill: N/A
Short shuttle: N/A
Strengths
High-end football intelligence and instincts. Top-notch play recognition. Phenomenal awareness and anticipation in zone coverage. Reads the quarterback’s eyes. Identifies route combinations. Reliable tackler. Very physical and aggressive at his size. Flies up to make tackles. Excellent overall pursuit. Will deliver big hits when he can. Goes for the ball to force fumbles. Very good ball skills. Great timing to breakup passes. Tough and competitive. Maximizes skillset with smarts and intangibles. Projects as a special teams ace and had experience at Iowa.
Weaknesses
Below average size and athleticism. Length is well below average. Limited range in deep coverage. Can break down a bit better in space. Limitations could limit him to work in the box where strength will be tested. Potential liability in man coverage.
NFL comparison
Khari Willis
Conclusion
Overall, Stone is a very instinctual and intelligent strong safety that simply makes plays despite physical limitations in terms of size and athleticism. I think he will be best used in split safety alignments that feature plenty of underneath zone coverage.
SAFETY NAME!
Lol
He better be a hard hitter.
Like the Willis comp. Big Ten guys.
Patriots round 3
Safety is deep.