Tyler Nubin 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin is next up to receive their 2024 NFL Draft profile. Nubin is your prototypical ball-hawking Safety, amassing a stellar number of interceptions during his tenure in college. The top Safety spot is a debate between two or three guys, and I believe Nubin belongs in the conversation. What does his draft profile look like? Let’s talk about it.
Nubin, a former three-star recruit out of Illinois, played five years for the Golden Gophers but didn’t see consistent playing time until the 2021 season. During his final three seasons, he totaled 157 tackles, 12(!) interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Over the course of those three seasons, when targeted his QB rating was an outstanding 26.7.
The frame on Tyler Nubin is fine (6’1, 200 lbs) but he is very built out and plays strong. Nubin is more than willing to play in the box, aggressive in run support. Feels like the true captain of the defense, often calling out shifts in coverage and being vocal about assignments. Definitely stronger in deep zone coverage, allowing him to use his high IQ to decide which side of the field he’s needed to support. Lined up quite a bit against Tight Ends as well in man coverage and showed solid upside.
I say that, as there were times when he was beaten due to a less-than-stellar backpedal. The pad level playing down in man coverage is too inconsistent, running high quite a bit. Pure speed is also not totally there. We don’t know a time since he decided not to run at the NFL Combine. Hips need a little WD-40. I was pleasantly surprised, however, as with his ball-hawking tendencies, there were not a lot of reps where he overcommitted or broke too early on the ball.
I’ve gone back and forth on who I believe my SAF1 is in this class. I had Kamren Kinchens, profile here, for a while, then I flipped to Tyler Nubin, and I have also considered Javon Bullard as well. I think as of right now, I have Nubin by a slight edge, landing him a second-round grade. None of the Safeties in the 2024 NFL Draft class should go in round one, but I wouldn’t be totally shocked if he is the first Safety taken. *I am considering Cooper DeJean a Cornerback until proven otherwise*
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