2024 NFL Draft positions of need: Strong safety

Let’s bring in a new guy who can deliver the boom stick AND stick with tight ends in coverage.

Every team has different needs during NFL Draft weekend and, as you may have surmised from being a football fan for longer than 30 seconds, it informs each team’s board. The Philadelphia Eagles are no different and I have taken the liberty of selecting five position groups that could use some reinforcements from the college ranks heading into the 2024 season.

The next group up is: strong safety.

The Birds have one free agent at safety this off-season (Justin Evans) who signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia last summer. He earned the starting job out of Summer Camp but played in only four games on the season before being sidelined with a knee injury. Evans recorded 15 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery before being shut down for the season at the beginning of December.

Philadelphia will have Kevin Byard, Reed Blankenship, and Sydney Brown on the roster next year, but both Byard and Blankenship will be free agents in 2025 and the Eagles should probably look into diversifying the last names of their safeties since all of the ones on the team now start with “B.”

Byard was brought in during the season to help out on the back end of the defense and he…kind of helped? The safety play was rough all season and the defensive backs coach, D.K. McDonald, is no longer with the team and is now on the Kansas Jayhawks staff. According to many sources, former Denver Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker will be taking the same role with Philadelphia, making it the third year in a row the Birds have a new coach in this position. Parker worked under new Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in Denver back in 2021, so there is familiarity there.

Here are a trio of safety options (not just first round!) that the Eagles should consider when they are eventually on the clock. (all measurements are from player’s college bio)

Tyler Nubin, Fifth Year Senior, Minnesota

Measurements: 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds

Career stats: 55 games (36 starts); 207 tackles (143 solo); 4.5 TFL; 2 sacks; 13 interceptions; 24 passes defended; 3 forced fumbles; 1 fumble recovery

Bio: A native of St. Charles, Ill., Nubin is the classic example of Guy Who Got Better Every Year in college. After being a rotational piece in the Gophers secondary during his first two years on campus, Nubin was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2021, All-Big Ten Second Team in 2022, and then had a breakout fifth year.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Last year Nubin was named Big Ten Player of the Week twice and unanimous All-Big Ten First Team. He also earned Sporting News First Team All-American and AP, FWAA, and Walter Camp Second Team All-American. He picked off five passes last year and set the Minnesota school record with 13 over his entire career. His brother is a running back for the Gophers and both his parents were athletes (dad, football; mom, track) at Eastern Michigan.

Scouting report: A Vic Fangio defense seems like a perfect landing spot for a player like Nubin. First of all, Nubin has ideal size for a safety that will need to be active in the run game. Second of all, due to that size he’ll also be able to cover tight ends when he rolls down into coverage and he’s quick enough to stop running backs in the flat too. Nubin hits like a truck when he has a head of steam going and will provide good run support in a Fangio defense that doesn’t often stack the box to stop running backs. I’ve watched Nubin pick off (or almost pick off) a number of Wisconsin quarterback throws in the last couple of years so I know he has good ball skills. There are concerns about Nubin’s athleticism not being elite, but he makes up for it by knowing where to be at all times. In an ideal world the Birds could get Nubin with one of their two second round (No. 50, No. 53) picks, but if they really want him they may need to draft him in the first round.

Highlights:

Jaden Hicks, Redshirt Sophomore, Washington State

Measurements: 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds

Career stats: 26 games (23 starts); 155 tackles (94 solo); 8.0 TFL; 3.5 sacks; 3 interceptions; 13 passes defended; 1 forced fumbles; 1 fumble recovery; 1 blocked kick; 2 touchdowns

Bio: A native of Las Vegas and graduate of powerhouse Bishop Gorman (where Randall Cunningham’s kids and Eagles legend DeMarco Murray went too), Jaden Hicks spent three years on the Palouse and ended his career with his best season. After redshirting in 2021, Hicks earned Freshman All–America Third Team recognition from College Football News in 2022 and then Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 in 2023. Hicks’ older brother Kalen played four years at Hawaii as a defensive back.

Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Scouting report: If you thought Nubin had good size for a safety, wait until you get a load of Hicks…who is a full one inch taller! Hicks showed an impressive ability to rush the passer from the safety position and also isn’t afraid to step up into the hole in run defense. His long frame helps him in pass coverage and he appears to have a real knack for finding the ball in the air and making a play on it. Like a lot of young players (keep in mind he only has two years of on-field college experience under his belt) he has plays where he processes a bit slow or gets sucked in by a play fake. However, with his size and ability to play in multiple spots on the field there looks to be a lot of upside waiting to be unlocked. He is almost certainly a Day 3 pick with the fifth round being the area I’d look for him to be selected in.

Highlights:

Kitan Oladapo, Redshirt Senior, Oregon State

Measurements: 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds

Career stats: 46 games (39 starts); 248 tackles (103 solo); 15.5 TFL; 6.5 sacks; 3 interceptions; 27 passes defended; 2 forced fumbles; 1 fumble recovery

Bio: An Oregon native, unranked by the major recruiting services, Oladapo helped his Central Catholic team to a state title in 2017 before enrolling at OSU and redshirting in 2018. He played one game in 2019 and then started one game, playing six, in the COVID season of 2020. In 2021, Oladapo earned a full-time starter’s role and was named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention after recording 69 tackles (nice) and nine passes broken up. As a junior he was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week twice and earned AP All-Pac-12 and PFF First team while racking up 80 tackles. His final year with the Beavers saw him earn Second Team All-Pac-12 (in a stacked Pac-12 defensive back group) with 74 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two interceptions.

Scouting report: Another safety with good size, Oladapo would be a valuable addition to any secondary in the NFL due to his versatility. He’s big, smart, and plays until the whistle while being able to cover tight ends and wide receivers. Oladapo is quite useful in run defense and can also get after the quarterback when asked to blitz. His athleticism is obviously good, but it isn’t elite and he struggles to change direction smoothly. I think that he could go anywhere from the second round (if he aces the Combine) to the fifth round, but late third round seems like the sweet spot for him.

Highlights: