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A prospect who the Broncos could be interested in is LSU Safety Eric Reid. The 6'2 212lb safety expects to be a a first or second round selection in Aprils NFL Draft. Reid ranks as the the number 2 free safety in the draft and the 52nd overall prospect in the 2013 NFL Draft according too CBSSports.com. Reids pre-combine 40 time has been clocked at 4.59.
Bio:
Eric Reid played 3 seasons at LSU and had a solid career. During his career at LSU he totaled 199 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, 6 Interceptions, 17 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles. His best season was his junior year when he totaled 91 tackles, 1 tackles for a loss, and 2 Int's.
2011 Second-Team All-American (Rivals.com)
2011 Second-Team All-Southeastern Conference (AP)
2011 FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week (at Alabama)
2011 Rivals.com National Defensive Player of the Week (at Alabama)
2011 SEC Defensive Player of the Week (at Alabama)
2011 SEC Academic Honor Roll
One of the nation's top hard-hitting safeties who is a leader on and off the field for the Tigers ... Came on strong during his freshman season and emerged as the starter at free safety as a sophomore where he became a second-team All-America recipient ... A strong athlete who uses his size and instincts on the field to put himself in a position to make plays ... Reminds people of former LSU All-American LaRon Landry, now a member of the New York Jets ... Heads into his junior season as a candidate for the Lott Trophy, which recognizes on and off the field performance ... Carries a 3.2 grade point average in LSU's E.J. Ourso College of Business ... Has made 16 career starts and played in 26 games ... In two seasons, has recorded 108 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2011)
A second-team All-American by Rivals.com and a second-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press ... Displayed a tremendous knack for making big plays at free safety ... Tied for the team lead in total tackles (76) with Tyrann Mathieu with 53 of those being solo ... Ranked 23rd in the SEC in total tackles ... Started 13 games and missed the Arkansas game with a quad injury ... Tallied two tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles ... Made a career-best and team-leading 11 tackles in the BCS Championship Game against Alabama ... Was the first double-digit tackle game of his career with nine of those being of the solo variety ... Returned from injury in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia and led the team in tackles with seven, including five solo stops ... Left the game early at Ole Miss after suffering a quad injury ... Notched eight tackles against Western Kentucky ... Earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week recognition and was named the Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week after he had six tackles, including one for a six-yard loss, a forced fumble and a key interception in the fourth quarter at Alabama ... The game-changing pick, voted the top defensive play of the regular season by ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, occurred in the fourth quarter when Reid battled tight end Mike Williams and came down with the ball at the 1-yard line ... Posted seven solo tackles against Auburn and added his first career forced fumble ... Earned his third career interception and first of the season at Tennessee and finished with four tackles ... Recorded four tackles and his first career fumble recovery in the opener against Oregon ... His fumble recovery in the third quarter against the Ducks set up a short touchdown drive that gave LSU a double-digit lead ... Earned the starting spot at free safety during the fall and emerged as a team leader.
Via: LSUsports.net
Draft Profile:
NFL.com Scouting Profile on Eric Reid:
ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS:
Tall, long safety with a solid overall build that is still getting stronger. All-around defender who can play the run and pass. Flashes excellent closing speed, pummels receivers after the catch when coming downhill and can get into the backfield if smelling out the play after the snap. Has length and attitude to wrap up ballcarriers in the open field. Brings power into cut tackles, lowering his shoulder to stop running backs cold. Also lays the wood over the middle, putting a shoulder into their midsection. Gets physical with receivers attempting to block him in the run game. Has athleticism to handle tight ends in the passing game. Possesses the height, vertical and competitive nature to win jump balls. Good enough hands to take advantage of poor throws, will undercut receivers and can catch the ball away from his frame.
WEAKNESSES:
Gets overaggressive at times; will jump on short crossers, opening up the back half of the field, and overrun stretch plays to allow cutback lanes. Not a consistently powerful tackler, and will lunge and miss in the open field as he often fails to break down quickly. Recovery speed will be questioned, might be tough for him to catch NFL receivers if he takes a false step or in the aid of a teammate. Had shoulder surgery after his junior season in high school, though it hasn’t hurt him in college.
NFL COMPARISON: Mark Barron
BOTTOM LINE:
The next SEC safety on which scouts have their eye, Reid brings the size, athleticism, intelligence and toughness to become an impact player in coverage (14 passes defended in the last two seasons) as well as against the run (91 total tackles) at the next level. The junior can get too overaggressive with his angles, but if Reid can rein in the athleticism, he has plenty of range to make plays all over the field.
Via: NFL.com
CBSSports.com Scouting Report on Eric Reid:
Compares To:
LaRon Landry, FS, New York Jets -- Reid signed with LSU patterning his game after the former Tigers' standout and it shows in his physique and bone-jarring hits. Of concern to scouts is the fact that Reid, like Landry, is a bit stiff and not as fast on the field in deep coverage as he may test during workouts.
--Rob Rang
Via: CBSSports.com
WalterFootballs Scouting Report on Eric Reid:
Strengths:
Hard hitter
Tackling ability
Run defense
Physical presence
Can separate the ball from the receiver
Experienced
Durable
Quickness
Ready to compete quickly
Weaknesses:
Liability in pass coverage
Constantly burned in 2012
Can take bad angles
Takes false steps
Stiff; struggles to turn and run with receivers
Sometimes he doesn't wrap up
Overly aggressive; penalties
Via: Walterfootball.com
Videos:
Eric Reid vs South Carolina 2012
My Take:
I personally have a love/hate relationship with Reid. I am a fan of big/athletic/big hitting safeties which Reid is. One problem, he is a liability in coverage. The Broncos don't really need a safety who struggles in coverage, especially after Rahim Moore's play in the playoffs. But I do love big hits, and this guy lays the wood often, so I'm on the fence with him. I think he's strictly a in the box safety in the NFL, unless coaches can help him in coverage. He should be available for the Broncos at 28 and quite possibly could fall to the Broncos in the second round. I wouldn't be upset if the Broncos selected him though.
Go Broncos!