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San Francisco 49ers select Jimmie Ward No. 30 overall in the 2014 NFL draft

Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) The San Francisco 49ers have none of the four starting members of the secondary that helped them to
Doug Farrar|
San Francisco 49ers select Jimmie Ward No. 30 overall in the 2014 NFL draft
San Francisco 49ers select Jimmie Ward No. 30 overall in the 2014 NFL draft

Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers have none of the four starting members of the secondary that helped them to the Super Bowl two years ago. They got LSU safety Eric Reid in the first round of the 2013 draft as an estimable building block, and now, by adding Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward to the mix, San Francisco has potentially as good and versatile a safety duo as there is in the league -- outside of divisional rival Seattle, of course. Ward is a special player with unusual versatility.

Strengths: Plays well everywhere in the defensive backfield — from deep center field to slot cornerback. Ward has tremendous range and can cover a lot of ground in a big hurry, and he’s on point when he gets there — he doesn’t overreach as much as you’d expect for a player who’s going all-out at all times. Makes plays in the passing game from inside the seams to outside the numbers and can roll back into deep coverage from linebacker depth. Times his hits exceptionally well to deflect and break up passes. Ward plays a lot of slot coverage, and this may be his most appealing value to NFL teams. His footwork is outstanding, and his backpedal speed really shows up on tape. Doesn’t allow a lot of yards after the catch — if a receiver grabs a catch in his area, Ward is quick to end the play.

Weaknesses: Gets a bit stiff in coverage situations where he needs to turn his hips and run quickly in a straight line; not a natural mover in those circumstances. Though he can get vertical, Ward will be challenged by tight ends and bigger receivers — with his height, there’s only so high he can go. Takes on blockers fearlessly at the line of scrimmage, but needs to put on functional weight to deal with them — he’s a thin guy who struggles in physical battles and needs to shoot through gaps to tackle or blitz. Will occasionally bite on play-action and play-fakes because he’s so aggressive to the ball.

Grade: A+.

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Doug Farrar
DOUG FARRAR

SI.com contributing NFL writer and Seattle resident Doug Farrar started writing about football locally in 2002, and became Football Outsiders' West Coast NFL guy in 2006. He was fascinated by FO's idea to combine Bill James with Dr. Z, and wrote for the site for six years. He wrote a game-tape column called "Cover-2" for a number of years, and contributed to six editions of "Pro Football Prospectus" and the "Football Outsiders Almanac." In 2009,  Doug was invited to join Yahoo Sports' NFL team, and covered Senior Bowls, scouting combines, Super Bowls, and all sorts of other things for Yahoo Sports and the Shutdown Corner blog through June, 2013. Doug received the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse from SI.com in 2013, and that was that. Doug has also written for the Seattle Times, the Washington Post, the New York Sun, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine.  He also makes regular appearances on several local and national radio shows, and has hosted several podcasts over the years. He counts Dan Jenkins, Thomas Boswell, Frank Deford, Ralph Wiley, Peter King, and Bill Simmons as the writers who made him want to do this for a living. In his rare off-time, Doug can be found reading, hiking, working out, searching for new Hendrix, Who, and MC5 bootlegs, and wondering if the Mariners will ever be good again.

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