Jimmie Ward's Strengths and Weaknesses

Jimmie Ward will turn 29 in July, but he still lacks experience at free safety. He changed positions so frequently earlier in his career, played for so many different coaches and missed so many games with injuries that he’s still improving.

Here are Ward's biggest strengths and weaknesses at this stage of his career.

Strength: Tackling.

Ward is built like a cornerback, but he throws around his body like a linebacker. He rarely misses tackles, and consistently hits as hard as he can, even late in games the 49ers lead by multiple touchdowns. He maintains a standard of violence which his teammates feed off.

In the Super Bowl, Ward had the best hit of all the 49ers’ defenders when he smashed Patrick Mahomes and forced a fumble.

Strength: Versatility.

Most free safeties play only free safety. Not Ward.

He was a nickel back early in his career. So the 49ers move him to the slot in their dime defense, which requires two slot defenders.

And Ward is a good slot corner. He can play man to man coverage in the middle of the field with his back to the quarterback and still break up passes.

Ward also can play strong safety, especially on third downs when the opponent is less likely to run. That's when Ward can cover tight ends and blitz. He does so many things well.

Weakness: Instincts.

Ward has intercepted just two passes in his entire career, because he breaks late on passes.

Maybe he struggles to anticipate where the ball will go. Maybe he simply reacts too late. Whatever the reason, he almost never knocks down deep passes. He always seems a step late to the action.

Ward’s instincts and reaction time should improve as he gains experience.