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5 Safety Options to Lessen Broncos' Loss of Justin Simmons
As the Broncos look to lessen the loss of Justin Simmons, they could turn to the draft for that help.
When thinking about the history of the Denver Broncos franchise, one position that always has had high-quality play is the safety position. From Billy Thompson back in the 1970s to Steve Atwater in the 1990s to Justin Simmon’s for the past eight years, Denver’s safeties have always been considered upon the upper echelon of players in their respective time frame.
As Simmons is a free agent, things will change for a while. Not to disparage the play of PJ Locke from last season or the free agency addition of Brandon Jones, but there is a massive sense of uncertainty on the back end of the Broncos’s secondary. They need depth badly, as Caden Sterns has significant injury concerns, and Dellarin Turner-Yell still needs to grow.
This safety class is very intriguing, and several quality depth options are lower on the board.
Nov 12, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver (1) runs
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Beau Brade | Maryland
Pros:
A well-built and physical player, Brade will be a high-quality player as a run-supporting box safety. He flies to the football and has exceptional sideline-to-sideline ability as a pursuit defender. He scrapes through gaps cleanly and lands on his target frequently as a heat-seeking missile-style defender. His ability as a blitzer shines from the slot, and he closes to ball carriers exceptionally well. In coverage, Brade can hold his own in man coverage with enough athleticism to run with any tight end over the middle of the field. He flashes range in a double-high look and can close gaps working toward the sideline relatively easily.
Cons:
Zone coverage can cause issues for Brade, as he lacks the instinctual ability to diagnose route combinations and gets lost in space. He is often late to get depth in hook zones and doesn’t have enough range to play in the post as a single high defender. As a tackler, he is mostly an ankle-picking player who dives at legs rather than driving through the midsection with form and proper wrap-up technique. There are too many times that Brade gets locked up with blocking receivers, and he doesn’t use his length well enough to disengage and return to the play.
My Grade: 4th Round
Erick Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 141
Nov 23, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2)
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Daijahn Anthony | Ole Miss
Pros:
Despite having a thinner frame, Anthony is one of the hardest hitters in the class. He excels at moving vertically in both directions, and when he keys on a ball carrier, he arrives with extreme violence. His ability to run the alley in run support is incredible to watch. Anthony gets quality depth in the deep half in coverage, but his best work comes in man coverage. He shows patient feet with good turn-and-run ability and avoids opening his hips early to show his leverage in his coverage assignment. He has good ball skills and uses his length well to knock the ball away easily.
Cons:
Anthony struggles with bursting out of his breaks and instincts in zone coverage. He has a heavier upper half and uses it as a tackler with a higher impact point prone to drawing flags. There are some issues with him taking poor angles to the ball carrier in space, which can lead to long gains. His lateral agility is lacking and he isn’t the most fluid player in open space. While he gets good depth, Anthony doesn’t show enough range as a coverage defender to be relied upon as a post player.
My Grade: 4th Round
Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 121
Nov 18, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons safety Malik Mustapha (3) breaks
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Malik Mustapha | Wake Forest
Pros:
A compact and athletic do-it-all safety prospect, Mustapha brings everything to the table, including coverage ability out of the slot. He hits his run keys well, shows fluidity on the back end, and even offers blitz versatility through multiple gaps. His reaction time and athleticism are instant, and he closes quickly both against the run and in coverage, making him a high-quality option as a slot versatile defender at the next level. He shows enough awareness to succeed in short zones and close gaps to receivers.
Cons:
Mustapha shows poor form as a tackler and can get overpowered at the point of attack in run support. He can get caught up in traffic when running the alley and allow lanes to the outside. He has issues keeping his eyes on receivers in coverage and not playing the football, and he shows a lack of anticipatory skills to diagnose complex route designs in deep zone coverage.
My Grade: 5th Round
Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 146
Sep 9, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Utah Utes safety Cole Bishop (8) makes the interception in front of
Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
Cole Bishop | Utah
Pros:
A fluid mover and incredible athlete, Bishop is a fly-around player who likes to take risks. He shows fluid hips in his drops into deep zones with a smooth transition to and from his backpedal, and he has good speed to run the back end of the secondary from single-high or split-field coverages. He brings the wood as a tackler in zone coverage and scrapes through the trash to get to ball carriers relatively easily. He works well in compact spaces and can play close to the line of scrimmage, which may be his best fit at the NFL level.
Cons:
Bishop tends to break off his assignment to go and make a play, constantly putting himself out of position. He overpursues regularly in his run fits, allowing cut-back lanes to the second level of the defense. He does well to avoid blockers, but when he is landed on, his arms stop working, and he is driven backward easily. There isn’t a lot of ball production on his tape.
My Grade: 6th round
Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 206
Oct 15, 2022; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Miami Hurricanes safety James Williams (0) chases Virginia
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
James Williams | Miami
Pros:
An incredibly long player with immense size, Williams is a prototypical box safety who works better closer to the line of scrimmage, which is why he is projected to switch to linebacker full-time at the NFL level. He uses his size well as a tackler, delivering massive blows and wrap-and-drive technique to finish plays quickly. He shows good short-area bursts and drives to the football well. His blitzing ability shines, especially when coming from the edge, and he uses his long arms to keep blockers at bay easily. That length and physicality also work well for him, moving vertically against tight ends in coverage.
Cons:
The further you get Williams away from the football, the more he looks lost in space. He lacks instincts in zone coverage and doesn’t possess the range to play in deep zones. His processing is incredibly slow, and unless he sees where the ball is going he is late to trigger to route runners, especially on crossing routes. Despite being long, he doesn’t use his length to disengage from blockers. He has the traits to be a quality defender at the next level, but until he can figure out how to process information quickly, he will be a toolsy project with upside as a special teams player.
My Grade: 7th Round
Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 197
It is hard to project what kind of player they could add to the safety room without knowing exactly how the Broncos will deploy their defensive scheme. Last season, Vance Joseph changed up what the Broncos were doing in coverage for multiple reasons. One of which was to run more Cover-3 and Cover-2 to help cover for heavier blitz usages.
That said, Daijahn Anthony makes a lot of sense for the Broncos on Day 3. His ability to line up and come downhill from the deep safety position in run support and line up in the slot in man coverage fits the typical mold of the Joseph defense. Malik Mustapha could be an option as well, as he showed enough ability to man the single high post and drop down to the slot as an effective coverage player and support as a run defender.
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