NFL Draft Profile: Jordan Battle, Safety, Alabama Crimson Tide
#9
Pos: S
Ht: 6010
Wt: 209
Hand: 0848
Arm: 3200
Wing: 7458
40: 4.55
DOB:12/14/2000
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL
High School: Saint Thomas Aquinas
Eligibility: 2023
Jordan BattleAlabama Crimson Tide
One-Liners:
A wiry safety whose playing style looks more suited for playing in the box at the next level. Can be a versatile player who can match up with tight ends and add a blitzing element to a secondary in the NFL.
Evaluation:
A wiry thin safety with good length and athleticism for the position. An incredibly smart football player who you can tell understands the whole defensive scheme at Alabama. He plays with strong instincts as a short zone defender or robber, knowing when he can and cannot take risks within the scheme of the defense. Impressive eye discipline keying the quarterback in zone coverage, showing a natural feel for leveraging routes and seeing concepts develop. Good hip fluidity to turn and run without losing speed, flipping his hips with ease without false steps or losing balance. Athletically shows he can be reliable in man coverage against tight ends and slot receivers. Effectively used as a blitzer who shows the ability to properly time snaps to provide instant pressure off the edge. Tackles well playing in closed spaces and plays with good physicality in the box despite his wiry thin frame. Lacks instincts as a playmaker with his eyes on the quarterback, he fails to anticipate routes or throws to make plays on them. Even when he has a chance to make a play, he just bats the ball down. In the run game, he can be slow to trigger and fill. Battle likes to keep everything in front of him, failing to locate routes developing behind. Shifty ball carriers can make him miss when he comes downhill with a head of steam. He does not provide much range on the backend and does most of his work in underneath zones or in the box. Plays with a lack of urgency at times, not triggering fast enough to run alleys downhill and bring runs down closer to the line of scrimmage. He takes inconsistent angles to the football, causing him to be an inconsistent tackler in space. A safe player in coverage who prefers to tackle the football instead of making plays on the football. Ball production is not there. He needs to be more aggressive in coverage as opposed to just being okay with being in the right spot. A wiry safety whose playing style looks more suited for playing in the box at the next level. A smart football player who excels as a short zone defender or a guy you can use as a robber and does not blow coverages. Inconsistent coming downhill in run support accompanied with a lack of deep zone coverage abilities hinders his ability to show projection as a two-high safety. He can be a versatile player who can match up with tight ends and add a blitzing element to a secondary in the NFL.
Grade:
1st-2nd Round
Background:
Raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Attended St. Thomas Aquinas high school in his hometown. Four-star recruit according to 247Sports. Committed to Ohio State before flipping his commitment to Alabama. Contributed as a freshman before taking over a starting safety role as a sophomore.
Quotes:
"I like to watch some of the safeties in the league. I like to focus on current plates like Derwin James. I like his game – how versatile he is in the NFL. I’d like to focus on studying what they do, how they read quarterbacks, how they run the alley on a run game, or how they play the deep ball in the deep part of the field." -- Alabama S Jordan Battle on his study habits
