Nasir Adderley Might Be The Answer At FS For The Redskins; Will He Be Worth The Hype?

Nasir Adderley, S
School: Delaware | Conference: CAA
College Experience: Senior | Age: 22?
Height / Weight: 5-11 / 195 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 1st or 2nd Round
NFL Comparison: Eddie Jackson

College Statistics

Player Overview

Nasir Adderley wasn’t given a single star in rating when he graduated high school and was looking for a college to play football for. The unrated athlete/defensive back prospect got offers from schools like Towson, Stony Brook, and Central Connecticut State. Eventually he decided to commit to Delaware. Nasir Adderley does have some NFL pedigree. His grandfather was the cousin of Herb Adderley who was a first round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 1961 draft. Herb Adderley went on to win 5 NFL championships with the Packers and played for the Cowboys in the early 1970’s. He intercepted 48 passes in his career as a cornerback and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980. Nasir is looking to follow in the footsteps of his first cousin twice removed and he is off to a good start already. While there was a lot of buzz around more high profile safety prospects such as Deionte Thompson or Taylor Rapp during the season it is actually Adderley who now garners the most potential first rounder buzz. Adderley has some experience at cornerback and he played both corner and safety at the Senior Bowl. He has some versatility but there is no question that his skills translate well to the NFL as a free safety. Adderley will have another chance to boost his stock at the combine and may definitively move into the first round conversation there.

Strengths

• Excellent athletic ability. Has the speed and acceleration to roam single high and can cover a lot of ground. Leaping ability is above average and he’s displayed several highlight level dives and jumps over his career. Can stick his foot in the ground and change direction well displaying good fluidity in space.
• Plays bigger than his size and is a willing and effective contributor in run support. Reliable tackler and has some speed to power conversion ability.
• Really good anticipatory and read and react skills as well as natural instincts. You want him back there looking at the entire offense. He makes some exceptional breaks on the ball. It doesn’t just extend to coverage as well but he has great pursuit ability.
• Good ball skills has a nose for it and if he can get his hand on it he’ll haul it in.
• Has some versatility with experience playing corner and special teams. Big play ability is there.

Weaknesses

• A bit undersized for the position.
• Clearly a safety to me but some teams might want to try him at nickel. Man coverage isn’t his forte and he can struggle going one on one with WRs.
• Played against lower level competition his whole career. At the Senior Bowl we saw how he needs to get adjusted to faster, quicker, and bigger players.
• His reading ability is a double edged sword. While he can make some big plays cheating from the QBs eyes he’s a risk taker at times. In the NFL experienced QBs will take advantage of that and lure him out of the area they are trying to throw to.

Let’s see his work:

More Nasir Adderley videos

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

It’s no secret the Redskins need a free safety badly after all the drama with D.J. Swearinger that occurred this past season which led to his release from the team. Monte Nicholson who was once thought of as the future at the position is in potential legal trouble after a drunken brawl a few months ago. The Redskins traded a 4th round pick for Clinton-Dix which didn’t work out as expected and who is not under contract for next season. That leaves Troy Apke who is fast but can’t cover and Deshazor Everrett who is fine depth but should not be a starter. Once again the team finds themselves at near desperate levels at the position. We know the top brass are well informed of fan opinion and criticism. They are also reactionary. There has been a lot of noise over the Redskins choice to select Da’ron Payne over Derwin James in the last draft. With James reaching All-Pro status I’m sure the Redskins will think they are just as smart and that they to could select such a successful splash player if they wanted to. They may be enticed to select a player/playmaker like Adderley. Adderley is a fine player and I think he would be ready to go as a starter in the NFL. Would would provide the athleticism, range, and big play ability the team has been looking for and has needed for quite some time. The big question for Adderley is what will be the length of his adjustment period to the NFL? It may be brief, it may take an entire season, teams will have to weigh just how pro ready he is especially if he’s in the 1st round pick conversation. If you liked James and Fitzpatrick last year for the Redskins do you like Adderley as well?