Safety Profiles
By: John McMullen
Safety Update: 3/18/98
The safety position is another story. As noted in the original update a questionable year was made even worse when Virginia's Anthony Poindexter went down with a very serious knee injury. I could still see a team taking a flyer on Poindexter in the late first round. If he makes a full recovery, Poindexter might become the biggest steal this side of Randy Moss but at this point with his slow recovery, he is a crap shoot at best. Clemson's Antwan Edwards and Florida's Tony George remain the only chance for immediate contributors at the position. UCLA's Larry Atkins has come on and placed in the top five. Here are the new ratings:
- Antwan Edwards Clemson 5-11 215
- Anthony Poindexter Virginia 6-1 218
- Tony George Florida 5-11 200
- Damon Moore Ohio State 5-11 214
- Larry Atkins UCLA 6-2 230
Atkins has great size and should be a nice prospect at strong safety. He wraps up well and packs quite a wallop which is an anomaly on the Bruins defense. His speed is questionable making him a liability in man to man coverage. He looks like he will be a solid run stuffing guy who feels very comfortable as the eighth man in the box but Atkins must improve in pass coverage or he will be nothing more than a glorified linebacker.
- Gana Joseph Oklahoma 5-11 210
- Johndale Carty Utah State 6-2 198
- Eric Thigpen Iowa 6-1 198
- Nikia Codie Baylor 6-3 210
- Mitchell Freedman Arizona State 6-0 210
For profiles on all these players check out John's last update.
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