Top 10 safeties in the 2021 NFL Draft

#7 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Jevon Holland (Oregon)

6' 1", 200 pounds; JR

Jevon Holland

A former four-star recruit, in his two years as a starter with the Ducks, Jevon Holland has combined for 71 solo tackles, nine interceptions (including one pick-six) and ten more passes deflected.

He became the first player for Oregon to lead his team in interceptions in back-to-back seasons since Jairus Byrd (2006 & 2007), yet somehow was also an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection in 2019 and then opted out of this past season, when the conference only decided to “join the party” late.

While Holland shows up here in the safeties, he basically played pure nickel for Oregon, where he was put in a lot of off man and some shallow zone-coverage. When he is responsible for the flats or hook areas, he does not flinch when the receiver across from him pushes vertically, but rather just opens up a little bit to pass him on to the deep safety, and when he sees quarterbacks initiate their throwing motion.

He can quickly open that way and chases down the receiver. In off-man, he stays very patient, sitting on receivers and re-routes them when they get to him, where he displays physicality, when those guys try to get into their breaks. However, he also has pretty fluid hips, to flip multiple times on a play. He leverages receivers well, where he may open with an outside release, but keeps that inside position, to force them to work across his face and then uses the sideline as that extra defender.

When the ball hangs up in the air, he feels comfortable finding and attacking it, or plays through the mitts of the receiver at full extension. He had a beautiful one-handed pass- breakup in the 2019 Pac-12 title game against Utah down the middle of the field.

Holland is usually a very dependable edge-setter in the run game, especially when he comes into the box, as his man is put in-line, actively working upfield rather than sitting and waiting back there. He plays with good extension through blocks and keeps vision on the ball-carrier.

What really stands out is the closing burst he displays, racing up on scrambling on quarterbacks to force throwaways or slipping underneath the blocker and shutting down screen passes. He is a highly reliable tackler in space, but you also see him do a nice job of hitting through the ball as it arrives at the target, to separate the two from each other.

While he didn’t do a ton of it, Holland also offers some extra as a punt-returner, where he had a near punt-return touchdown against Auburn in the 2019 season-opener and averaged 15.3 yards on his 16 returns. While Holland did allow 44 of 69 targets his way to be completed in 2019, only two of them went for touchdowns and he picked off four passes himself, for a passer rating of 69.2.

With that in mind, Holland won’t be able to play off and just shove or catch receivers at the next level, simply because there’s a penalty for illegal contact in the NFL. He is rarely in press-alignment and actually dictates the stem of routes. And for a true nickel, he doesn’t necessarily have that lightning quick change of direction or loose lower body, to attach to the hip-pocket of his man right out of the break.

Holland made some pretty darn impressive plays on the ball as a freshman, but when you look at his 2019 interception reel, it is very underwhelming and more about him being in the right place at the right time. He got one on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half against Cal, where the ball died on the QB, a late throw over the middle on third-and-forever versus Washington State, an underthrown ball down the seams against Stanford and another one on a slot fade versus Auburn, which was probably the best one. He has to do a better job of not allowing receivers to stack him on slot fade routes.

This is the one name of this safety class, that everybody seems to have universally accepted as a top three or at least top five prospect. Holland just had an impressive pro day showing, highlighted by a 4.46 in the 40, and I don’t want to take anything away from him, but let’s just acknowledge that he had a full year to just prepare for that one day.

He was pure nickel corner in college, who has a little bit of stiffness in the lower body for that specific spot and whose athletic testing does not translate to the field in the same way. I think the physicality and tackling skills in the run game, as well as the ability to attack the ball down the field are there to play more safety at the next level, while offering value as a chess piece against big slot receivers, but his tape didn’t blow me away.