STRENGTHS
Javon has the size, speed, quickness, and high football IQ to be an impact football player for your defense and special teams. He is big enough to use up near the line of scrimmage in coverage and is a good sure tackler, to help stop the run. He is smart enough to use in a 2 deep safety set. Javon has excellent anticipation skills and along with his sure tackling skills and this makes him one of the best safeties in this draft. He could be used in the red zone on the outside to cover those big receivers or in the slot to cover those, pass-catching Tight Ends. Javon is an excellent punt returner because he has the vertical quickness and strength to make yards, and the sure hands to make the catch. But the truth is you want Javon in a position that will challenge a quarterback into making a mistake and when that happens, Javon reacts with the quickness of a net casting spider.
CONCERNS
Javon is not a quick-twitch athlete, he has a smooth gate and that means he can change direction moving forward very well but not so good laterally. Once he turns his hips he is fine and as long as he keeps his cushion in coverage he is fine. Double moves will cause him problems unless he anticipates them coming and most of the time he does. Teams looking for perfection when evaluating a player in the draft will be bothered by this but not me.
BOTTOM LINE 1.95
There are just 2 stats that you can’t fudge in all of football, interceptions, and touchdowns. Every other stat is left up to the interpretation of the person doing the stats and yes…even accuracy stats. In 2018 Javon played in 13 games and had 5 interceptions. In 2019 he played in 14 games and had 4 interceptions. On punt returns in 2019 in 14 games, he received 16 punts for 244 return yards at an average of 15 yards a return but with all of that impact and yardage Javon only had 1 touchdown, that’s 9 interceptions and 16 punt returns in 2 years, Javon only had 1 touchdown. What does that tell you? It tells me this kid is a hell of a football player who has excellent quickness and anticipation skills to make players miss and fool quarterbacks into making mistakes but he doesn’t have the all-out speed to outrun other players. THAT’s the definition of an impact safety for the next level. Oh, by the way in 2018 he was in on 31 solo tackles and in 2019 in on 41 solos tackles. Now if those numbers were to stand up under scrutiny, and I believe they would, those are close to linebacker stats but, he has no sacks and once again shows he can change direction vertically but struggles laterally. That’s how you read stats when you are profiling or analyzing a player. Like I always say Stats tell a story but they don’t tell the whole story unless you know how to read them. Javon might not be selected in the first round but once he gets on an NFL field, he will impact like he was. Players with his talent, size, and high football IQ usually do. I know…it’s a gift and a curse.
