STRENGTHS
Sione is a Defensive Back with the skills, athletic talent, and high football IQ to play more than one position on your defense or offense at a very high level. He shows the quick feet to change direction and he has an excellent burst to the play. He is an excellent tackler and shows leadership skills through his mature play on the field. Sione plays with a controlled aggressiveness that is seen only in impact players. He has the athletic talent and foot speed to run down players from side line to side line when playing off the line of scrimmage or on the line of scrimmage. Sione has the eye/hand coordination to make interceptions on defense as well as catching the ball down the field as a running back on screen plays and wheel routes or a potential slot receiver. He is a tough running back with the ability to gain those tough yards when most will be stopped. Sione’s high football IQ and athletic talent allows him to be able to play more than one position for his college team. Nevertheless, I believe that his impact position at the next level will be at the running back position. He is an every down running back who can run between the tackles or outside the tackles, catch the ball down the field like a receiver, and is an outstanding blocker in the backfield. Then again…he’s a dam good safety too.
CONCERNS
As far as being a safety, it just depends what a team is looking for in a safety. He has to show at the combine that he can be used in single coverage situations or most teams will think he is a situational player and a special team player only because he lacks the length most teams are looking for nowadays. I believe that if he gets on the field as a safety that he will never come off. As a running back, most teams will struggle believing he is as good as his film shows him to be. He’s the real key, the value of both positions will affect his draft status more than his lack of any skill set or experience playing either position.
BOTTOM LINE: 2.18
As far as I’m concerned you draft Sione and worry about what he position he will play later. He is an excellent football player on both sides of the ball so overthinking is truly the worse thing you could do when selecting him. I rate him high because I see his potential at the running back position and as a WLB in a 4/2/5 defense along with his ability to play the safety position. That being said, there are a lot of coaches that will not know how to use him on either side of the ball. Nevertheless, do not let Chiefs Andy Reed draft this kid or for that matter, Dolphins Mike McDaniel, they will find a way to use his talents and teams that pass on him will be very sorry they did. As a running back I feel his impact will be equal to being picked in the 1st round. As a safety it all depends on the system teams are using, as far as the round he would most likely be selected in. Nevertheless, once he gets on the field he will impact no matter what side of the ball you decide to use him on. Look for him on Rob’s board my guess, in the later rounds because of the value of both positions he is projected to play in.
