STRENGTHS
Tyler has the size and length teams are looking for in their Defensive Backs. He shows on film, an excellent burst to the play with the hands to make the interception. He is very smart with excellent instincts and has excellent pre-snap read intelligence. Tyler has the leadership skills and high football IQ to be a coach on the field and that’s the most important skill you can have to be a safety in the NFL. Tyler understands zone coverages and spacing and the intricacies at this point of his career, better than half the coaches at the college level. He is a solid tackler and can be an intimidating tackler and will come up and support the run quickly because of his ability to read offenses. Tyler’s size and length gives him the ability to cover a lot of ground quickly and with his burst to the ball and instincts these athletic talents are what allow Tyler to be a defensive playmaker.
CONCERNS
Tyler has the agility, athletic talent, and natural size and length to be used in the slot to cover those pass-catching Tight Ends and bigger slot receivers. That being said, Tyler hasn’t been used very much in that way and has to learn better cover techniques to be effective as a cover safety.
BOTTOM LINE: 1.84
Tyler should be an excellent safety for the team that selects him and that’s it in a nutshell. He does have some limitations but not selecting him because of those limitations makes no sense to me. Tyler mentally, loves the challenge and the chess game of playing against the quarterback and play caller. Just to cover a player is boring to him and that’s why he struggles to be as good in that style of defense. It has nothing to do with his talent because I believe if you put him at cornerback, on the outside, in single coverage, that he would be fine. But playing safety is mentally, a challenge for Tyler and this is what he craves. Athletically, Tyler can play more than one position but safety is his home. As far as Tyler’s cover skills are concerned…they are there to be used, you just have to put him in a defense that requires him to use those skills. Move him around your defense and let him use all of his talents and let him be your coach on the field, you won’t regret it.
