STRENGTHS
Tanner is listed as a safety and can play safety but the truth is, he is an impact linebacker pretending to be a safety. He has been a productive player playing the safety position, making plays all over the field. Tanner is athletic, and he showed at the combine the athletic talent that most analysts assumed he did not process because he was playing out of position. He has excellent speed and quickness along with instincts and football intelligence that comes from three years of being a starter at safety. Tanner has the passion to make tackles in the open field and the aggressiveness to finish without committing penalties. He has the hands to make the interception and the cover skills to stay with those big receivers and Tight Ends who line up in the slot. He shows leadership skills through his play on the field making impact plays that will bring his teammates off the bench to watch the replay on the big screen. Tanner reminds me of the Buffalo Bills LB Matt Milano and if you want to use him as a safety instead of a linebacker, I don’t believe that will matter very much because Tanner is just an impact defensive player and the position he plays will not affect that impact.
CONCERNS
Some teams are going to overthink the process and worry about what position he will play and nitpick his talents and that will affect his draft status. I won’t, but they will. Don’t you do that because it doesn’t matter the position he plays because Tanner is a playmaker.
BOTTOM LINE 1.92
Tanner is a playmaker and if you want to make a mistake and label him a tweener or safety who doesn’t have the athleticism to play safety than you run the risk of passing over selecting a playmaker for your defense. Most of the time players like Tanner don’t get selected until the third or fourth round. The Bills Matt Milano didn’t get selected until the 5th round because he too was labeled as a twiner and had a history of injury issues. I know before the combine that Tanner was labeled as a safety who did not have the cover skills. Most were suggesting that he will be a good special team’s player only, but not a starting safety for the next level. Well, I disagree. He forced his way on to the field for his college team making plays and I believe he will do the same thing for the team that selects him as a Weakside linebacker or maybe a safety, who knows, and for that matter, who cares what position he plays. He is smart enough to play multiple positions and athletic enough to play on either side of the ball. I believe once he gets on the field no matter what round he is selected in the will play and have the impact like a player who is picked in the 1st round. That’s what the talent board is all about, not to suggest to you what round a player might be selected in, only to suggest how well he will play and impact for the team that selects him no matter what round. Of course, for me, I would select him as early as the first round but that’s just me, talking to myself.
