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2017 NFL Draft Senior Bowl Profile: Nate Gerry

By James Cobern

Sep 12, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers safety Nate Gerry (25) celebrates his pass interception with tackle Chase Urbach (92) during the game against the South Alabama Jaguars in the fist half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers safety Nate Gerry (25) celebrates his pass interception with tackle Chase Urbach (92) during the game against the South Alabama Jaguars in the fist half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Senior Bowl will host a multitude of NFL ready talent in 2017, but Nebraska’s star safety Nate Gerry could be a prospect who will steal the show.

I love the safety position. It’s one of the hardest positions to evaluate in all of college football. And with good reason, as it requires a high football I.Q. coupled with the physical ability to play sideline to sideline.

Great NFL safeties possess these qualities and for some reason people always muck up what it takes in evaluation. The scouting camps usually boil down to those who love ball hawks and those who love enforcers in the middle, but the best safeties excel in both.

Which is why I’m so excited to find out that Nebraska’s Nate Gerry will be attending the Senior Bowl this year. He is the only safety I’ve scouted this season where the word savage was the only adjective I could muster to describe his play.

Gerry has the classic strong safety build with a thick upper body and a well-developed lower body. However, where most safeties built like that move similar to a tank or a battleship. Gerry on the other hand has quick feet and smooth hips in space.

Based on his performances in 2015-16, he has showed everything you want in an NFL safety. He can come down in the box to support the run. Smack a slot wide receiver coming over the middle. Cover tight ends and RBs in the flats and seams. He has great recognition skills to read the quarterback’s eyes and track the football quickly enough to get a hand in the there to break it up. And of course Gerry will get his fair share of interceptions in coverage as well.

And based on my work with longitudinal data, Gerry is the fourth best draft-eligible safety based on production, age, and strength of schedule he faced in 2016. He is sandwiched between the New Orleans Saints’ breakout rookie safety Vonn Bell and former long-term starting NFL safety Bryan Scott.

All you need to understand is he tested very well and has a much higher statistical chance of success in the NFL versus other safeties in the 2017 class. But I don’t want people to get it misconstrued that I’m a fan of Gerry based purely on his numbers. I was a fan before the numbers—and I’m an even more confident fan after I saw his data.

Next: 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Browns Land Two Possible Stars

So go forth and watch some Nate Gerry tape. He is the most underrated safety in this draft class. But that could change awfully quick after his Senior Bowl performance. Join in on the fun now versus later. Because he is sure to entice anyone who sees him play.

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