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2019 NFL Draft: April’s fools gold

By Ryan Roberts

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 06: Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 06: Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 20: Dee Anderson #11 of the LSU Tigers is tackled by Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Tiger Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Johnathan Abram, Safety, Mississippi State

Over recent seasons, the nickel back position has become arguably equally as important as the safety spot. Being able to neutralize mismatch slot players has become a neccesity, whether they are diminutive slot receivers or split out tight ends.

One of the more intriguing slot defender options in the 2019 NFL Draft class is former Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram. An athletic specimen at the safety position, Abram shows legit short area explosiveness that is combined with his intense playing style to profile as a physical tone setter on the back end.

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That physical style shows in his ability to eliminate screen passes, as well as a free rusher coming off the slot. He has also shown the ability to flash turn and run ability against inside vertical concepts and wheels despite sloppy transitions.

The biggest issue is he just doesn’t make many plays on the football. He is more of a prayer than a playmaker, constantly turning his head late to contact. He is adequate as a short zone defender, but he shows inconsistent drive against the quick passing game, and a ton of inconsistencies in man coverage.

It’s easy to see why Abram is such a desirable player for some teams, but with the new emphasis on the slot defender position, how much of a value is he in the early stages of the position? If he was nearly as effective as a strong safety, you could sell me as a late-first/early second player. However, the slot seems the best use for Abram in the near future.

And in a world where Abram is constantly mocked at the end of the first round, I just can’t get nearly excited for that type of evaluation, at least in the near future.

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