Tim Benz, Matt Williamson’s draft preview: Keeping Terrell Edmunds shouldn’t stop Steelers from taking a first-round safety
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For a long time this offseason, it looked like the Steelers’ most glaring position of need entering the NFL Draft was going to be at safety.
For a long time this offseason, it looked like there weren’t going to be many good safety prospects to pick from in the first round.
But now, both storylines seem to have changed. Yet the opinion of our former NFL and college scout, Matt Williamson, has not.
He talked himself into thinking that Michigan defensive back Daxton Hill should be the Steelers’ first-round pick because of both talent and the need for the Steelers to fill the safety position. Even though the Steelers eventually worked out a contract with incumbent strong safety Terrell Edmunds to remain in Pittsburgh late last week, Williamson still thinks Hill is the way to go.
For a while, many who have tracked the draft boards from January to mid-March often presented the batch of safety draft choices as Kyle Hamilton from Notre Dame and, well, everyone else.
In fact, maybe no one else in the first round.
The closer he studied them, though, Williamson appears to have developed a broader view of the prospects who play that position.
“I’ve been spending so much time on these safeties, I now love this safety class,” Williamson said.
The biggest reason why is that Williamson believes this safety class may allow the Steelers to freshen up an old way of looking at how the safety positions are deployed in their defense.
“As long as I can remember, they have had a ‘free,’ and they have had a ‘strong.’ Minkah (Fitzpatrick) is the free. And they have had an in-the-box, Edmunds-type,” Williamson said.
Before that, Troy Polamalu was the strong safety, and Chris Hope or Ryan Clark played free safety.
“They have been very different styles of safeties,” Williamson continued. “But there is a new defensive coordinator (Teryl Austin) and there is a new defensive assistant (Brian Flores) that may think this is their opportunity to get interchangeable at the safety spot. Get more of a coverage player (next to Fitzpatrick).”
That’s why Williamson says he likes Hill so much. He sees Hill (6-feet/192 pounds/4.38 40-yard dash) as a younger, slightly bigger and faster version of Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu (5-foot-9/190 pounds/4.50 40-yard dash) from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Keep in mind, Edmunds only signed a one-year deal to stay in Pittsburgh. So that job could become open again in 2023 for a ‘22 first-round pick such as Hill to grab.
“Hill is much more like (Mathieu),” Williamson said. “Hill did most of his work as a slot corner at Michigan. He is a blitzer. Can play the deep middle. Can play two-deep. Some have even looked at Hill and thought, ‘What if we just line him up as an outside corner?’ I think he can do that.”
Williamson believes that Hill would be the kind of player capable of guarding Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews, and good receiving running backs that can split out, such as New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara.
“(Hill) is immensely talented. He is a phenomenal athlete that tested like that. And the film backs it up. You can still bring back Edmunds and have him be the strong safety. But I think Hill is … just a defensive back,” Williamson said.
This is how Steelers coach Mike Tomlin described the changing role of defensive backs. And it’s clear how Hill could fit into what he is discussing
“What you see is specialization. You’re seeing guys that are nickels and guys that are dime linebackers if you will. And it’s specialization as it pertains to the passing game or winning possession down or situational football,” Tomlin said. “Years ago, when I was a secondary coach, you were forecasting whether or not someone was nickel capable. Fast forward 20 years, and there are guys that define themselves as nickels.”
That certainly sounds like a job Hill could fill. And it certainly sounds like Williamson thinks Hill is worthy of being selected high in the draft, even though the Steelers may have softened the need by keeping Edmunds in the fold.
In our final pre-draft podcast with Matt Williamson, Matt and I also look at an interesting group of cornerbacks. We examine some second-day linebackers the Steelers may like. And we discuss why Georgia’s Lewis Cine may be a good safety option if Dax Hill is off the board early.
Listen: Tim Benz, Matt Williamson discuss defensive backs, linebackers