Delaware safety Nasir Adderley is a player I expect to continue shooting up draft boards during the pre-draft process. Flying under the radar due to playing in the FCS, Adderley has been a revelation throughout the all-star circuit, producing a strong showing throughout his week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile last month.
For me, Adderley is the draft’s premier safety prospect heading into the combine, and I don’t expect that to change during his time in Indianapolis.
Adderley has the rangy athleticism and ball-hawking ability that NFL teams covet from safety prospects, particularly in the pass-happy day and age that we are currently in. Adderley showed his ball-hawking ability at the Senior Bowl, picking off a pass from Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson in the fourth quarter to seal the North’s win.
One of the areas of concern for Adderley coming into the process was the fact that he mostly played deep safety during his time at Delaware, and was rarely asked to come up and make plays in the box or play man-coverage in the passing game. He answered those questions emphatically in Mobile, delivering thunderous hits in the box and acquitting himself nicely when matched up one-on-one with a receiver.
Adderley feels like a more polished product than Alabama’s Deionte Thompson or Mississippi State’s Johnathan Abram, while also potentially possessing a higher ceiling than both as well.
At this point, I feel confident in saying that Adderley will be a first round pick in April, and I expect others to jump on board after he puts together an eye-opening performance at the combine next week.
After playing for Jon Gruden at the Senior Bowl, Adderley could be in play for one of the two late first round picks in the Raiders’ possession.