Safety

Clemson

6-0 217

Draft Board Overall Prospect Rank: #72

Draft Board Overall Safety Rank: #3

Rating: 74 (Early 3rd)

40 time: 4.64

2/20/11: If he had come out in 2009, McDaniel probably would have been a first round pick. He had good triangle numbers and was coming off a season in which he had 8 picks, one of which was a pick six. The name Darren Sharper was being thrown around as a comparison. However, he returned for his senior year and now could very well fall into the 3^rd round. His interception total was cut in half, and, even worse, he really struggled in coverage.

McDaniel may have the 12 picks in 2 years, but his strength is the run, not the pass. He may pick off a good amount of passes, but he doesn’t match up one-on-one well or patrol a zone well. He’s often out of position. He’s really stiff in his backpedal. He’s got good hands and a good nose for the football and could be a ballhawk center fielder type strong safety at the next level, but he’s not a good cover safety or a free safety.

He is good against the run. He likes the big hits and occasionally forgets to wrap up, but overall he is stronger against the run than against the pass. He does need to become more consistent. His motor is really inconsistent and he’ll become invisible for stretches of time, but overall he’s better against the run than against the pass.

The upside is there, but he does need to be coached up. I think he’ll end up going in the 3^rd round, but he does have first round upside. He’s got good triangle numbers at 6-0, 6-1 in the 210s with a 4.4 40 and he does have that ballhawk capability.

NFL Comparison: William Moore