Scout’s Eye with Matt Williamson: Sign and draft

0:00Hello everyone, I am Matt Williamson. How's it going? I am recording this Saturday afternoon. I am back in the bird after an excellent week in Indy. Learned a ton, saw a ton, talked to a ton, had a blast. Yesterday was a long day on the air basically all day and then jumped a car all day and so I did not record anything as I told you. But I am here to talk you about safeties. And I think it's going to be a fun show. So let's open this by what is the Steelers current safety situation? Elliot returns. Great. He is your starting strong safety. Peppers, Kilibru, Clark, Dugger, all UFA's to be and Castro returns. I am going to put a lot of stock in Sebastian Castro. That's the end of the story. That's what they have right now.

1:02Really only true safety they have under contract is Dishon Elliot. So they have a need there obviously. Now you're saying well Ramsey is the other safety man. He might be. I don't think Ramsey is in danger of being cut. So they will start with that. But the more I talked and listened in Indy, I think Ramsey is going to be the slot corner. Which is the reason they traded for him folks. Just so happens yesterday, Pro Football Focus put out a list of the five most versatile defenders in the league. And basically they just did it by alignment. That doesn't mean you're truly the most versatile player in the league. But Ramsey was number one on the list. And this is what it said. It said Ramsey was the only defender to play at least 100 snaps at free safety in the box as a slot corner and as an outside corner in the 2025 season. So pretty crazy.

2:08I think he's going to be almost entirely the big slot. And that doesn't necessarily mean that he is Emuari or Ramsey or I'm sorry or Hamilton or some or Durwin or somebody like that. But I think that's what you're going with. I mean you do not want to be small in the slot anymore. That is the position is getting phased out greatly because you play so much nickel and you have to everybody has to defend the run when you have lighter people on the field. You don't know if heavier person out. So if we operate under the assumption that Ramsey is a slot that obviously could play safety in a pinch. Really all you have is Elliott on this team. That's frightening. However, I have free agencies right around the corner by the way folks. Again I'm recording this on Saturday on not this Monday, two days from now. But the following Monday is legal

3:10tamper period starts and we're going to start having things. That's the beginning of free agency. So when I really eight days away from free agency by the time you listen to this. But I have a few names that I am interested in acquiring. And a big thing for me and I've brought this up a bunch is the defensive backfield in particular has to get faster. Ramsey's doesn't run like he used to by the way. So I'm looking for to fill out my safety room speed is something I am after. And also in terms of free agents I also want youth. So here's a couple names I think are interesting to you to me. And what the athletic I have a bunch of different free agent lists. But I just pulled this one up. I think it's really well done. What their contract projections might be Brian Cook is a chief's safety. It's going to hit the market here. 27 years old,

4:11six one well over 200 pounds. He's expected to be three years 40 million. Okay. I mean you can swing that. He's somebody I like a lot. He's one of my two favorites along with Nick Cross from the Colts. Only 24 years old came in the league. Uncommonly young about six foot also well over 200 pounds. But he's heavier. He's like two 12. Also supposed to be three years 21 million give or take. Now I could see some of these contracts going a little bit north of that whenever you start to get in contract just you have battles. But this is a splash play guy. Both of those dudes I mentioned can really run. They have size. They have a pretty versatile skill set. Another name I like. I don't love. But it's a step down to me is 27 year old Kobe Bryant.

5:14Kobe with a C from the Seahawks. More free than anything but he has a corner background as well. Also should be getting about that same money. They project him three years 30 million. Again I like the first two names better but that would be fine. And then an underrated player to me is the Cardinals Jalen Thompson. He's the oldest of the group. He's 28. So that's not horrible because we're going to get the draft here in a minute. 5 11 190. I didn't give you Bryant's dimensions. Bryant's taller. He's taller and longer. He's 6 1 1 93. Thompson however though 28 years old 5 11 190 and they're thinking he'll probably sign like a four year 61 million dollar deal. I don't know the 28 year old is going to sign a four year deal but fair enough I'll roll with it. But there's four names I want to give you that I think would all be the very useful. The first two

6:15to me I'd probably spend a little more than they even have projected there considering the the situation at safety for the Steelers. So that's where we're at with veterans. Yeah the NFL season's done but is it ever really? You can still bet online with America's best sports betting site the Fandall Sportsbook. That includes all current sports all of this summers coming sports and hey for what it's worth you can get in on NFL action toward the 2026 season already. Never a dull moment never an inactive moment the best place to bet on sports play online games build your fantasy team. Is it Fandall? So the combine's crazy for me because I'm there I hear things I get the times and the numbers

7:20like anybody else but I don't watch anything until I get back to Pittsburgh. So this whole weekend despite kind of having a combine hangover I just watch the combine all the time but I watch the defensive backs this morning. This safety group is crazy it's they are the most athletic group of safeties I've ever seen at the combine and it's not even close. We talked about team speed well you got to go to the draft to get it. Oh you're gonna get it in the draft that's what I'm saying. So of all the safeties that ran a 40 only one two three were over four five flat and four total were not in the four fours or lower. Bishop Fitzgerald ran a four five five from USC and he was the slowest guy recorded that used to be a good time five years ago for a safety.

8:24The speed here is crazy. Now I'm doing a lot more research on this but there's been a lot more research on this of what drills best translate for each position which combine drills are most important and forties believe it or not because you think instinctual and take the right steps all those things and the vertical jump are lately proving to be the best indicators of NFL success. Well the 40 times for this group are crazy. I'll get to the vertebrae in the middle they're also in a minute they're also phenomenal. So even if you sign somebody I think you have to draft the safety. It's a deep group I should have mentioned that too and there's also I think going to be three first round picks we know the Ohio State kids going to go very high. Dylan Theeneman is somebody I would strongly consider a 21 especially if you had eight from Oregon if you had a

9:30receiver in tow that you're pretty comfortable with and then maybe go receiver in the second round if you have if you made a trade or if you'd Romeo dobs but Theeneman's more free and then a manual warrant from Toledo is also I think a pretty much a surefire first round pick but he's a little more strong so that's why I like Theeneman better than the Toledo dude because he's different than Elliott you know and I do think you'll still see a fair amount of single high. Their shells will be a lot more unpredictable on defense but another name that I really like would be my outside the top outside the first round outside the top three is AJ Halsey from LSU he ran a 452 which by this safety group is a little on the slow side I can't believe I just said that because 452 for any safety is phenomenal but he's six foot and 215 pounds and you would think well that's probably it in the box type of guy it's not he's a big middle of the center middle of the field center

10:32fielder type so some of these other 40 times though Lorenzo styles from Ohio State probably should have led with him because he ran a 427 he's sunny styles his brother don't get too excited though because he's pretty stiff in straight line-ish he's a former receiver still learning the position like I think he's a gunner on special teams and then a depth guy but there is obvious insane speed there but he's not you know carb copy of his brother robber spears Jennings from Oklahoma ran a 432 trailing stucs from Arizona 433 Dylan Thinamann who I mentioned 435 Jalen Kilgore another good player South Carolina 444 flat along with Vijay Payne from Kansas to 8 Bud Clark little thin but a really good player too 441 Dalton Johnson 441 so it's an insane group of athleticism at the safety group and it's obviously a need for the

11:33Steelers that there's no chance they're gonna have totally filled out the room by then even if they do sign one of those names I mentioned so I mentioned the verticals as well guys Thinamann was second with a 41 inch vertical which is phenomenal especially at his size Genesis Smith is a player I don't like he's at 42 and a half he just doesn't hit anybody or he almost just doesn't really play like a football player but anyway there's still a ton of guys here in the high 30 inches 39 half 39 38 38 so the drills you're looking for the athleticism you're looking for really really correlate with the Steelers needs because it wouldn't blow me away if they drafted two statements obviously they help on special teams too