2015 Preseason All-American Projections: Safeties

By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2015 college football season WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation’s leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises, and the stars of next fall could be the headlining players next May in the 2016 NFL Draft.

First-Team Safeties:

Jalen Ramsey, Florida State

This is a tough prediction because there is some talk that Ramsey will move to cornerback this season after losing Ronald Darby and P.J. Williams to the NFL. It will be interesting to see if the Seminoles follow through on that as Ramsey had an excellent sophomore season. As a safety, he might be the best free safety in college football.

The Florida State defense was disappointing as a unit in 2014, but some individual players impressed. Ramsey was one of the team’s best defenders with a lot of clutch tackles. He totaled 79 stops, 9.5 tackles for a loss, 12 passes broken up, two interceptions and two forced fumbles on the year. At times during the 2014 season, Ramsey was the Seminoles’ best defensive player. He and fellow safety Nate Andrews constantly made clutch touchdown-saving tackles throughout the season.

Tony Conner, Ole Miss

The 6-foot, 217-pound Conner is a versatile defender who lines up all over the place, so it is hard to designate him as one in particular. Conner lines up as a safety, slot corner and outside linebacker. Overall, safety is probably his best fit, but there is no doubt that Conner is versatile and can be a dangerous weapon to attack offenses. In 2014, Conner totaled 69 tackles with nine tackles for a loss, an interception and two passes broken up. A year earlier, Conner (6-0, 217) was a Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman. He totaled 66 tackles with five tackles for a loss, one sack, one interception and seven passes broken up for the year. Conner has excellent instincts and should only get better in 2015.




Second-Team Safeties:

Karl Joseph, West Virginia

Over the past three seasons, Joseph has been a very consistent defender. He racked up 92 tackles, three passes broken up, one interception and two forced fumbles in 2014. The year before, Joseph notched 68 tackles with four passes broken up and an interception. 2012 saw him lead the defense with 104 tackles. The freshman also had two interceptions, three forced fumbles, six passes broken up, one sack and seven tackles for a loss in his college debut.

Joseph (5-10, 200) has shown some ability to play deep as a free safety and is very aggressive in the tackle box. He has demonstrated zero hesitation to stick his nose in with linemen and make tackles. It would help if the senior showed improved ball skills. As a safety, he is similar to Baltimore’s Matt Elam or Houston’s D.J. Swearinger.

Su’a Cravens, USC

In 2014, Cravens had 68 tackles with 17 tackles for a loss, five sacks, three interceptions and nine passes broken up while splitting time between safety and linebacker. Cravens enrolled early in USC and used that time to win the starting strong safety position to replace T.J. McDonald. During his freshman season, he got better as the year went along. Cravens totaled 52 tackles with four interceptions, one pass batted and a forced fumble. He was a Freshman All-American and was a All Pac-12 honorable mention. Cravens (6-1, 225) is physical, strong and quick. He has upside to develop, and it will be interesting to see whether he finds his long-term home at safety or linebacker.




Third-Team Safeties:

Jalen Mills, LSU

Mills had a solid 2014. He is a free safety with some skills, but sources said he was wise to return for his senior year and get better before going pro. Mills recorded 62 tackles with five passes broken up and an interception in 2014. He also had quality seasons in 2013 and 2012. Mills (6-1, 189) could easily end up getting rated higher than the Third Team at the end of the year.

Nate Andrews, Florida State

As stated above, Andrews made a lot of clutch plays for the Seminoles’ defense last year. He notched 93 tackles with three interceptions and five passes broken up on the year. In some close games, Andrews came up with some huge plays for Florida State. Despite a loaded defense, he managed to beat out more veteran defenders and make an impact as a freshman. In 2013, he led Florida State with four interceptions, forced three fumbles, had eight passes broken up and 35 tackles. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Andrews could have a bigger challenge playing safety if Jalen Ramsey moves to cornerback.

Honorable Mentions: Ohio State’s Vonn Bell, Duke’s Jeremy Cash, Virginia’s Quin Blanding, LSU’s Jamal Adams, Georgia’s Quincy Mauger, Middle Tennessee’s Kevin Byard, Baylor’s Orion Stewart, Clemson’s Jayron Kearse, Kansas’ Isaiah Johnson, Notre Dame’s Max Redfield, USC’s Leon McQuay and Tennessee’s LaDarrell McNeil.











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