Via Last Word On Pro Football, by John Bava
Overview
Position: Safety
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 204 pounds
School: Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.70 seconds
Bench press: 11 reps
Three-cone drill: 7.63 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.68 seconds
Lorenzo Jerome 2017 NFL Draft Profile
Lorenzo Jerome came into his senior season as a relatively off-the-radar player from the standpoint of his next level potential. After all, it’s not often you find a potential game changing safety at FCS Saint Francis about 90 minutes east of Pittsburgh, PA. But he began attracting attention after a prolific 2016 that included six interceptions, 5.5 tackles for loss and 11 pass breakups. It earned him AP first-team FCS All-American honors.
More importantly, Jerome received an invitation to prominent all-star games involving prospective NFL prospects. He made the most of his opportunity at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl where he intercepted two passes and won MVP. The following week, he continued to impress at the Senior Bowl, adding a further two picks and a forced fumble.
Scouts marveled at Jerome’s instincts during the two aforementioned events. His knack for showing up at the right place at the right time to make plays in pass coverage surprised plenty of draft analysts. That said, the above Combine statistics didn’t exactly stand out. His 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle times measured as the longest among players at his position who took part.
Nevertheless, Jerome’s collegiate accomplishments speak for themselves. Every year, a handful of players from less heralded schools emerge as potential sleepers at the next level. Jerome certainly fits that description.
Strengths
- about as instinctual in pass coverage as any prospect in this year’s draft.
- ball skills are off the chart.
- physical, hard-hitting tackler.
- extremely difficult to block downfield.
- rarely gives up yards after initial contact.
- tracks the ball extremely well in both run defense and pass coverage.
- skill set suggests ability to play man safety in cover-0/cover-1 shells.
- high energy player with great intensity.
- rarely takes a play off.
- can contribute in a variety of ways on special teams.
Weaknesses
- a bit undersized, especially as the position increasingly demands covering athletic tight ends.
- wasn’t regularly exposed to elite level skill position players in college.
- may need to add some thickness to withstand NFL-level physicality.
- overall fluidity in lower body will have to improve
- too much risk-reward in jumping routes; could backfire against top NFL wideouts.
- Combine data doesn’t suggest a high level of raw speed.
NFL Comparison: Jahleel Addae
Teams With Need At Position: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Bucs, Washington Redskins
Projection: could go anywhere on day three of the draft
Bottom Line
Jerome turned heads in January with his performances at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and Senior Bowl. His ability as a pure playmaking safety forced many a scout to take notice regarding his potential at the next level. Though there are concerns about his size and open field speed, especially after the Combine, Jerome possesses a motor and competitiveness NFL teams like to see. Add to that his versatility on special teams and you have a prospect who will have a chance to compete for a roster spot come preseason.
