Jalen Elliot Overview
Position: Safety
Height: 6’0
Weight: 205 lbs
School: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
NFL Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.8
Bench press: 15
Vertical Jump: 34”
Broad Jump: 125”
Three-Cone drill: 6.87
20-yard Shuttle: 4.3
Jalen Elliott 2020 NFL Draft Profile
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been a revival of relevance in the College Football Playoffs. Several defense players have been highly impactful in getting the Irish to multiple 10-win seasons. One of the impactful players is a three-year starter and 2019 team captain is safety Jalen Elliott. He came to Notre Dame as a three-star athlete in the recruiting class of 2016. Elliott played immediately in his freshman season by playing in five games by accounting for 13 total tackles and seven solo tackles. The next season, Elliott became a starter for the Fighting Irish. He accounted for 43 total tackles, 24 solo tackles, and two pass deflections.
Elliott had a career year in his junior season in 2018. He accounted for 67 total tackles, 36 solo tackles, one tackle for loss, half a sack, one forced fumble, four interceptions, and seven pass deflections. In his final season with the Fighting Irish, Elliott accounted for 49 total tackles, 29 solo tackles, two interceptions, and two pass deflections. On the surface, Elliott looks like a non-impactful player for a highly established college football program like Notre Dame. Elliott showed his consistency and reliability in a way he did not have to be flashy in key situations. He was a player that would be the last line of defense for the Fighting Irish. He could be the same player for an NFL team starting his rookie season.
Strengths
- Able to make good angles in run plays;
- Good ability to scout for the ball in the passing plays;
- Able to disrupt the pass from the receivers’ hands;
- Has the good size to deliver hard hits;
- Can play near the line of scrimmage;
- Shows recognizability in routes;
- Efficient tackler;
- Plays well in short zones;
- Times the ball well on challenging contested catches.
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t play well in man coverage schemes;
- Takes too many steps to transition from backpedal to lateral movement;
- Loses positioning as a high safety;
- Plays like a deer in the headlights in the open field tackling situations;
- Lacks efficient reactivity;
- Bad anticipation of routes;
- Has problems locating the ball when he turns his back;
- Will struggle against running backs.
Comparison: Jabrill Peppers
Teams with Needs at position: Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: Seventh round to undrafted free agent
Bottom Line on Jalen Elliott
Elliott is a player who is the bottom of the 2020 NFL Draft and will need to properly fit a defensive scheme to be drafted. He can be a player that plays certain schemes as a safety that plays zone close to the line of scrimmage. He might be more efficient if he was a middle linebacker due to his talent as a tackler and a zone coverage player. Elliott will also be a beneficial player on special teams due to his reliability. Even if Elliott doesn’t get drafted, he can be an impact player for a team when he signs a free agent deal.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
