Next in the series will be a Canadian who was recently selected by a playoff hopeful in the Miami Dolphins. Rookie safety Jevon Holland is ready to make an impact right out of the gate for Miami.
Canadian NFL Profile: Safety Jevon Holland
Background of a Multi-tool Athlete
Born in Coquitlam, British Columbia, on March 3rd,2000, Jevon Holland attended Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, California. He played both Wide Receiver and Defensive Back, with a school career total of 35 receptions of 1012 yards with 12 touchdowns and 34 tackles, one sack, and five interceptions. Holland also had one kickoff return for 10 yards and 23 punt returns of 512 yards.
247Sports.com ranked him as a four-star prospect and the second-best Safety in California. ESPN ranked Holland as a four-star prospect as well, the second-best athlete in California, the 12th best athlete in the class, and 144th overall in the ESPN300. Rivals.com ranked him as a four-star prospect. Holland received North Coast Section Co-Defensive Player of the Year and the San Fransisco Chronicle East Bay Player of the Year honors in 2017. He ultimately selected the University of Oregon after being recruited by at least 16 other colleges.
University Achievements and Awards
As a Safety at Oregon, Holland completed 108 tackles for a loss of four and a half yards. He also had nine defensive interceptions of 72 yards with one touchdown. When Holland completed an interception, the Oregon Ducks had a seven and one win-loss record. He declared for the 2021 NFL Entry Draft on September 26th, opting out of the Junior Season.
As a Sophomore, Holland was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe award for top Defensive Back in College football. He also received PFF All-Pac 12 First Team, AP Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team, and PFF All-Pac 12 Third Team honors. Holland earned an honorable mention to the Coaches Pac-12 All-Conference.
Draft Projection and Selection
Despite being ranked as the third-best overall Canadian prospect, Holland was not taken in the 2021 CFL Draft. The Miami Dolphins selected him in the second round, 36th overall in the 2021 NFL draft. NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein had predicted him to go between rounds two and three and compared him to the Buffalo Bills‘ Saftey Jordan Poyer. At 36th overall, Holland is the sixth-highest an Oregon defensive back has ever been taken. The Dolphins signed him to a four-year rookie contract worth $8,716,422. Some scouts felt that sitting out his Junior year would cause him to slide, but Miami had other plans.
Speed and footwork are a concern for Holland when he is being challenged one on one, but his intelligence on the field can make up for it. His frame allows bigger receivers to bully him, meaning his hands and instincts become more important. Holland also is very versatile with a background in punt returning and in receiving.
Upcoming Rookie Season
The Dolphins are getting ever so close to making noise in the AFC East, so including a multi-tooled character player like Holland is never a bad thing. He is already a second Saftey on the depth chart, and with his ability and proper development, he can easily be a number one in two to three years.
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Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
