Jay Ward NFL Draft Overview
Position: Safety
Height: 6′-1″
Weight: 188 pounds
School: LSU
2023 NFL Draft: Jay Ward Scouting Report
After spending the past four seasons with the LSU Tigers, Jay Ward has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. The safety made this decision at the right time, as Ward is coming off the best season of his young career. Appearing in 13 games, the former cornerback finished the season with 60 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and one interception.
Jay Ward originally joined LSU back in 2019 as a cornerback. The Georgia native hardly saw the field, appearing in just five games while making four tackles. He earned a larger role in 2020 but was still mostly a depth player. Appearing in eight games, Ward recorded 29 tackles and three interceptions.
Ward made the switch to safety in 2021, and that change paid off instantly. He had what was easily the best season of his career to that point, recording 69 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, and two interceptions while breaking up four passes.
Strengths
- Highly versatile player – can fill in at both safety positions, slot cornerback, and out wide;
- Never takes a play off and hits running backs with everything he has in run support;
- Wraps up well to limit yards after the catch;
- Takes the right angles to get to the ball carrier;
- Solid instincts to make plays in zone;
- Reportedly a great team leader;
- 81st percentile arm length lets him break up passes.
Weaknesses
- Light for the position – desperately needs to add some muscle;
- Physical style of play doesn’t mesh well with his build – can he absorb all of those self-inflicted blows?;
- Might not have the strength to handle NFL tight ends in man coverage;
- Rangy, but maybe not rangy enough to play deep safety in Cover-1;
- Aggressive style of play can lead to penalties.
NFL Comparison: Julian Blackmon
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: Round 4
Bottom Line on Jay Ward
Jay Ward is a versatile defensive back that might not be good enough to start at any one position but should be good enough to see the field in a variety of roles. As a former cornerback, the current safety has experience with all sorts of coverage responsibilities and can do just about anything needed at a passable level. While this might not sound like great praise, one of the most important a backup can do is be ready to fill in anywhere, and Ward can certainly do that.
Additionally, he’s one of the most fun safeties to watch simply due to his physical style of play. The LSU product charges in with reckless abandon, giving everything he has to dish out as much punishment as possible to whichever poor soul stands in his path. Most of the time, aggressive players like this tend to overpursue, but that isn’t an issue for Ward. He takes accurate angles and never lets his desire to make a play take him out of position.
Unfortunately, in many ways, Ward is his own worst enemy. He is built like a cornerback, and his lack of weight means that his physical style of play tends to lead to injuries. It’s simple math – if Ward is 188 pounds and a running back is in the 200’s, Ward is going to take the brunt of any collision. This smaller build also shows up in coverage, as he might not be able to match up with tight ends in contested situations without adding quite a bit of muscle.
While Ward’s versatility makes him a fit for most schemes, there are some roles he shouldn’t play. He has decent range, but he’s not fast enough to handle single-high duties in Cover-1. While some players are able to overcome slower speeds, Ward doesn’t quite have the instincts to get away with that.
Ultimately, Jay Ward enters the NFL Draft as a reliable safety that should be able to an incredibly valuable backup at multiple positions at the next level. While he’ll never be the ideal starter, he’ll be able to play multiple positions in the event of injury at an adequate level.
