NFL Draft 2012: Analyzing Mid-Round Safeties That Can Make an Immediate Impact

With the pass-happy movement currently underway in the NFL, having a reliable safety who can play back deep or roll down into the box really gives the defense an edge.

Whether it's helping with run support, robbing passes for interceptions or laying the wood with every hit, that dynamic player is menacing to an offense. That said, with the NFL draft loaded with a lot of cornerback talent, it's not deep until the middle rounds at safety.

That said, here's a look at some who have immediate potential in the league.

Antonio Allen, South Carolina

Because of other defensive studs like Melvin Ingram and Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina's Antonio Allen is going a little under the radar.

He's got good size for a safety at 6'1", 200 pounds and actually began his career as a linebacker. Moving to safety for his final two seasons, Allen recorded 158 tackles, forced six fumbles and defended 10 passes for the Gamecocks.

Allen proved he could roll down and cover the slot as well as zone over the top and bring the pain while being a sure tackler. In the NFL he will need to get acclimated a little more at defensive back since slot receivers are more difficult to cover while running backs are harder to tackle.

Still, for as quickly as Allen developed in the SEC from linebacker to safety, his instincts for making plays on the ball combined with using force on every hit will earn him some playing time as a nickel or dimeback.

Eddie Whitley, Virginia Tech

Along the same lines as Antonio Allen, Virginia Tech's Eddie Whitley had a strong final two college seasons.

During 2010 and 2011, Whitley recorded 163 tackles, defended 14 passes and forced three fumbles. What's perhaps more impressive though, is that Whitley comes in at a rather small 185 pounds despite being 6'1".

Considering that Whitley is a physical player despite his size, his best bet is to become a cornerback in the pros. With his speed, agility, awareness and tackling skills, locking down a No. 2 receiver and keeping edge-run support suits him well.

Zone-coverage game plans are where Whitley would flourish the most—this way he can play press coverage and read an offense like a safety. Until he develops and gets more comfortable with playing man coverage on a consistent basis, he'll likely be limited to specific situations.

Tysyn Hartman, Kansas State

Although he's a sure tackler for his size of 6'3" and 205 pounds, Kansas State's Tysyn Hartman has rare anticipatory skills.

Coming into college as a quarterback, Hartman moved to safety as a sophomore and proceeded to intercept 10 passes while defending a total of 17 through the 2011 season. More impressive however, was that he defended 11 passes as a sophomore, his first year at safety.

So, it was clear that offenses were no longer attempting to challenge him as much. Therefore, by that contrast Hartman's tackling numbers went up and he recorded 155 between 2010 and 2011.

Now include his size and instincts, and Hartman makes for an ideal roll-down safety who can blanket a slot or No. 2 receiver in man or zone coverage. In addition, a defense can mix coverage up and allow him to roll back and over the top of a corner or to the middle as a spy.

Hartman's versatility at the position bodes well for any defensive philosophy and will provide a coordinator with the luxury of utilizing more complex coverages.

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