Daimion Stafford: 5 Things You Need To Know About the Nebraska FS

Daimion Stafford is looking to follow in the footsteps of Ndamukong Suh, Prince Amukamara and Lavonte David in taking his talents from Nebraska to the NFL.

Stafford is a very good safety prospect that has flown under the radar through the whole draft process. This is a deep safety class, which is why some quality players have been lost in all the shuffling.

After playing two seasons at the JUCO level, Stafford really made a name for himself at Nebraska and became one of the defensive leaders in his senior season. He doesn't compare to some of the top safety prospects this year, but he does have some talent and upside that could lead to him being a very good starting safety in the future.

Now, let's get to know Stafford a little more.

Background

Full Name: Daimion Stafford

Birthday: 2/18/1991 

Hometown: Norco, Calf.

High School: Norco High School

Major: Sociology

Year: Senior

Daimion Stafford will be following Lavonte David's footsteps from junior college to Lincoln, Neb. to the NFL. He was unable to attend a major university due to academics and had to spend two years at Chaffey College.

In 2012, Stafford was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media and second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches.

Statistics

Stafford spent his first two college football seasons at the JUCO level and became one of the most sought-after players after his sophomore season.

When he set foot in Lincoln, Stafford continued his high level of play and showed he could play at the Division I level. 

At Nebraska, Stafford increased his tackle and interception totals from his junior season to his senior season. He showed constant improvement and increased his level of play during his final season. If he can keep improving, the sky is the limit for him. 

Season	Tackles	Interceptions	Pass Breakups
*2009	85	4	?
*2010	62	5	6
2011	80	0	10
2012	96	4	7

*Chaffney College.

Draft Process

Measurables

Height: 6'1" 

Weight: 205

Arm Length: 31 1/8" 

Hand Size: 9 1/4"

Combine Results

40-yard dash: 4.69 

Broad jump: 9'3" 

Vertical jump: 30 1/2"

Bench Press: 21 

3-Cone Drill: 7.06

Pro Day Results

Broad jump: 9'9" 

Vertical jump: 33 1/2"

40-yard Dash: 4.56

20-yard Shuttle: 4.26

Stafford really didn't do much to improve his draft stock during offseason workouts, but he didn't do anything to hurt his stock, either. 

He was one of the top performers at the bench press and the three-cone drill in Indianapolis but was in the middle of the road at all the other drills.

During his pro day, Stafford was able to improve in all the drills he participated in. His biggest improvement was in the vertical jump, where he improved by three inches. 

Interesting Facts

Stafford got into a heated argument with Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini against Penn State. During the exchange, Stafford pointed his right finger at Pelini and began yelling some explicit words. 

Pelini played down the exchange, saying Stafford just wanted to win.

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"The only thing you can criticize Daimion Stafford for was wanting to win so bad," Pelini said. "He was upset. He should be upset. We gave up a touchdown."

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Later in the game, Stafford had a key interception that would seal the win for the Cornhuskers. 

Observations

Bleacher Report's Marques Eversoll gives us a detailed scouting report on Stafford. He highlights how Stafford projects in different types of coverage and against the run.

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Against the Run

Stafford, being as big and physical as he is, excels as a run defender. He can be used effectively as an extra run defender.

Not only is he typically a sure tackler, but he's capable of delivering the big blow and forcing fumbles. Stafford forced three fumbles in the past two seasons.

Man Coverage

He won't be asked to cover receivers man-to-man, but he is capable of covering tight ends and running backs on short pass routes. In the NFL, he'll rarely be trusted in man coverage.

Zone Coverage

Stafford has marginal range on the back end, so he wasn't trusted to play in single-high coverage. But in traditional cover-two sets, he was relatively assignment sure.

When shadowing short-to-intermediate routes, Stafford was at his best.

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NFL.com highlights his strengths and weaknesses and gives us an NFL player Stafford compares to.

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STRENGTHS

 Solid build. Downhill player with the closing speed, thick build, and tenacity to throw himself into piles as a run defender. Levels receivers trying to make catches over the middle and makes them pay for grabbing sideline patterns. Movement skills are good enough to make plays in zone and handle man coverage responsibilities for short periods. Used in a lot of two-deep looks. Effective when playing in the box.

WEAKNESSES

 Aggressive run defender who will overrun plays to give up cutback lanes. Thick build hinders his flexibility and agility to stay with receivers downfield. Can be a step late getting to the sideline from the hash or covering deep outs. Inconsistent finding the ball in the air, will overrun or come up short on deep balls.

NFL COMPARISON: Yeremiah Bell

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