Miles Killebrew NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Lions Rookie

POSITIVES

If Ivan Drago from Rocky IV had a son, and that son played football, it would be Miles Killebrew.

The Southern Utah senior dominated the NFL Scouting Combine, finishing as a top performer in the bench press (22 reps), vertical jump (38”), broad jump (10’7”) and most likely to scare media members. Killebrew then turned around and ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at his pro day.

A thumper in the run game, Killebrew will destroy receivers coming over the middle and can get into the backfield to make plays in the run game. His closing speed is as good as you’d expect from his explosive numbers at the combine, and he moves with an intent to do harm to ball-carriers.

Killebrew is a classic strong safety and will be best suited to an in-the-box position, but he’s versatile enough to play nickel linebacker in the middle of the field. A team leader and high-IQ player, he is confident and controlled as a tackler in space and in traffic.

NEGATIVES

A jacked-up player with impressive strength, Killebrew is limited by his instincts and reaction time. He doesn’t lack for intelligence but is thinking too much when seeing the pass and not letting his instincts take over.

Coming out of Southern Utah, Killebrew played with some top-tier prospects but didn’t face many on the other side of the ball. Despite a solid Senior Bowl week, there are questions about his skill set translating to the NFL.

Many see Killebrew’s frame and muscles and expect a clunky, stiff player, but that isn’t an issue on his tape. Instead, he’s slowed down by late awareness when reacting to the ball in the air. This doesn’t show up often against the run, but when dropping into a zone to play the pass, he doesn’t have hair-trigger reaction time. That will only be highlighted more in the NFL, which makes it an issue flagged for early attention from coaches.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 217 lbs.

40 Time: 4.51s

3-Cone: 6.93s

Short Shuttle: 4.18s

PRO COMPARISON: Deone Bucannon, Arizona Cardinals
FINAL GRADE: 6.40/9.00 (Rounds 2-3—Future Starter)