K.J. Dillon NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Texans Rookie

POSITIVES

A three-year starter at West Virginia, K.J. Dillon has the size and athletic ability to see time at either free or strong safety in the NFL. A playmaker with four interceptions and 20 passes defensed in his career, he has immediate value in sub-packages.

Dillon can play in the box and has the speed to get deep in coverage from a two-deep look. A productive tackler, he brings the size to shed blockers on the edge of the formation. He’ll run under blockers and knows how to get small to slip by tight ends or fullbacks in the run game.

Dillon has enough quickness to be an asset in man coverage against "Jack" tight ends and running backs. With his size, he can get physical at the line of scrimmage and will be a potential blitzer, both off the edge and through gaps, if he’s walked up in nickel packages.

NEGATIVES

Dillon hasn’t been as productive as teams want from a tackler. He topped out at 57 tackles in college during his junior year, and if you follow college football, you know that means he probably made about 35. He has to find himself around the ball more often to impress as a front-line defender.

Average speed has Dillon profiled as a “buildup” runner. He takes several yards to show burst and acceleration, and he doesn’t wow with short-area burst. His timed long speed was better than expected based on film study.

Missed tackles were the biggest downside when evaluating Dillon. Pro Football Focus tracked him with 15 misses in 2015 alone. He had another 19 in 2014 in fewer snaps. When you have 34 missed tackles to 102 made tackles in two seasons, it’s going to be a huge red flag.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 6'0 ⅜"

Weight: 210 lbs.

40 Time: 4.53s

3-Cone: 7.27s

Short Shuttle: 4.43s

PRO COMPARISON: Quintin Demps, Houston Texans
FINAL GRADE: 5.60/9.00 (Round 5—Backup Caliber)