Derwin James.

[Jpoore]

Is he a de? A lb? A CB? A SS? A fs? He's all of that and much more. If he is here we have to go here. There is no question where we should go if James falls to our pick. He's a top 5 talent. Standing at 6"3 223 pounds runs a 4.4 flat and plays like sean taylor. Oh yeah he also has the 2 highest grades ever recorded by a safety at 91 and 92.4.

[Yojimbo]

You left out that he can return punts and kicks as well. If we end up with a top 5 pick he has to be top of the list. And to answer your question about his position. Yes.

[Goalpost]

Per WalterFootball

For the NFL, James fits as a strong safety who is a tough eighth defender in the box. Some team sources feel that James is not a good fit as a deep center fielder. They think he has some coverage limitations as a free safety, but should be able to play man against tight ends. They don't think he is a fit to play nickel corner and cover slot receivers. One area scout thought James could end up adding weight and grow into being a Will linebacker, similar to Mark Barron.

[Goalpost]

Per FootballCouchScout.com..his year in review

Alabama - Flashed as an in the box defender and blitzer, didn't show much in pass coverage. NC State - good game, showing of great instincts and play recognition. Wake Forest - Solid game, but wasn't real fluid in the open field when having to change directions to make a tackle. Miami - Physical player, 5 tackles. While he did well when covering the deep half, he lost control at times coming downhill. Plays where he has to change direction are the ones that can get him caught out of position. Louisville - Decent in space, used mostly in the box. Boston College - Didn't stand out to me in any one regard. There was yet again another play where he was out of position against an open field run, poor angle taken.

[Jpoore]

From Walter football. Also needs to be taken into account that he looked to still be healing from his Injury and was hesitant coming down hill according to multiple scouts. They believe he wasn't fully healthy and confident until very late in the season.
Skill-Set Summary: Defenses in the passing0driven NFL need safeties who can contribute in a variety of ways; they can be called on to cover wide receivers one-on-one, help deep over the top, defend receiving tight ends one-on-one, challenge big wideouts, and serve as essential run defenders. James is a great fit for being a flexible defender who helps his defense solve a variety of problems.

There is no doubt that James is a freak athlete. He is a very fast defender who flies around the football field, demonstrating good instincts with tremendous closing speed. On top of being very fast, James is a big safety with height and strength. He will dish out some bone-rattling hits and is a good tackler on running backs in space. James has the height, length, and leaping ability to match up on wide receivers or tight ends downfield.

James is a real asset in pass coverage. He can play the deep center field as he possesses the speed and instincts to be a true single-high safety. His coverage skills as a free safety are very impressive, too, as he flies around the field to defend receivers running deep. James can get to the sideline like a blur, yet also havs the size to defend jump balls against big wideouts or tight ends. James is so big and fast that he also could play press-man cornerback on big wide receivers. The versatility of James' skill set makes him a real weapon in man coverage on tight ends and receiving backs as well.

James also is a willing run defender as he will come downhill into the box to make tackles. He doesn't hesitate to get physical in the secondary and dish out some hard hits. James has good size and could be a safety who moves down to serve as the eighth man in the box in a strong safety or a nickel linebacker role given his impressive strength and physicality.

One top scout who has already worked the 2018 class told WalterFootball.com that he thinks James is among the top-three prospects for the 2018 NFL Draft - when healthy. That scout thinks that James has transcendent ability for what he can do for a defense. Sources from other teams have also raved about James being the real deal and a first-round talent. Thus, if James stays consistent with his performance on the field and stays healthy, he should be a highly coveted prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft.

For the NFL, I think James has Pro Bowl potential as a versatile safety who can do a lot things and erase mismatches

[coachmcneil71]

He's a pure stud. Just get him on the field. He will make plays.

[treee]

We need a Safety that can cover sideline to sideline down the field, imo. From what I've watched Derwin is definitely an extraordinary athlete and a fearless tackler. Do you guys think he can be a ballhawk as well?

[Yojimbo]

All those scouting reports talk about his physical abilities, and those are many, but none mentions that he was also the guy that delivered plays in the huddle and lined up the DBs and linebackers and sometimes Dline.

[Okeana]

He's a tall safety who maybe can play linebacker in certain situations. At 224 he will be limited in what kind of roles he can get.

[Yojimbo]

(12-15-2017, 01:28 PM)Okeana Wrote: He's a tall safety who maybe can play linebacker in certain situations. At 224 he will be limited in what kind of roles he can get.

He wouldn’t be at linebacker to stop the run. It would be to cover a TE or HB or to blitz.

[Jpoore]

(12-15-2017, 03:13 AM)treee Wrote: We need a Safety that can cover sideline to sideline down the field, imo. From what I've watched Derwin is definitely an extraordinary athlete and a fearless tackler. Do you guys think he can be a ballhawk as well?

I do. I think he will be a 5-7 int a year guy.

[J24]

I would rather have Fitzpatrick over James. Personally I think James has more potential at this point but Fitzpatrick will be better earlier in his career vs James. Were not far from an elite Defense with adding a FS and an actual 3down lB that can play next to Vontaz so that's why I would prefer Fitz.

[Jpoore]

(12-15-2017, 07:54 PM)Jakeypoo Wrote: I would rather have Fitzpatrick over James. Personally I think James has more potential at this point but Fitzpatrick will be better earlier in his career vs James. Were not far from an elite Defense with adding a FS and an actual 3down lB that can play next to Vontaz so that's why I would prefer Fitz.

I respectfully disagree. I think minkah run stopping skills are far inferior while both defenders have about the same pass defense skills and at that point I'll take the 6"3 223 pound safety who runs a 4.4 flat over  the 6"1 203 pound minkah. Plus minkah is more cb than safety imo.

[Bilbo Saggins]

Alabama guys are always overhyped.  This team needs a centerfield safety.  They had one, but now he plays for Oakland.

[treee]

Even though I think we need a Safety from a talent standpoint alone, there is also the issue that both of our starters can't stay on the field for full game at a time.

[Hammerstripes]

James worries me a little bit. Im not sold on him being able to cover in the NFL. He's huge for a safety.

IF we went safety, I'd rather go with Fitzpatrick.

[Jpoore]

(12-20-2017, 01:26 AM)Hammerstripes Wrote: James worries me a little bit.  Im not sold on him being able to cover in the NFL.  He's huge for a safety.

IF we went safety, I'd rather go with Fitzpatrick.

What worries u about him? Specifically? He runs a 4.4 flat. Seems to have great cover skills?  I think Fitzpatrick plays CB in nfl not fs. Lack of play recognition when he plays fs.

[Yojimbo]

(12-20-2017, 01:26 AM)Hammerstripes Wrote: James worries me a little bit. Im not sold on him being able to cover in the NFL. He's huge for a safety.

IF we went safety, I'd rather go with Fitzpatrick.

Well you can forget those worries. James covers like a CB.

[*psychdoctor*]

If James is there at the Bengals first round pick it would be hard to ignore this guy. I do not think Fitzpatrick will be there by the time the Cincinnati Bengals pick. What worries me is if the rumors are true that Marvin Lewis is gone and then get a new head coach he is going to want his own quarterback. With that said if it's Gruden who comes in he's worked with Dalton before and can work with him the next couple years.

This team needs a safety in a bad way.

They can draft maybe a quarterback in round 2 along with a guard or tackle.

[SunsetBengal]

(12-24-2017, 03:24 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: If James is there at the Bengals first round pick it would be hard to ignore this guy.  I do not think Fitzpatrick will be there by the time the Cincinnati Bengals pick.  What worries me is if the rumors are true that Marvin Lewis is gone and then get a new head coach he is going to want his own quarterback.  With that said if it's Gruden who comes in he's worked with Dalton before and can work with him the next couple years.

This team needs a safety in a bad way.  

They can draft maybe a quarterback in round 2 along with a guard or tackle.

While I definitely agree with you that this team needs a Safety, in the worst kind of way, 1st round might not be the round to go after one this year for the Bengals.  I could even make a strong argument for taking the best LB on the board in the 1st, but not this particular year.  Unfortunately, by wasting last year's 1st round pick, the Bengals failed to recognize other positions that certainly were of need, but not as glaringly obvious prior to this season playing out.

That 1st round pick will have much more immediate impact on improving the team, if spent on the OL this year.  I hate to put it this way, but with failure of Ogbuehi and Fisher to produce, and the failure to develop Bodine into even an average Center, the Bengals are really boxed into a corner when it comes to this year's draft.