JL Skinner

Pos: SAF

School: Boise State

Ht. 6’4″ 

Wt. 209

Games Watched: Oregon State, Fresno State, Fresno State(2021)

One Liner: Hard hitting safety who wins with run support, football IQ, physicality

Strengths: 

  • Very good physicality/toughess. Skinner is a aggressive, hard hitting safety who dominates ball carriers with his high competitive toughness and aggressiveness when coming down and attacking the box. 
  • Very good route anticipation. Skinner plays with really good football IQ and has a good feel for routes developing when he lines up in the box or as a deep nickel. Skinner is patient as a processor, but has the athleticism to fly over to his read and make a play. He has good instincts that make up for below average fluidity. 
  • Very good tackler. Skinner is a good wrap up tackler and tackles with good technique and discipline. 
  • Good size. Skinner’s size can be a positive and a negative, but it can definitely help him take on bigger tight ends and contest 50/50 situations. He has the size to be able to tackle anyone on the offense, and for his role, he should feel an added boost by playing at 6’4 and 200+ pounds. 

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate fluidity. Skinner is not a fluid coverage player. He is much more of an attacking, downfield linear athlete than a guy who can flip his hips and change direction on a dime. I would say that his size has a lot to do with this, but he struggles in situations where he needs to rotate and transition into coverage. 
  • Adequate man coverage technique. Skinner should not be used in man coverage, due to raw footwork and the lack of fluidity, as mentioned above. I don’t think this is his game at all, and he is definitely more suited to operate in a deep nickel look or come down to the box as a weakside linebacker. 

Overall Assessment: JL Skinner plays a typical, hard hitting safety brand of football that will be coveted in the NFL as a versatile piece. Skinner’s game makes him a valid weakside linebacker threat on late downs, and his football IQ and ability to key and instinctually get to where he needs to be opens up a myriad of looks where Skinner can be placed. Nonetheless, Skinner will be a dominant run supporter, and while he could look to add some more bulk to his frame, he looks like he can be a steady run defender out of the box at the very least. I think he is a viable nickel piece in zone looks, but this could be on special sub packages. 

Scheme Fit: Box safety that could take some snaps over the top with improved man technique.

Pick Projection: Day 2

Grade: 6.26