Atlanta Falcons Draft Spotlight: FS Damarious Randall
By Kevin Knight
Nov 28, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Damarious Randall (3) against the Arizona Wildcats during the 88th annual territorial cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Earl Thomas role in Quinn’s system?
Here is a great video from
that is a good demonstration of Randall’s strengths and weaknesses:
At 5’11 and 196 pounds, Randall is considered by many scouts to be undersized for the safety position. For an in-the-box safety, that might be true. But in Dan Quinn’s defense, he’ll be playing a role similar to Seattle Seahawks FS Earl Thomas. Randall has virtually the same measurements as Thomas (5’10, 202), so there is certainly precedent that he could be successful in a similar role.
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Randall is still somewhat raw in his coverage skills, and his instincts need further development to be a ball-hawk in the middle of the field.
His aggressiveness can often get him into trouble, causing him to bite on play action fakes or go for the interception instead of making a tackle. While he’s certainly physical enough to make difficult tackles, he’s struggled at times with his technique, causing some embarrassing misses.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein summed up Randall quite well in his draft profile:
"“…While he has the speed and athletic traits to transition to cornerback, his cover skills and technique need quite a bit of work to be ready for the NFL level. Randall has a nose for the ball and a strong desire to make an aggressive tackle in space, so there could still be teams that give him a legitimate shot at safety, where he carries a higher draft grade.”"
Next: The outlook