One of the more unheralded leaders of Ohio State’s fantastic collegiate defense, safety Tyvis Powell decided to take his talents to the NFL a year early by declaring for the draft as a redshirt junior.

S Tyvis Powell

College: Ohio State
Year: RS Junior
Birth Year: 1994
Height: 6-3
Weight: 211
Arm Length: 32 3/4
Hand Size: 9 1/2

Combine Results

40 Time: 4.46
Bench: 15
Vertical: 34.5 inches
Broad: 10
3-Cone: 7.03
Short Shuttle: 4.25
60-yard Shuttle: 11.63

Analysis

A 33-game starter during his four seasons (one redshirt) at Ohio State, Tyvis Powell never missed a single contest during his final three campaigns in Columbus, anchoring the Ohio State secondary on the back end. 44 consecutive games later, the redshirt junior decided to take his completed degree and forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

If you box score scout or value combine measurables, Powell is probably very attractive to you. 147 tackles and seven interceptions over the past two years highlight Powell’s resume, as the 6-3, 211-pound safety offers the size and 4.46 speed to suggest a playmaker at the next level.

Unfortunately much of Powell’s tape tells a different story. With long arms and a well-muscled frame, you’d expect Powell to be more physical as a tackler, but instead the Buckeyes’ safety resorts to dragging ball carriers down instead of blowing them up.

He breaks down in space well and wraps up efficiently, but too often Powell is knocked backwards or carried several yards by tacklers. With his size and strength you’d love to see the safety deliver a knockout blow every now and again, but that simply isn’t Powell’s game.

The three-year starter is an excellent run supporting safety, showing the ability to key-and-diagnose before taking sound angles to the football.

Not the most explosive mover downhill, but Powell is very safe in his approach, carrying out his responsibilities to a ‘T’. I personally prefer a safety with a little more aggressiveness, but Powell’s meticulous, assignment-sound methods will be valued by certain coaches more than others. Still, Powell’s tendency to tip-toe to the line of scrimmage can get him into trouble too, as it allows blockers time to work to the second and third levels and get a hat on him.

Powell identifies this play immediately, but tepidly works his way to the ball, allowing the receiver to come down and seal him off from the rush lane. Because Powell’s play speed is often methodical instead of instinctive, there will be plays he leaves on the field as a result. It’s simply not how he operates.

That said, Powell is able to make up for some of his lack of explosiveness with his underrated athletic ability, as the safety shows top-notch tackling range sideline-to-sideline.

I don’t have any issues with Powell in space either, as the defender is able to easily change directions and adjust his angles on the fly without losing speed. The redshirt junior has legit run-and-hit capabilities, with the added advantage of being able to rip down runners outside his frame thanks to long arms and tenacious grip strength.

In coverage, Powell’s highs and lows come from the same propensity, his ability to read the quarterback’s eyes. He’s crafty and mobile on the back end, showing the range to cover ground and make plays on the ball.

Great read here to identify the rollout and work across the field to drift underneath #3 for the pick. Powell has legit ball skills in the air and great hands, he just lacks the instincts and click-and-close ability to make a lot of plays in coverage.

I mentioned Powell’s ability to read and react to the quarterback’s movements and eye level in the pocket, but he fails to apply that same mental process to route combinations. Powell will get caught drifting off his landmark at times, losing deep ball responsibility while looking underneath.

This pass is obviously underthrown, but it’s apparent from his positioning that Powell didn’t flip his hips in a timely manner despite no other conceivable pattern that could have drawn his attention. For a disciplined safety this struck me as a bit unusual, but Powell just doesn’t always play with desired mental urgency in deep zone coverage. That’s what worries me about leaving him with single-high responsibilities, as Powell’s play speed doesn’t often match his 40 time. In a role that requires quick route diagnosis and reactions, Powell doesn’t quite fit the bill.

The big safety possesses the size and athleticism to operate effectively in man coverage, but he wasn’t asked to match up one-on-one often at Ohio State. Many would look at his frame and wonder if a box role would best suit Powell in the NFL, but I’m not sure I see the physicality or take-on strength to deal with blockers snap-to-snap. Powell has the advantage of not being limited physically, but he doesn’t have the aggressive, quick-twitch ability to be a special prospect at the next level. I think Powell will be a strong locker room presence, hard worker, and solid starter at the next level, but I don’t see an elite prospect with the football instincts to ever maximize his ideal athletic traits.

Grade: 4th Round