FAB 4. Adderley Is A Playmaking DB To Know

The Senior Bowl is the place where some small school NFL Draft prospects can shine and increase their stock. We’ve seen that with several Bucs’ draft picks, from Hobart College offensive lineman Ali Marpet in 2015, Eastern Kentucky defensive end Noah Spence in 2016 and Humboldt State offensive lineman Alex Cappa this past year.

This year’s Senior Bowl features several small prospects that could interest Tampa Bay, including Charleston defensive end John Cominsky, Washburn cornerback Corey Ballentine, Alabama State tackle Tytus Howard, Western Illinois defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, Northern Colorado wide receiver Alex Wesley and Delaware defensive back Nasir Adderley. I’ve got some studying to do on all of these players with the exception of Adderley, who is an absolute stud and could help the Bucs secondary.

Delaware DB Nasir Adderley – Photo courtesy of Univ. of Delaware

The Big Takeaway
Tampa Bay has rolled through a lot of defensive backs in its injury-ravaged secondary this year. Cornerback Brent Grimes won’t be back, and safety Chris Conte likely won’t return either. The Bucs have a couple of interesting options at safety in Justin Evans, rookie Jordan Whitehead, Andrew Adams and Isaiah Johnson, but outside of Adams’ three-interception game against Carolina, the secondary lacks playmakers.

That’s where Adderley comes in. With experience at cornerback early in his career and then at safety over the past two years, the 6-foot, 200-pound Blue Hens star made plenty of plays on the ball at Delaware. Adderley had 226 tackles, 31 pass breakups and 10 interceptions in his four-year career as a starter.

The Stats
2015 – 51 8 PBUs
2016 – 49 6 PBUs 2 INTs, 1 FF
2017 – 78 8 PBUs 5 INTs, 2 FF, 1 FR
2018 – 48 9 PBUs 3 INTs

The Tweet You’ve Got To See

😮😮😳😳😳 OH MY! #SCTop10 interception by @NasirAdderley! Thinking that may have been @OBJ_3 in disguise? @espnassigndesk @foxcollegesports pic.twitter.com/pWcgIZCiuw

— Delaware Football (@DelawareFB) October 28, 2017

The Play That Put Him On The Map
Adderley returned 28 kicks for 662 yards (23.6 avg.) as a sophomore, but only seven for 201 yards over the past two years. But his 92-yard kickoff return when Delaware had its “hands team” on the field anticipating an onside kick was a real beauty. Adderley blasted a would-be tackler and stopped to admire his work, then realizing he didn’t step out of bounds, he accelerated down the sidelines for a stunning score.

The Highlight Video
Adderley is a ballhawk with good speed, range and size. He’s also a physical tackler in run support. Check out his highlights.

The FABulous Ending
If Adderley performs well at the Senior Bowl he could improve his stock to that of a Day 2 prospect. Don’t be surprised if he winds up as a second-rounder. Would the Bucs spend a second-round pick on safety? They did with Evans two years ago and were considering using a first-round pick on Florida State’s Derwin James this year, so why not?

In a pass-happy division like the NFC South, playmakers that can take the ball are always in demand. The Bucs only have eight interceptions this season but had just one through the first 10 games. Adderley might also be able to play cornerback, too, depending on how fast he times in the 40-yard dash. Scouts believe he’s run close to a 4.5, and the Bucs could certainly use another playmaking DB.