1st pick

Kenny Vaccaro

Physical safety Kenny Vaccaro making his case to be a high draft pick

BY ADAM H. BEASLEY
[email protected]

Tavon Austin doesn’t need much time or space to get up to speed. So when he has both, he is nearly impossible to catch.
Safety Kenny Vaccaro had that unenviable assignment on a play late in October’s West Virginia-Texas showdown. Austin — the Mountaineers’ diminutive but electric wide receiver — took a pitch on an end-around and appeared to have the angle to the sidelines.
He didn’t. Vaccaro tracked Austin across the field, cut him off at the pass and tripped him up after just a short gain.
Now, one play doesn’t make a career. (Austin did have more than 100 yards receiving that night, although not all against Vaccaro.)
Still, that flash of athleticism helps give the counterpoint to doubts about Vaccaro’s speed — arguably the only thing stopping him from being a top-10 pick in next week’s NFL Draft. And should the Dolphins take Vaccaro over Austin at No. 12, it might be one of the reasons why.
Former NFL scout and current NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah called Vaccaro’s showdown with Austin the defensive back’s “highlight moment.”
“You got to see him move around,” Jeremiah said. “He’s a physical kid. He’ll light you up.”
The Dolphins have noticed. They made Vaccaro one of their final predraft guests, which could mean they have real interest in taking him in the first round. (It could also be a smokescreen.)
Should they pick Vaccaro, the Dolphins would get a player most everyone sees as the year’s best safety — Vaccaro included.
“I think I bring the most to the table,” Vaccaro said at the NFL Combine in February.
The two-time All-Big 12 selection appeared in 51 games at Texas, starting 32 at safety — including every game his final two years.
Vaccaro, a native of Brownwood, Texas, and nephew of former Redskins corner A.J. Johnson, toyed with the idea of jumping to the NFL last year. But he returned to win a national championship.
It didn’t work out. Texas lost four times (including to Austin’s Mountaineers) in 2012, yet Vaccaro was stellar. He had a career-high 92 tackles — 4.5 of which were for loss — and two interceptions en route to Pro Football Weekly All-American honors.
“I think he’s one of the 10 or 12 best players in the draft,” Jeremiah said.
In college, Vaccaro played both safety positions, nickel cornerback and the dime position. In one-on-one reps at practice, he went against wide receivers.
“He’s a good, physical safety,” said Baylor receiver Terrance Williams. “You have to be paying attention when he’s guarding you. He’s someone that will jam you at the line of scrimmage. He has a good job of being physical but not too physical.”
ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper isn’t quite so bullish.
Vaccaro ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, which hurt his stock. Making matters worse, he didn’t run at Texas’ pro day because of a hip injury.
“Maybe three months ago or two months ago I would have said Vaccaro at 12; now I’m thinking more Vaccaro at 22 to St. Louis,” Kiper said recently. “Good football player, but I don’t know if you have to have the justification of the numbers to get up into the top 15, and I don’t think he did at this stage.”
To that, Vaccaro would say: Turn on the West Virginia tape.
“Me and Tavon were going at it all game,” Vaccaro said. “He’s a great player. I think I did pretty good. I would say he’s one of the most explosive players in the country and I’d say I was right there with him.”

 

Looks like the bucs get revis so the jets will most likey get Austin with one of those picks.

 

Possibly, but they need help on D bad.

Maybe it means they can make a play for Geno.

2 picks certaintly makes them dangerous. But better them than the Bucs I guess.

 

Prior to the Revis trade the rest of the teams in the NFCS werent offering much a CB either. Falcons had Samuel at 32, that's it really.

Damn that Revis trade. Really dont like that at all.

Getting some extra WR's doesnt look so bad now.

 

Collin may be right on Austin. The more people talk that know the game it is becoming obvious that he is a major risk. Too small to handle 16 games without injury. About half the open field to work with in the NFL and if you start lighting up defenses they will definately find you and punish you.

Patterson is too raw to pick until round 2. He won't be there. Robert Woods is getting a lot of love from what I hear.

That said, our pick will be DJ Fluker if he is there. I'm betting on that. Probably safety in round 2 but maybe K. Short or another DT. Probably safety though. Our secondary is void of a real starter talentwise.

I'm on record that Vacarro scares me I think he could bust. Plus, safety is deep in this draft. Those 1st round corners also look risky at 14. Still its Fluker I think if he somehow makes it to us.

 

Fluker is a huge risk. Too slow to handle NFL DE's.

 

I agree on going with Fluker. Instant upgrade at RT and we'll have the replacement for Gross already on the roster going into next offseason.

 

Dude, Fluker won't play LT.

I'd love to find a left, and let Gross slide over to the right side.

 

Either way Fluker is a big upgrade over Bell.

 

There is some talk that he "might" be able to handle it. I doubt he's a starting LT too but we ain't getting one at #14 anyway.