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The Cowboys are having these two safeties visit The Star. Let's look at them!
By Kevin Turner Apr 11, 2018
As we’ve noted here at The Athletic, it behooves you as a Cowboys fan to pay attention to their official 30-man visit list. My friends at Blogging the Boys have been very helpful this year (as usual), in confirming the official visits.
Late last week they reported on some safeties that have been added to the list, and since I've watched tape and scouted these players, let's talk about them!
The safeties we will focus on today are Tarvarius Moore from Southern Mississippi and Kyzir White from West Virginia.
Weight: 199
40 Time: 4.32 (Pro Day)
Moore is a player who the national draft community is just now getting their eyes on. Moore was not a combine invite, but had an outstanding pro day.
Obviously, the 4.32 40-yard dash time really catches your eyes, but I didn’t exactly see a 4.32 player in games. To me, his play made him appear like a 4.45 or 4.5 type of guy, which is perfectly fine. It’s just an example of how a 40 time can be a misleading indicator of how fast a player plays.
Moore began his college career at Pearl River Community College. After two years there, he transitioned into a backup role player at Southern Mississippi, before taking over the starting free safety job in 2017, so he doesn’t have a ton of Division I experience.
The games I studied of Moore were against Kentucky, Florida State, Louisiana Monroe, North Texas, and Rice.
In watching Moore, I saw a player whose short area quickness easily stood out. You can really tell by his swift reactions that he’s an instinctive player. He looks comfortable playing center field, and clearly had the range to get to the sideline from the middle of the field. He’s going to be sketchy when tackling, sometimes it was there and sometimes it wasn’t. He posted 87 tackles and three interceptions in his only full season as a starter at Southern Mississippi.
Let’s get to the clip show, starting in his game against Florida State. Here you’ll notice him backpedal towards the middle of the field before coming down to the near side. Check out the recovery ability as he’s able to head back towards the middle of the field and knock the ball down.
This is just one example of Moore’s reactionary skills helping him out. You have to see the ball, but you also need the quickness to get into position to make the play. In this instance, he shows both.
However, it’s not all unicorns and rainbows with Moore. In that same game against Florida State, he blew a basic coverage in Cover 2. The clip I’m about to show you is inexcusable and will take a long time to purge from my memory bank.
Finally, let’s show you a little bit of Moore in run support. While not the most polished tackler, watch him easily avoid the block and do enough to finish the play.
His most easily-accessible game to most fans was against Florida State, and I can tell you unequivocally that it was his worst game of the five games that I saw.
It’s pretty clear that Moore is a work in progress, and I’ll be fascinated to see how early he’s selected in the draft. If the Cowboys are able to take him in the fourth round, I think we should all high-five and do the Zack Martin hip thrust dance.
Weight: 218
40 Time: 4.62 (pro day)
Unlike Tarvarius Moore, Kyzir White’s best position in the NFL is going to be at strong safety. White is the brother of Chicago Bears WR Kevin White, who was drafted seventh overall back in 2015. After two years in junior college, White started 25 games in two years at West Virginia, collecting 152 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles.
I studied Kyzir White's games against Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.
At 218 pounds, White isn’t far off from modern-day linebacker, and many teams will see him as a safety/linebacker hybrid. The play on the field absolutely matches the measurables. White is a very good tackler, and quite effective when the play is in front of him. We get into problems with White when the play is behind him.
Kyzir White is a thumper. In this clip, White is in the slot on the near side, watch how quickly he closes in on the pass receiver.
If your team drafts White, I think it’s important that they do a good job of keeping him out of one-on-one situations. At times I saw him get really grabby down the field in coverage, a clear indication he knows he can’t keep up with most wide receivers.
In this clip, he’s in man coverage, and a simple inward breaking route ends up with White being a step or two behind.
Evaluating White was pretty simple; it's easy to tell what he is. He excels as a down in the box type of player and struggles with sticking to his man in coverage. Considering the Cowboys already have Kavon Frazier, I’d be surprised to see them draft Kyzir White. But since they had him visit, you can't rule anything out.
By Kevin Turner Apr 11, 2018
As we’ve noted here at The Athletic, it behooves you as a Cowboys fan to pay attention to their official 30-man visit list. My friends at Blogging the Boys have been very helpful this year (as usual), in confirming the official visits.
Late last week they reported on some safeties that have been added to the list, and since I've watched tape and scouted these players, let's talk about them!
The safeties we will focus on today are Tarvarius Moore from Southern Mississippi and Kyzir White from West Virginia.
Tarvarius Moore, S – Southern Mississippi
Height: 6’1”Weight: 199
40 Time: 4.32 (Pro Day)
Moore is a player who the national draft community is just now getting their eyes on. Moore was not a combine invite, but had an outstanding pro day.
Obviously, the 4.32 40-yard dash time really catches your eyes, but I didn’t exactly see a 4.32 player in games. To me, his play made him appear like a 4.45 or 4.5 type of guy, which is perfectly fine. It’s just an example of how a 40 time can be a misleading indicator of how fast a player plays.
Moore began his college career at Pearl River Community College. After two years there, he transitioned into a backup role player at Southern Mississippi, before taking over the starting free safety job in 2017, so he doesn’t have a ton of Division I experience.
The games I studied of Moore were against Kentucky, Florida State, Louisiana Monroe, North Texas, and Rice.
In watching Moore, I saw a player whose short area quickness easily stood out. You can really tell by his swift reactions that he’s an instinctive player. He looks comfortable playing center field, and clearly had the range to get to the sideline from the middle of the field. He’s going to be sketchy when tackling, sometimes it was there and sometimes it wasn’t. He posted 87 tackles and three interceptions in his only full season as a starter at Southern Mississippi.
Let’s get to the clip show, starting in his game against Florida State. Here you’ll notice him backpedal towards the middle of the field before coming down to the near side. Check out the recovery ability as he’s able to head back towards the middle of the field and knock the ball down.
This is just one example of Moore’s reactionary skills helping him out. You have to see the ball, but you also need the quickness to get into position to make the play. In this instance, he shows both.
However, it’s not all unicorns and rainbows with Moore. In that same game against Florida State, he blew a basic coverage in Cover 2. The clip I’m about to show you is inexcusable and will take a long time to purge from my memory bank.
Finally, let’s show you a little bit of Moore in run support. While not the most polished tackler, watch him easily avoid the block and do enough to finish the play.
STRENGTHS
- RANGE: Moore has the ability to cover plenty of ground, moving easily from center field to the sideline.
- REACTION: His on-the-fly reactionary skills keep him in position to make plays at all times.
- FLEXIBILITY: While his tackling isn’t flawless, he does enough near the line of scrimmage to prove that he can be an interchangeable free or strong safety in a pinch.
- CEILING: Moore is still a developing player and hasn’t hit his full potential yet. Professional coaching and more experience could really turn him into something special.
WEAKNESSES
- DISCIPLINE: Sometimes his eyes will get caught in the backfield, causing him to be a step late in coverage. He will get caught guessing from time to time.
- TACKLING: While not worthless as a tackler, there is a lot left to be desired in that regard.
- EXPERIENCE: He only has one full season of starting experience in big-time D1 college football.
OVERALL
I have a fourth-round grade on Tarvarius Moore. I do feel like he will get drafted before then, but I’m not sure that I trust Moore enough to be a premium round pick. It all depends on who is on the board, but I could see a scenario where Moore is in consideration for the Cowboys in the third round at pick #81. His most easily-accessible game to most fans was against Florida State, and I can tell you unequivocally that it was his worst game of the five games that I saw.
It’s pretty clear that Moore is a work in progress, and I’ll be fascinated to see how early he’s selected in the draft. If the Cowboys are able to take him in the fourth round, I think we should all high-five and do the Zack Martin hip thrust dance.
Kyzir White S West Virginia
Height: 6’2”Weight: 218
40 Time: 4.62 (pro day)
Unlike Tarvarius Moore, Kyzir White’s best position in the NFL is going to be at strong safety. White is the brother of Chicago Bears WR Kevin White, who was drafted seventh overall back in 2015. After two years in junior college, White started 25 games in two years at West Virginia, collecting 152 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles.
I studied Kyzir White's games against Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.
At 218 pounds, White isn’t far off from modern-day linebacker, and many teams will see him as a safety/linebacker hybrid. The play on the field absolutely matches the measurables. White is a very good tackler, and quite effective when the play is in front of him. We get into problems with White when the play is behind him.
Kyzir White is a thumper. In this clip, White is in the slot on the near side, watch how quickly he closes in on the pass receiver.
If your team drafts White, I think it’s important that they do a good job of keeping him out of one-on-one situations. At times I saw him get really grabby down the field in coverage, a clear indication he knows he can’t keep up with most wide receivers.
In this clip, he’s in man coverage, and a simple inward breaking route ends up with White being a step or two behind.
Evaluating White was pretty simple; it's easy to tell what he is. He excels as a down in the box type of player and struggles with sticking to his man in coverage. Considering the Cowboys already have Kavon Frazier, I’d be surprised to see them draft Kyzir White. But since they had him visit, you can't rule anything out.
STRENGTHS
- TACKLING: Not only can White lay the lumber with big hits, he also is a good tackler in space.
- EFFORT: White never stops trying and is always in the mix, whether on plays coming at him or if he’s in pursuit.
- SIZE: Has above-average height, weight, and wingspan for the position.
- FLEXIBILITY: White will immediately help out on special teams while also providing your defense with options at safety and possibly even linebacker.
WEAKNESSES
- COVERAGE: White has problems when isolated covering in space, as well as covering down the field. He’s much better when he can see the play in front of him.
- QUICKNESS: White is not the most fluid athlete, which plays a part in his coverage deficiencies.
OVERALL
I have a fifth-round grade on Kyzir White. I love the force and aggression he plays with. He’s the type of guy who might immediately change the complexion of a defense just because of his physicality. As an example, think about how the Cowboys defense changed at the end of the year last year when they put Kavon Frazier on the field. However, White's lack of coverage ability really bothers me, as his team will have to go out of its way to keep him out of situations in which he needs to cover.
