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Safety is a funny position for the New York Giants. At first glance, it is the most talent-laden, best-performing unit on the entire squad. The depth seems to be absurd. However, take a deeper look. Antrel Rolle has been a versatile, high performance, leadership machine. He is, however, one of the highest-paid safeties in the league. Will Hill is a monstrous hitter and one of the best young safeties in the league. He is also, however, supremely unreliable off the field. Cooper Taylor is one big dude. He's also quite unknown. Stevie Brown is a ball-seeking pro. He's also coming off an ACL. You get the idea. Question marks everywhere.
Enter Ha'sean 'Ha Ha' Clinton-Dix. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Crimson Tide safety could very well be a target to switch from Crimson to Big Blue. Let's look closer at Dix with today's 2014 NFL Draft prospect profile.
Pros
- Rare combination of size and speed.
- Instinctual. You can tell by his closing speed and when he starts moving towards the ball that he's exceptionally quick and reading the play.
- Very good range. He was often the deep man in coverage and was able to cover tons of yardage.
- Devastating hitter.
- Smart. Takes good angles and often keeps plays in front of him.
Cons
- Although rare, he will sometimes blow a coverage assignment.
- Cannot play cornerback. Does not have the speed and change of direction ability to stay in man coverage.
- Sometimes goes for the big hit instead of wrapping up. I can see him getting personal fouls in the NFL.
- Ball skills are inconsistent.
Does He Fit With The Giants?
Darn right he does. I have him ranked higher than Mark Barron or any other safety in recent years aside from Eric Reid and Eric Berry. He is not versatile, but he has all the makings of another Kenny Phillips or Will Hill minus the injury or drug history.
Prospect Video
Ha Ha Clinton Dix vs Arkansas (2013) (via Adrian Ahufinger)
Big Board Rankings
Big Blue View - 19
Mocking the Draft - 14
CBS Sports - 39
Draft Breakdown - 24
Draft Tek - 13
Final Thoughts
It's not likely that the Giants go this route, but I have a sneaking suspicion the Dallas Cowboys nab Clinton-Dix as their first-rounder. He's not the consensus top safety (Calvin Pryor is making a surge at this point), but Clinton-Dix is almost guaranteed to be in the first round.
My pro comparison to him would likely be someone like Dashon Goldson, who is quite good in coverage but is a bit of a gambler and a big hitter.
