Tyrese Dedmon Scouting Report: 2021 NFL Draft Player Profile

University of Idaho, Safety, #27

Measurements

6’1” 196 lbs.

40 time: 4.5 (estimate)

 

Tyrese Dedmon Player Profile

Tyrese Dedmon was a two star recruit out of California from Antelope Valley High School. He was a three time All-Golden League selection as a defensive back. His sophomore year he put up four interceptions and 69 tackles. As a junior he put up 61 tackles, one for loss and a sack. During his senior year he racked up 66 tackles, nine tackles for loss and one sack. He also played running back and put up 669 yards rushing. Dedmon was also a sprinter in high school. He was on the 4×100 relay team who took fourth place at the CIF state meet.  Dedmon went on an unofficial visit to the University of Oregon, but signed with the University of Idaho Vandals. 

College

At the University of Idaho, Dedmon played all four years. He did play in 10 games his freshman year, but wasn’t a huge contributor on defense only recording four tackles. He played more defense his sophomore year, putting up 12 tackles and two passes defended.

His junior year is when he burst onto the scene. Dedmon racked up 60 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and eight passes defended. During his senior season Dedmon made 59 tackles, two for loss and four sacks. He also had one interception which came against PAC-12 school Oregon State. There is also an odd six game spring season due to Covid. Dedmon made 32 tackles and had one interception during this time.

Tyrese Dedmon Strengths

Strong Wrap Up Tackler

Watch this guy tackle, seriously. Ken comments on safeties and their tackling talent often, do yourself a favor and watch Tyrese Dedmon tackle. I literally tried to find one clip of him where he doesn’t wrap up and show beautiful form, and I failed. This guy doesn’t miss tackles whether it’s in the open field against receivers or coming down to tackle a running back. If he goes high he’s wrapping up the body, if he goes low he wraps up the legs. Obviously this is an important trait for the next level, no one likes seeing a receiver or back break away and turn what should have been a stop into a big gain. It’s also very important because Dedmon can contribute on special teams coverage and be the next Chris Walsh. 

Good Break On The Ball

It must be that sprinter background, but Dedmon breaks on the ball quickly. I would guess it’s part anticipation and part speed, but I love watching him when the ball is in the air. He gets to the receiver extremely quickly. The 40 time of defensive backs catches a lot of people’s eyes, but you’ve got to be able to change directions. The explosiveness with which Dedmon reacts to whoever has the ball is impressive and he sure closes that gap quickly. His explosiveness combined with his excellent tackling leads to some nice hits on receivers as well. NFL receivers are fast and quick, it’s nice to have a sprinter back there to close that distance.

Reads The Quarterback’s Eyes/Diagnoses Plays

I mentioned that Dedmon breaks on the ball quickly. It’s not just his sprinter skills that help him, but his knowledge of where the ball is going. I saw Dedmon break on the ball numerous times before it was thrown. His ability to read the quarterback’s eyes and intelligence to recognize the play is impressive. Safeties need to be smart in the defensive backfield and Dedmon is definitely smart. He’s excellent at deducing where the ball is going and also diagnosing whether the play is a run or a pass. 

Dedmon gets to the running back fast when he’s carrying the ball. A lot of the time it’s at the line of scrimmage. I also saw numerous plays where Dedmon was able to tackle the running back for around five yards after he had found open space past the defensive line and linebackers. He turned a possible huge play into just a decent run.

Athleticism

I’ve already mentioned that Dedmon was a talented high school sprinter, but there’s more to him. Dedmon looks like he can jump out of the building and I like defensive backs who can get up high. Look at the play where he knocks down a pass at the line of scrimmage against Penn State. Seriously, how does he get a hand on that? I think he climbed an invisible ladder. That’s from him standing to. Big verticals equals big explosiveness. I’m excited to see how he tests, I think he’s going to put up some impressive numbers. 

Tyrese Dedmon Negatives

Small School

The University of Idaho went from FBS to FCS during Dedmon’s time there. Even when they were FBS Idaho was not in a power five conference. I would like to say that some of his best games come against big schools in these bodybag games that Idaho is paid to play every year, like the aforementioned Penn State game. His level of competition can be worrisome, but he played well. There’s also the fact that with the lower level of competition, other teams have performed well against the Vandals on offense. Is this Dedmon’s fault? No, but the Vandals defense has given up some big numbers.

Tyrese Dedmon Draft Stock

I would expect Dedmon to be a late day 3 pick or, more than likely, an undrafted free agent. He will be playing in the Cajun Bowl All Star Game and that may raise his stock. Sadly, now he’s definitely under the national radar and if the draft were tomorrow I’d expect him to go undrafted.

Tyrese Dedmon NFL Comparison

Marcus Williams of the New Orleans Saints  is my NFL comparison. They are both excellent tacklers who are also strong against the pass. They are also the same size and Williams is a former track athlete who put up good numbers at the NFL Combine.

Tyrese Dedmon Final Thoughts

I’m biased towards University of Idaho Vandals, I’ll admit that, but Dedmon is a legitimate NFL talent. If he played for a power five school he’d be a day 2 pick. He is a great tackling safety who also covers well. He’s fast and quick and he played well against the big time competition. I expect Dedmon to be on an NFL roster for the 2022 season and you read about him here first. My small school draft picks of the past sure seem to work out well, isn’t that right Shemar Jean Charles and Raymond Johnson III ?