Hamsah Nasirildeen could be safety solution for Cowboys
The new league year is set to begin on March 17, and with it comes free agency. While the Dallas Cowboys’ top priority is getting a long-term deal with Dak Prescott, the hope is they also address some other glaring needs, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Which ones get filled with veterans will in turn paint a clear picture on who and what position they’ll target in the draft.
Most can agree cornerback, defensive tackle, safety, offensive line and pass rusher are the Cowboys most pressing needs entering the 2021 season. The team obviously wont be able to invest a priority pick in all of those positions but there are intriguing players on Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft who could end up being quality starters now or in the near future. Among those is Hamsah Nasirildeen, safety from Florida State.
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Nasirildeen measured in at the Senior Bowl at 6-foot-3, 213 pounds with a 82″ wingspan, 34″ arms, and 10″ hands. He obviously has impressive size but that alone doesn’t define who he is as a player.
He is a long, athletic defender, comfortable playing in the box and as a deep safety. Nasirildeen plays with a ton of energy as he is always chasing the ball, he gets everything out of his rep. He takes quality angles to the ball in space and is urgent to fill alleys to finish at the ball carrier.
He still has room to clean up his technique as a tackler, with lunging and just not bring his arms with him as a tackler evident in his film study.
Nasirildeen has produced multiple 10-plus tackle games and has even produced a 22-tackle game versus Boston College. It is somewhat of a stretch for him to become a single-high safety with hash-to-hash range however the athletic traits are there along with the ball production.
Over the last two years he has three interceptions, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and five pass defenses. His 2019 season was cut short after tearing his ACL versus Florida, which forced him to miss the first seven games of the 2020 season.
From the Draft Network’s Joe Marino:
Florida State safety Hamsah Nasirildeen’s blend of size, physicality, athleticism, and downhill trigger jump off the screen when watching the Seminoles defense. A versatile defender, Nasilideen forecasts best as a positionless subpackage defender in the NFL. He can serve the role of tight end neutralizer, play in an overhang role, play in man coverage against running backs, and play in the box and operate from deeper alignments. Outside of his rare physical gifts, Nasirildeen takes terrific angles, is versatile, and his presence can add new layers to the defense of the team that drafts him. Nasirildeen tore his ACL late in the 2019 season in a non-contact situation and the recovery sidelined him for all but two games in 2020. When it comes to areas that he can still improve, ball skills, serving as a one-high safety, blitzing, and proving his health are the top priorities. Nasirildeen has a high ceiling at the next level should he land with a team that is willing to deploy him creatively to take advantage of his immense physical gifts.
Ideal Role: Positionless subpackage defender.
Scheme Fit: His versatility enables him to play in any scheme.
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Where He Fits
With the Cowboys adopting a true Cover 3 scheme with Dan Quinn taking over as the defensive coordinator, it is of high priority to find their safety who has the range and ball skills to play in the deep MOF.
Donovan Wilson flashed his playmaking ability last year so it would be ideal to pair a cover safety with him but Nasirildeen can do a little bit of both. He can drop down in the box an be an effective run defender in sub packages. Quinn has success drafting tweener players who can man multiple positions, such as Deion Jones and Keanu Neal. Nasirildeen might be a projection as deep third safety but his athleticism, length, versatility, and ability to play in space make him an intriguing option for a defense that lacks athleticism.
He has the upside to become a quality starter and if those flashes of ball skills translate he could be a Pro Bowl type player. Most draft analyst have Nasirildeen as a Day 2 player, an ideal place for the Cowboys to target him.
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