LSU FS Jalen Mills: Early Scouting Report
By Jonah Tuls
Oct 25, 2014; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers safety Ronald Martin (26) is congratulated by safety Jalen Mills (28) after Martin intercept the ball in front of Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Cody Core (88) with seconds left in the fourth quarter at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Mississippi 10-7. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
The safety crop in the 2015 NFL Draft was subpar to say the least, but it could not be more opposite in 2016. There could be four or five safeties that sneak into the 1st round when it is all said and done.
The safety position is much more valuable in today’s NFL because of the evolution of the passing game, and almost every safety in the league must be able to cover on the back end. One of those safety prospects this year is Jalen Mills out of LSU.
Even at an illustrious program like LSU, Mills has started every single game of his career since being a true freshman with 39 overall. Making the switch from cornerback to safety has become a popular trend recently and players like Mills who have made the transition will have value when it comes to the NFL because of those cornerback cover skills.
Here is a short clip here.
That right there is what I love about this player. He has enough athleticism and man coverage skills at the safety position to line up in the nickel and deny one the best receivers in college football in Duke Williams, and sticks with the play to knock the ball out. That was just textbook coverage from the nickel spot on a vertical route.
Here is another play that jumped out to me.
Mills read the play seamlessly and put himself in perfect position to make a play on the ball here, but seemed to be a bit timid when attacking the ball its highest point. Instead, the receiver made a brilliant catch while Mills waited. As a centerfielder, he did everything right but make the play. Can’t be too upset there.
Here is where I get frustrated with Mills — run support.
He’s a tad sluggish in reading the run here and even slower in his reactions. He doesn’t seem to be willing to stick his nose in run support and instead accepts defeat of getting hooked inside and giving up his leverage on the outside for the touchdown. It doesn’t show it here, but Mills overestimates his range on occasion and will take a poor pursuit angle in trying tackle in the open field as well.
Here are the rest of my notes on Jalen Mills
Positive
+ Fluid mirror and change-of-direction skills in man coverage. (Nickel packages)
+ Rare athletic ability from the safety position.
+ Can get over the top quickly because of his range.
+ Wins with hand usage and physicality as well because of his competitive toughness and play strength in coverage.
+ Puts himself in terrific position when the ball is in the air.
+ High Ceiling
Negative
– Inconsistent open field tackler with high pad level and lack of “want-to”.
– Takes poor pursuit angles as a result of overestimation of range and field awareness.
– Despite elite athleticism, plays a bit slower because he doesn’t read and react that quickly.
– Needs to attack the ball in the air as I question his ball skills to an extent.
Overview
I’m still on the fence on whether Jalen Mills can translate his productivity into the NFL. He displays excellent cover skills and also has experience playing at cornerback early in his career, but his inefficiencies in run support could lower his draft stock in 2016. I am interested to see how he improves this year for LSU as he reminds of Damarious Randall based on his tape from last year, minus the ball skills. I expect big things from Mills this year and to take a big step forward in his stock as an NFL prospect.