2021 NFL Draft: Do not sleep on Mizzou safety Tyree Gillespie

Best draft destinations for Gillespie

With a solid group of safeties available this year, it’s highly likely Gillespie falls into the later rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft. But that doesn’t mean Gillespie won’t have a chance to succeed, only that expectations during his first few years will be low enough that he can focus on improving his overall performance and learn the ropes of an NFL team.

Gillespie would likely serve a special teams player his rookie season, perhaps a backup safety or change-of-pace slot defender, depending on the roster. But if Gillespie continues to improve as fast as he did at Mizzou, it isn’t impossible to see him becoming a starting safety by year two or three in the league, if not earlier. But his chances of professional success will be greatly increased if he can manage to be drafted by one of the three teams listed below.

New Orleans Saints

Whether the New Orlean Saints bring back Drew Brees or not in 2021, this team will have a serious cap squeeze coming up in the next few seasons. The front office put a lot of resources into building a Super Bowl roster the last five years and it appears that the bill has finally come due. This means they’ll need to let go of veterans to clear up cap space while building through the draft for a few years before expecting to be serious contenders again.

Giving Gillespie a season or two to under-study safety Malcolm Jenkins, one of the most talented defensive backs of the last decade, would be a huge boon for his career. Like Gillespie, Jenkins is a rangy safety who has filled a lot of roles in the secondary during his NFL career. Learning from one of the most respected safeties in the game would set Gillespie off on the right foot in the pros. With a limited number of draft picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Saints will have to hope that players like Gillespie can develop into full-time starters.

Defensive backs coach Kris Richard would also be a huge asset in developing Gillespie. He’s a former USC and NFL cornerback, who became a position coach once he finished playing in the NFL. A protege of Pete Carroll, he made the jump to the NFL coaching world with the former USC head coach to the Seattle Seahawks. Richard was instrumental in helping develop the famous “Legion of Boom” defense in Seattle, starting in 2010 as an assistant defensive backs coach and rising all the way to defensive coordinator in 2015.

Richard has a lifetime of experience playing and coaching to help guide the young safety as he develops. Richard, along with Jenkins, could help Gillespie prepare to take over active duties at free safety after 2022, thus locking-in a talented defensive back on a rookie contract, as the team transitions and rebuilds in the post-Brees era.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a similar boat as the Saints in the 2021 NFL Draft. After years of investing future draft and cap resources in an effort to “win-now”, it appears the Steelers Super Bowl window has closed. Even if the team can find success with Ben Roethlisberger in 2021, the front-office must now go through the arduous process of getting the team back under the cap and giving the team a chance to be financially flexible past 2022.

Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is on the last year of his rookie contract. And while he is only 24-years old, it is unlikely the Steelers front office can afford his price tag once he reaches free agency. The Steelers (at time of publication) still have not even claimed his fifth-year option for 2022, meaning he could see free-agency as early as the next offseason if it is not claimed before May 3, 2021. This means the Steelers could be in the market for a developmental safety in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Steelers defensive backs coach is Teryl Austin, a former football player who has coached defensive backs almost exclusively since he started coaching in 1991. Coach Austin even has a drill named after him at the Combine. The Teryl Austin Drill has defensive backs “…begin with a backpedal, turn and open their hips while continuing to drop in coverage, plant, and drive forward in an attempt to intercept a pass” according to Steelers.com.

Having a drill named after you at the Combine is almost a universal sign of respect and admiration from Austin’s peers, for a coach who has been instrumental in developing the position in the modern NFL. Austin has coached for 11 different programs between the NCAA and NFL, earning a Super Bowl ring with the 2012-13  Baltimore Ravens.

Austin would be able to get the most out of Gillespie while developing him into a full-time starter. Gillespie would get a chance to play for a team with a stable coaching tree, a general manager known to reward on-field success while giving the Steelers front office some flexibility going into the next decade.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have a long history of developing underrated players once they arrive in Foxborough. Head coach Bill Belichick is a defensive guru, who has built one of the most successful programs in New England over the last 20 years. The team is rebuilding after the departure of Tom Brady and is likely looking to bring in athletes who can be ready in a year or two to lead the team. Belichick has a long and storied record of finding overlooked players past Day Two in the draft and building them up into full-time contributors on the roster.

Brian Belichick would be Gillespie’s position coach if he were drafted to New England. The coaching staff has always run their roster on a system of meritocracy, prioritizing hard work and performance on the field. But it sure wouldn’t hurt having Belichick’s son as your position coach.

Gillespie should hope the Patriots look his way in the 2021 NFL Draft for another reason: He’d be the primary understudy to Devin McCourty, one of the most successful and accomplished free safeties in the NFL. Drafted in 2010, he has been playing for the Patriots his entire career, winning three Super Bowls in that time. He’s also been a Pro Bowler twice and has logged 28 interceptions during his 11-year tenure in New England, missing only five regular-season games in that time frame.

McCourty turns 34-years old in August and isn’t likely to be under contract in New England after 2021. He’s been a staple of the Patriots secondary for over a decade, a universally recognized leader on the defense. The prospect of Gillespie getting a season or two to shadow McCourty is almost too perfect.

Having a mentor like that would supercharge Gillespie’s career, as he’d have access to one of the most premier defensive backs to ever play the game. With a forward-thinking head coach like Belichick at the helm, it’s easy to see a path for Gillespie that leads to a full-time spot on the starting roster.

The Patriots scouting department would be wise to look deeper into Gillespie in the lead-up to the 2021 NFL Draft. With a handful of elite offensive players coming from the SEC this year, having a player who has a proven track record against these players would be an invaluable resource for any team.