S Gervarrius Owens scouting reports

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Brugler

16. GERVARRIUS OWENS | Houston 6003 | 195 lbs. | 6SR Moore, Okla. (Southmoore) 10/14/1999 (age 23.54) #2
BACKGROUND: Gervarrius (ger-VAHR-ee-us) Owens was born and raised in Greenville, Miss. before his family moved to Atlanta and then to Oklahoma. The summer
before he started high school, his family lost their home when an EF-5 tornado tore through Moore. Temporarily displaced in Norman, he enrolled at Southmoore
High School in 2013 where he was a four-year varsity letterman, playing both ways as a safety and wide receiver. Owens posted 88 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.0
sacks as a sophomore. As a junior, he finished with 64 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended and a pair of interceptions, adding 15 receptions for 406 yards
(27.1 average) and seven touchdowns on offense. Owens led Southmoore in receiving as a senior with 40 catches for 811 yards and eight touchdowns. He also
accounted for 58 tackles and a forced fumble in 2016. Owens also lettered in track and wrestling.
A three-star recruit, Owens was the No. 93 safety in the 2017 class and the No. 21 recruit in Oklahoma. His offer sheet started to fill up after his junior season,
including those from Ohio, Cincinnati and Iowa State (his first Power 5 offer). The summer before his senior season, Owens committed to Memphis, but decommitted
three months later. On signing day, he chose Kansas State over Houston, Memphis and Purdue. However, he didn't report to the football team and didn't play in
2017. Owens enrolled at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College where he was a juco All-American with 51 tackles and three interceptions. He was a three-star juco
recruit and the No. 5 juco safety in the 2019 class. Owens signed with Minnesota and was expected to enroll over the summer. However, he was released from his
letter of intent in June and signed with Houston. Owens graduated with his degree in sociology. He accepted his invitation to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, but he
left early in the week for the birth of his son.
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2017: Did not play Originally signed with Kansas State
2018: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
2019: (12/11) 54 0.5 0.5 0 6 1 Houston; 2 blocked punts
2020: (8/5) 28 2.0 0.0 0 2 0 Houston
2021: (14/14) 52 4.0 0.0 0 5 2 Houston; First Team All-AAC; 45-yard INT TD
2022: (12/12) 74 1.0 0.0 2 9 1 Houston; Second Team All-AAC; Team captain; Missed one game (concussion)
Total: (46/42) 208 7.5 0.5 2 22 4
HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6003 195 32 9 1/2 78 - - - 37 1/2 10'5" - - 15 (no runs, shuttle, 3-cone – choice)
PRO DAY 6003 193 32 1/8 9 1/4 78 4.56 2.53 1.54 - - 4.09 6.75 - (stood on Combine jumps and bench)
STRENGTHS: Long, good-looking body type ... quick read-and-trigger skills versus both the run and pass ... has twitch to accelerate smoothly and the long strides to
cover a lot of ground ... zone-aware as a floater ... tracks the ball well with the wingspan to do something about it when he arrives ... played cornerback growing up
and at the juco level and doesn't look awkward in his turn-and-run transitions ... physical run filler who won't hesitate to slam his body into oncoming traffic ... shows
an understanding of leverage in his pursuit ... uses his hands to punch his way off blockers ... voted a senior captain ... tape shows a high-motor player ... experienced
on special teams coverages (361 career snaps) ... started 42 games at Houston.
WEAKNESSES: Choppy footwork in man coverage and can be crossed up by shifty route runners ... made some impressive plays on the ball on tape but also missed
too many should-have-been interceptions ... plays with more violence than brute strength ... tackling mechanics leave much to be desired ... hugs high and wrestles to
the ground instead of wrap-driving through the target's belt ... late to throttle down, sink and control his body to square, giving ball carriers cut back opportunities ...
missed one game as a senior because of a concussion (September 2022) ... will be an age 24 NFL rookie.
SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Houston, Owens played a free safety role in defensive coordinator Doug Belk's 4-2-5 base scheme. He played 46 games the past
four seasons for the Cougars (missed only one game) and proved himself as a factor at all three levels of the field. Owens reads the backfield action well for efficient
response times as he races to the action, though his field vision and cover skills were better in zone compared to man. He has the mentality and toughness for
downhill run support, but his control and finish as a tackler must improve. Overall, Owens lacks consistency in several areas (ball skills, tackling, route recognition),
but he anticipates with the aggressive athleticism pro coaches will appreciate. He projects as a backup and special-teamer who can be more with NFL coaching.
GRADE: 5th-6th Round

NFL.com

Owens began his collegiate career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, where he earned first-team Junior College All-American honors in 2018 (51 tackles, three INTs, three pass breakups). The Moore, Oklahoma, native signed with Houston for 2019, starting 11 of 12 games played (54 tackles, one interception, five pass breakups) and blocking two kicks. Owens started five of eight appearances in 2020 (28 tackles, two pass breakups) before becoming a team leader on defense in 2021, garnering first-team All-American Athletic Conference accolades (52 tackles, four for loss, two interceptions -- one returned for a score -- and three pass breakups in 14 games, 13 starts). He was a second-team All-AAC pick in 2022, starting 12 games (74 tackles, one interception, eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles). -- by Chad Reuter

Analysis
By Lance Zierlein
NFL Analyst
Draft Projection
Round 4
Overview
Owens has the physical ingredients to play safety. The mistakes he put on tape should be a concern, though. His cornerback background shows with the way he matches route breaks from man coverage, but he lacks the field vision and instincts to become a consistent playmaker from man or zone. Owens is a willing and physical hitter, but he takes suspect angles to the football and has too many missed tackles after the catch and in run support. He has draftable traits, but the issues might be a difficult fix.
Strengths
Team captain and four year-starter at Houston.
Usually stays deeper than the deepest as high safety.
Covers with decent route anticipation in the slot.
Cornerback experience for big nickel consideration.
Steps downhill quickly to attack the line of scrimmage.
Can be a vigorous hitter when playing in the box.
Weaknesses
Dropped several potential interceptions in 2022.
Inconsistent field recognition as a safety.
Burst to the throw appears to be just average.
Can be a step slow diagnosing the mesh point.
Takes suspect angles to the football from high safety.
High number of missed open-field tackles.

SIS

Owens is a three-level playmaker who has the decisiveness, range, and physicality to be accounted for, but his overaggressiveness and inefficient pursuit angles may be what holds him back.

Scouting by
Conner Hrabal
Scouting Report
Last Word
Gervarrius Owens projects as a backup free safety who can contribute across all levels of the defense. He has enough range to patrol as a single-high defender, but would thrive in a 2-high set. His history as a corner gives him the proper instincts to read routes and excel in both man and zone schemes. While he shows good physicality and some thump upon contact, he struggles with angles to the ballcarrier. Too often is he triggering downhill to the ball quickly just to take a poor angle and let the runner either gain extra yards or get past him completely. On 3rd downs he fits best deep in a MOFO set using his decisiveness and aggression to jump on routes and make plays. He also has the requisite traits to be a key contributor on special teams, especially the kickoff and punt units.

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