S Tyler Nubin, scouting reports

[MightyGiants]

NFL.com


Prospect Info
COLLEGE
Minnesota
HOMETOWN
CLASS
St. Charles, IL
Senior
HEIGHT
6' 1''
WEIGHT
199 lbs
ARM
32''
HAND
9''
Prospect Grade
6.33
Will Eventually Be Plus Starter


72
Good
View All Prospects


Score Breakdown
Score Breakdown

Production Score
74
2024 Combine SAF Rank: 3rd
Athleticism Score *est
58
2024 Combine SAF Rank: 24th
Total Score
72
2024 Combine SAF Rank: 5th

Player Bio
2019: Played in 12 games as a reserve (six tackles, two PBUs).
2020: Started all seven games (41 tackles, one INT, one forced fumble).
2021: Honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference. Led the team with three INTs. Started all 13 games (52 tackles, one sack, two PBUs). Guaranteed Rate Bowl Defensive MVP (eight tackles, one sack, one PBU).
2022: Second-team All-Big Ten Conference. Led the team with four INTs (55 tackles, two tackles for loss, three PBUs, one forced fumble). Missed the end of the year with a broken hand.
2023: Second-team Associated Press All-American. First-team All-Big Ten Conference. Tied for sixth in the FBS with five INTs. Started 12 games (53 tackles, one sack, four PBUs, one forced fumble). Set school record with 13 career INTs.
His father, Rodney, played RB/CB at Eastern Michigan. His uncle, Steve King, played in the defensive backfield with Ty Law and Charles Woodson at Michigan. His uncle, Joe, played at Mount Senario and EMU. His brother, Jordan, walked onto the Gophers as a DB, then switched to RB.

-- by Chad Reuter


Analysis
By Lance Zierlein
NFL Analyst
Draft Projection
Round 2

NFL Comparison
Marcus Williams

Overview
Talented safety prospect with the size, length and instincts that teams are looking for to shore up the back end. Nubin has the ability to play as an interchangeable safety but will make his money as a ball thief. He's rangy over the top in two-high safety looks and plays chess in the middle of the field, using instincts to think along with the quarterback and pounce on throws from an angle. He's average in man coverage and might lack ideal top-end speed, but his anticipation and discipline help make up for that. He's capable in run support, but his pursuit angles get him beat outside. Nubin's traits, instincts and ball skills give him an opportunity to become a successful long-term starter.

Strengths
Has the size, length and instincts teams covet on the back end.
Plays with predatory mentality from split safety and robber alignment.

Shades coverage to route development and the quarterback's eyes.
High-end ball tracker with ball skills to flip the field on the pro level.
Athletic and light on his feet in open-field coverage.
Operates with good field balance and discipline as a high safety.
Uses length and agility to expand his tackle range against cuts.

Weaknesses
Top-end speed is just average to run down leaky targets.
Average burst coming out of his man-cover transitions.
Fairly average downhill trigger on deep digs.
Needs to drop down and fit run gaps a step sooner near the line.
Pursuit angles run too steep, preventing leverage to the sideline.
Sources Tell Us

"I think his speed is the only thing you kind of worry about. His tackling is OK but can get better. He's very instinctive and he's a good player. He'll go in [Round] 2." -- AFC scouting director


McGinn


1. TYLER NUBIN, Minnesota (6-1, 205, 4.61, 2-3): High-school corner moved to safety once he reached the Twin Cities. "They played him (in the box) but if you watch him covering on special teams you know he can play in space," one scout said. "He is a special-teams demon. Nubin gives you more than (Kamren) Kinchens because he could be that big nickel. He plays with a physical mindset. He's better than Kinchens in natural tight end matchups in man coverage or as a general slot guy. He's got great ball skills, too. For a guy you don't see going backwards very often he's always around the ball." Ran an unexpectedly slow 40. "That hurt him," a second scout said. "Instincts are his thing. He's quick to trigger. Better in zone than man. Physical around the line of scrimmage. Little tight in his backpedal but uses his size well to play physical and doesn't give up separation much. Struggles to open his hips and change direction, but nothing crazy. Can track (the deep ball). Looks to lay a hit. I think he should have come out last year but I still think he's a pretty good football player. Yes, he'll be a starter. I would say second round but he would have been a first-rounder last year." Just 10 reps on the bench press. "He doesn't have great range but he can do the interchangeable stuff," a third scout said. "He'll be a good teams player. He's had production on the ball." Started 43 of 55 games, finishing with 207 tackles (4 ½ for loss), 13 picks and 24 passes defensed. From St. Charles, Ill.


Cosell

TYLER NUBIN'S 2024 NFL COMBINE RESULTS
Height: 6-foot-1 1/4"
Weight: 199
40-yard dash: 4.56
Arm length: 32"
Vertical jump: 32"
Broad jump: 10'
TYLER NUBIN'S 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS
A long, rangy athlete with play speed to run sideline-to-sideline and make plays; a run-and-hit element to his game
Decisive reactor with strong key and diagnose; transitioned effectively without segmented or rigid movement
Ran the alley in the run game with conviction and sudden reactions; played with an NFL demeanor as a run defender
Physical element to his game, consistently willing to attack with velocity, deliver hard hits and set tempo
Not afraid to mix it up, a bit of a heat-seeker mentality vs. the run; he sees it and goes with speed and velocity 
Excellent feel for reading routes and the quarterback from a back-end safety alignment, also showed decisive plant and drive
Showed excellent recognition and instincts in the pass game as back-end safety with a strong feel for route concepts 
Athletically transitioned to undercut routes and make interceptions, changed direction with no wasted steps
Strong zone coverage defender in split safety coverage and as the post safety
Excellent ball skills as a back-end safety; showed excellent technique getting his hand up and through the receiver
Comfortable pedal in off-man coverage vs. tight ends with a smooth transition to turn and run vs. vertical routes
Quick recognition reaction on reads in front of him and triggered downhill with sudden plant and drive
Outstanding playing personality: his competitive edge and attitude consistently showed up
WEAKNESSES
Despite aggressiveness his tackling technique needs work, too often he dropped his head without seeing the ball 
At times as a back-end safety, he was a little sticky and segmented in his transition to plant and drive on routes
Speed may be an issue for some but the tape showed that his recognition and instincts compensated   
There were snaps, especially in the red zone, where he struggled in man-to-man coverage matchups with a wide receiver
Overall did not match up man-to-man effectively vs. wide receivers when the coverage called for it
Did not see him match up man-to-man on tight ends in Minnesota's defense; his size and traits suggest he can do it


NFL TRANSITION
Nubin is one of the better safety prospects in the 2024 draft class, and I could easily make the argument that he is the best safety prospect due to his overall traits, his competitive demeanor and his playing personality.

Nubin played almost exclusively on the back end in 2023 as both a two-shell safety and post safety. One of his best traits was his recognition of receiver splits and route concepts and his concurrent ability to trigger with burst and speed, planting and driving on routes in front of him to take away throws, especially in-breakers.

Nubin displayed outstanding vision on the back end with a refined, instinctive feel for reading both the route concepts and the quarterback. That was a main reason he had excellent ball production throughout his career. Nubin was aggressive and competitive playing downhill as an alley defender and gap shooter in the run game. He had an excellent feel for which gap to hit based on the defensive front and the gap fluidity once the play took shape. What consistently stood out on tape vs. the run and pass was that Nubin was a decisive reactor with strong key-and-diagnose traits. He always played with a quick trigger and high-level competitiveness.

His reaction time and quick trigger allowed Nubin to play fast. His game speed is much faster than his timed speed. That also showed up in his range on the back end, where he often reacted before the quarterback threw the ball.

While Nubin rarely aligned in the box in Minnesota's defense, he has the size and physicality to do that and be a factor in the run game and as a blitzer. He was successful blitzing from a distance in college.

Where Nubin could struggle at the next level and would need some development is matching up to wide receivers when  quarters was the coverage call and he had to man-match on intermediate and vertical routes.

Overall, Nubin is a higher-level safety prospect who has the traits and playing demeanor to be an interchangeable safety in the box and on the back and be effective in both roles. It would not surprise me if he was a Day 1 starter and became one of the NFL's more complete safeties as his career develops.

OTHER NOTES
Nubin played five seasons at Minnesota, starting his final three years and finishing with 36 starts in his 55 games. In 2023, Nubin earned First-Team All-American honors. Nubin was heavily recruited out of Illinois as a 4-star recruit after playing safety and wide receiver in high school.

Nubin was predominantly the post safety in Minnesota's single-high safety coverages and he almost always aligned to the boundary in split safety coverages. Nubin matched up to a tight end in some of Minnesota's Cover 1 defenses, and there were snaps he was deployed as a blitzer from a distance. Against Purdue and Wisconsin, Nubin played significant snaps aligned to the field in split-safety coverages. His interception vs. Illinois was a textbook split-safety play: Nubin was responsible in coverage for the boundary x vertical route. From the boundary hash, he rotated to the edge of the numbers with his eyes on the quarterback reading the throw to the in-breaker from the field. He consistently provided high-level safety play.


Brugler

3. TYLER NUBIN | Minnesota 6012 | 205 lbs. | 5SR St. Charles, Ill. (North) 6/14/2001 (age 22.86) #27
BACKGROUND: Tyler Nubin (NEW-bin), the oldest of two boys, grew up outside of Chicago. He started playing football at age 6, primarily as a running back and wide
receiver. His father (Rodney) often coached him throughout youth football in St. Charles. Nubin attended St. Charles North Hi gh School, where he played wide
receiver and cornerback and was a four-year varsity letterman. After posting three interceptions as a sophomore, Nubin recorded 26 tackles, 12 passes defended and
two interceptions as a junior, along with 47 catches for 702 yards and six touchdowns on offense. He added wildcat responsibilities as a senior and led North to a 10-4
record and the program's first-ever state championship game appearance. Nubin finished his final season with 42 receptions for 549 yards and nine touchdowns as a
receiver, 109 carries for 600 yards and 12 touchdowns as a rusher and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass. On defense, he recorded 51 tackles and six pass breakups. He
was named a U.S. Army All-American.
A three-star recruit, Nubin was the No. 38 cornerback in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 4 recruit in Illinois. His recruitment took off during his junior year,
starting with a scholarship offer from Central Michigan and followed soon after by offers from several Power 5 programs, like Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern and
Tennessee. Nubin had grown up a Michigan fan, but he committed to Minnesota, because of the campus and his chemistry with the coaches. He was the No. 2 recruit
in head coach P.J. Fleck's 2019 class. He committed as a cornerback but moved to safety during his freshman season.
Both of his parents were athletes at Eastern Michigan: his father played running back and cornerback (1993-97); his mother (Sherese) was a sprinter on the track
team. Tyler's younger brother (Jordan) also played prep ball at St. Charles North and was a preferred walk-on at Minnesota as a defensive back. Because of depth
issues, Jordan moved to running back last season and led the team in carries, including a career-high 40 attempts for 204 yards and two touchdowns vs. Michigan
State. Nubin's uncle (Steve King), who died in 2014, played safety at Michigan (1993-95). Nubin took advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted because of the
pandemic and returned to Minnesota for his fifth season in 2023. He earned Academic All-Big Ten honors four times and graduated with his degree in business,
management, marketing and related support services. Nubin opted out of the 2023 bowl game and declined his invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl.
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2019: (12/0) 6 0.0 0.0 0 2 0 Enrolled in June 2019
2020: (7/7) 41 0.5 0.0 1 1 1 Led team in INTs; Pandemic-shortened season
2021: (13/13) 52 1.0 1.0 0 5 3 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten; Led team in INTs; Bowl Game MVP
2022: (11/11) 55 2.0 0.0 1 7 4 Second Team All-Big Ten; Led team in INTs and passes defended; Missed two games (injury)
2023: (12/12) 53 1.0 1.0 1 9 5 Second Team All-American; First Team All-Big Ten; Led team in INTs; Missed bowl game (opt-out)
Total: (55/43) 207 4.5 2.0 3 24 13
HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6012 199 9 32 77 1/2 - - - - - - - - (skill drills only — right knee)
PRO DAY 6012 205 9 1/4 32 1/4 78 1/8 4.59 2.68 1.65 31 1/2 10'0" 4.51 7.20 10

STRENGTHS: Broad, filled-out frame ... rangy athleticism allows him to make plays from various alignments in the secondary ... sees the field with instinc tive eyes and
the whole-field vision to simultaneously track route combinations and the eyes of the quarterback ... looks like a wide receiver at the catch point and collected more
interceptions than any player in Minnesota history ... zero coverage penalties over the past two seasons ... physical in run support and flashes short-area burst when
working downhill ... breaks down well in the open field, dropping his pads and extending his arms to limit misses ... was a regular on special-teams coverages all five
seasons (705 career snaps), including a career-high 169 in 2023 (14 career special-teams tackles) ... learned "how to practice and watch film" from Antoine Winfield
Jr. (teammates in 2019) ... always directing traffic on defense ... teammates say his competitiveness is "infectious" and "elevat es" the rest of the team.

WEAKNESSES: His movements show hints of tightness ... pedal and transitions are more efficient than explosive ... ultraprotective of his deep responsibilities and gets
stuck on his heels, allowing too many front-facing completions ... want to see better urgency in his click and close to drive as a top-down defender ... needs to clean
up some timing issues as a blitzer (offsides penalty vs. North Carolina in 2023) ... wasn't consistently asked to match up man -to-man versus slot receivers ...
underwent meniscectomy surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his right knee following the 2023 season (wasn't 100 percent healthy during the draft process);
missed two games with a broken right hand (November 2022).

SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Minnesota, Nubin was an interchangeable safety (single high and split zone) in defensive coordinator Joe Rossi's mixed-coverage
scheme. A cornerback-turned-safety, he led the Gophers in interceptions in each of the last four seasons and collected his 13th career interception in his final home
game, which set a new school record. Using his athleticism and awareness, Nubin keeps everything in front of him and can drive off the numbers in the deep half to
overlap the seam or track and finish from the post. As an alley defender, he is fearless but controlled, and he comes to balance with low pads to fi nish tackles with
authority. Overall, Nubin has conservative tendenciesin coverage, but he is a four-down player with a coveted skill set, because of his split-field range, playmaking
instincts and toughness versus the run. He is ideally suited for a quarters-based, Cover-2 scheme in the NFL and will be a core special teamer.
GRADE: 2nd-3rd Round (No. 68 overall)


PFF


After committing to Minnesota, Nubin waited his turn behind
Antoine Winfield Jr. before becoming a full-time starter in
2021. Since then, he's become Minnesota's all-time leader in
interceptions (13). His athleticism — an explosive first step,
controlled and quick footwork and fluid hips — provides him
with good range in coverage from a free safety role. He pairs
that with good eyes and anticipation for where passes and
ball carriers are going. In run defense, he is consistently
willing to be physical but tends to lead with the crown of his
helmet. He also can be a bit overaggressive in pursuit angles.

STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
PLAYER COMP
Tyler
Nubin
Free Safety
6'1"
199 lbs
Minnesota Golden Gophers
After committing to Minnesota, Nubin waited his turn behind
Antoine Winfield Jr. before becoming a full-time starter in
2021. Since then, he's become Minnesota's all-time leader in
interceptions (13). His athleticism — an explosive first step,
controlled and quick footwork and fluid hips — provides him
with good range in coverage from a free safety role. He pairs
that with good eyes and anticipation for where passes and
ball carriers are going. In run defense, he is consistently
willing to be physical but tends to lead with the crown of his
helmet. He also can be a bit overaggressive in pursuit angles.
PROFILE
• Quick, controlled backpedal
• Good first-step explosiveness
• Desire to make impactful hits on ball carriers/pass catchers
• Impressive ability to flip his hips to run
• Effective blitzer, even from deep alignments
• Top-tier ball skills for a safety
• Excellent eyes/anticipation for where the ball is going
• Leads with the crown of his helmet too much
• Lighter run defender
• Can be overaggressive in pursuit angles