Draft Prospects: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix - Free Safety - Alabama

Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix or Ha Ha Clinton-Dix as he is better known is our next 'Draft Prospects' highlight. Expected to go early in the first round, there are some that think he could slip down far enough for the Ravens to either jump up and take him or that if enough quarterbacks are taken early, could fall to the Ravens at the 17th spot. A natural talent, Clinton-Dix is often regarded as the top safety in the 2014 draft for a reason.

Run Stopping:

Ha'Sean is a decent tackler that will sometimes get out of his form and can be drug for extra yardage because of it. He isn't eager to tackle like a strong safety would be, but he does run up quickly and will engage. He has the body size to shed blocking receivers and make the tackle as well. He will sometimes take bad angles on a tackle and generally needs to learn to square himself up and set his feet. He tackles shoulder first and wraps up most of the time instead of looking for the big hit, which is exactly what you want of a centerfielder. He has room to get better but has the right fundamentals to start.

Pass Coverage:

Clinton-Dix will sometimes guess and sit on a route instead of playing the receiver and can give up a step or two in the process which will expose him for big plays at the pro level. He does a good job of studying his opponent and often knows where the ball is going off of film review and pure instinct. He is a hard hitter and as evidenced against LSU, is willing to lower his shoulder and deliver a hit to disrupt a pass if he plays over the top.

He has the speed to recover on any initial mistakes in his read, but lacks the quickness to stick with a receiver during a quick cut in man coverage. Clinton-Dix is much better in zone coverage but has adjusted well to playing more man as was necessary with Alabama's corners. The amazing part is that he is still getting better as he gains more confidence.

He has ball skills and does a great job tracking tipped passes and the hands to make his own plays. Once he has the ball, he is good but won't be regularly getting a ton of yardage by his play alone.

Character:

Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix mostly kept his nose clean off the field, but did have an incident where he accepted a loan from a coach. The loan turned out to actually be for college and not for frivolous spending like you see with so many other athletes, so it should really be dismissed even though it did technically break the rules. He will showboat and will draw some penalty flags because he can be a little too physical in the pass.

Analysis:

Clinton-Dix is the top safety in the class for a reason. A natural free safety with the "range" that the Ravens have mentioned wanting with enough ability as a run stopper to be useful in the gang tackling mentality the Ravens love. Ultimately, he "plays like a Raven" and is someone that they would very much be interested in. Since he underwent surgery in December from a torn meniscus, he might scare a few teams away but probably will be out of the reach of the Ravens unless they move up.