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Originally Posted by Mugsy
Not a Dix fan. He is a very suspect tackler and is questionable in run support - an "ankle biter" if you will. He's a ball hawk for sure but, Kendrick Lewis might literally tackle better imo and that is not good.
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No freaking way. I had hopes for Lewis, but after the 2013 season, I'm positive that, at least after that season, there wasn't a worse tackler in the league.
And Dix does one thing exceptionally well - defends the deep ball. Sideline to sideline. He's got great range, and if you watched the Chiefs in 2013, it's the one thing that absolutely destroyed them nearly every week.
Dix has uncanny pass defense skills. He takes good angles, has very smooth feet and hips, and has the length to disrupt on deep throws.
There isn't a safety in this draft that offers you the complete package that Dix does, especially when you consider the defense that Sutton runs. The Chiefs have their front box guy in Berry. The missing piece is a guy just like Dix.
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The 2014 NFL Draft won't provide another Thomas, but Alabama safety Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix is the closest thing available in this class. Many of the single high concepts used in the NFL were used at Alabama. Clinton-Dix was responsible for processing a lot of information and covering a lot of ground in Alabama's secondary.
As a result, he comes to the NFL prepared to take on an NFL playbook and also has the athletic upside to grow into a dominant playmaker in the secondary. He's not without his flaws, but Clinton-Dix has a ton of tools that will keep NFL teams interested.
Ball skills
Clinton-Dix flashes excellent ball skills at times. He's able to leap and high-point the football with ease. The only issue Clinton-Dix has at times is being too aggressive. If he anticipated a bit better, his ball skills would come in handy more often. As it is, he's built to play the safety position and looks natural when attacking the football in the air. Clinton-Dix is physical at the catch point, using his long arms to get a hand in to break up passes.
Coverage ability
Nick Saban trusted Clinton-Dix with a lot responsibility in coverage during his career at Alabama, and for the most part, the long, athletic safety rewarded his faith. Clinton-Dix has the change-of-direction skills and fluid hips to cover a ton of ground in the secondary. He's also fast enough to play deep middle and get to passes on the sideline. Clinton-Dix wasn't often asked to play man-to-man coverage and didn't appear to be too comfortable in those situations. Still, his length and hip quickness make him a capable cover man over the middle of the field. He also has the size to hang with tight ends at the next level.
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