Wake Forest’s Jessie Bates III is a highly athletic 2018 NFL Draft safety prospect.
Jessie Bates III is a fast rising 2018 NFL Draft prospect at the safety position. He is turning some heads thanks to his combination of length and quickness. Bates also flashes strong instincts that could make him a major turnover threat.
Wake Forest mainly asked Bates to work out of the deep part of the defense. In this role, he used his burst and overall quickness to cover sideline to sideline. Bates’ feel for developing round and ability to read the quarterback helped him rack up 6 intercepts in his career.
His ball skills are one of the more important aspects of his game. He will need to continue getting his hands on the ball and producing came changing plays. During his time at Wake Forest, Bates had a knack for taking interceptions and turning them into points.
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That knack for finding the end zone also showed up on special teams where Bates saw some action as a punt returner.
He shows strong overall coverage ability. Bates plays with good balance and has the quickness to close on the football. The combination of his quick-twitch ability and instincts are what will stand out to evaluators.
One area where Bates needs work is as a tackler. He is too hesitant and more of a catcher rather than someone who will deliver a big hit.
Bates also struggles to wrap up and has too many missed tackles. He needs to show more toughness in order to be seen as someone who can support the run on a consistent basis. At this stage, Bates is not someone who should spend much time working in the box.
It’s possible that he gets some looks at cornerback at the next level. He has the athleticism and feel to potentially make the switch.
Overall, Bates is more of a developmental prospect than a finished product. The key is that he has big-time upside and could quickly develop into a difference maker. It’ll be interesting to see how early a team will be willing to take a gamble.