Intriguing small-school safety makes Senior Bowl watchlist

One of the most important annual NFL draft events on the scouting calendar is the Reese’s Senior Bowl, which released its watchlist this week.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl announced their annual watch list Thursday, covering roughly 385 prospects and across the FBS, FCS, and Division II levels.

Before the list was officially released, Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy took to Twitter and highlighted an interesting under-the-radar prospect:

It’s not every day that you see a prospect from Lenoir-Rhyne, a Division II school in Hickory, North Carolina, mentioned in NFL Draft discussions. Nagy didn’t mention him by name, but the prospect in question is 6-foot-2, 220-pound safety Kyle Dugger.

When you turn on his film, it doesn’t take long to see why Nagy and his staff are so high on him.

While you have to perform his evaluation with a grain of salt due to his level of competition, Dugger really pops off the screen.

He looks the part physically and has a long, filled-out frame. Dugger is a pretty solid athlete that possesses body control and deceptive lateral agility.

He has solid fluidity when he transitions and changes directions, and Dugger has quickness to his drive step. He’s a little flat-footed and doesn’t always look comfortable in his backpedal, but he’s not the type of player you want consistently downfield.

Dugger doesn’t have the range to play over the top consistently at the next level and, when asked, he’ll get looked off and try to undercut on pump fakes while opening up opportunities in the vertical passing game.

Dugger is at his best in zone coverage when he roams underneath. He processes information quickly and does a nice job keeping his eyes glued in the backfield. Dugger anticipates throws well and, when the rock comes his way, he has the hands to capitalize on his opportunities.

He has flashed some ability to take tight ends in man coverage, but locking down NFL-caliber tight ends is a lot different than the level he’s currently asked to compete against.

Dugger’s biggest strength (no pun intended) is as a tackler.

He’s an instinctive run defender that squares up and fills effectively coming downhill and he finds the ball quickly. Dugger sees the field well and works through trash effortlessly, all while taking great angles in pursuit.

He possesses impressive closing burst and wraps and drives through his target with impressive power.

Dugger will aim a little high as a tackler at times, but he’s a bully with some pretty dominant finishes.

Dugger will need to adjust to a higher level of competition, but the Senior Bowl is a perfect place for him to start. He’ll likely carve out a role covering kicks, but most teams are likely going to look at him for a hybrid linebacker/safety role in the mold of Colts hybrid Clayton Geathers.

We have a long way to go between now and January’s Senior Bowl Week but he’s a prospect that everyone needs to pay attention to moving forward.