Falcons: 3 Keanu Neal replacements in 2021 NFL Draft

Day-three option: Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State

FSU safety Hamsah Nasirildeen brings a lot of intrigue around his pro projection and where appropriate value for him is. If you go back to last summer Nasirildeen was one of the top guys in the safety class and had early-round selection written all over him. However, Nasirildeen tore his ACL late in the 2019 season and took a long time to recover, missing all but two games of the 2020 season. Because of this teams will need to feel comfortable with the healing of his injury and feel confident with him going forward.

However, on film, this is a versatile dynamic player. He can fill multiple roles for your team and would likely be used similar to how the Falcons used Neal over the past few seasons. Nasirildeen can play in deep alignments, in the box versus tight ends, cover running backs 1v1, and be used as a blitzer working as a true “position-less” defender.

Nasirildeen has a good blend of size, explosiveness, athleticism, and instincts to make his impact known anywhere on the field. He has a high ceiling for a team that is willing to use him in a variety of roles but will need to round out his game to maximize his success. Where Nasirildeen’s value lies will likely depend on medical checks by teams and how willing your defensive coordinator is to move Nasirildeen to maximize his impact, but his return could pay high dividends.