Safety is not necessarily one of the most coveted positions in today’s NFL. So much emphasis is placed, and rightly so, on disrupting aerial attacks with relentless pass rushes and sticky cornerback play. The Detroit Lions and the rest of the NFC North, however, are pinning some serious hopes on the play of their safeties in 2019.
On any given defensive snap, safeties can often go unnoticed, unless they are making a splashy play close to the line of scrimmage, or breaking up a deep passing play, well past the sticks. The NFC North though contains some of the conference’s more versatile players at the position, capable of making plays at all three levels.