For a good chunk of the 2018 college football season, it seemed that Alabama safety Deionte Thompson was the best safety prospect coming out in the 2019 draft class. He had shown great range, ball skills, and playmaking ability at Alabama, and it was thought that he would only get better with time.
However, late in the season, Thompson’s play began to fall off. He struggled in the College Football Playoff and had a particularly rough performance against Clemson. His instincts weren’t as good and he blew some coverages as a result. He got a minor stock down because of this late-season drop-off, but there were still some that believed he could be a first-round pick.