From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Georgia S Javon Bullard.
#22 JAVON BULLARD/DB GEORGIA – 5104, 198 POUNDS. (JUNIOR)
Senior Bowl
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Javon Bullard | 5104/198 | 9 | 30 3/4 | 73 7/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.47 | 1.51 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Excellent football intelligence and cerebral player
– Experience playing both free safety and slot cornerback really well
– Always looks in control and patient when reading receivers
– Pursuit angles are excellent, being able to fill run fits and attack receivers at the catch point
– Great route anticipation in mirroring receivers and breaking off at the appropriate time to contest catches
– Able to read the quarterback well and reacts quickly to diagnose routes
– Great ball-tracking skills in the air and can high-point just about any ball
– Knows how to undercut routes and has a fantastic ability to break off his area at the right time to make a play on the ball
– Used effectively as a slot blitzer
– Closing speed is impressive to tackle guys like a sledgehammer
– Plays with passion and energy from the beginning of the game until the end. You’ll never have to question his effort
– Athletic ability to cover the sideline as a deep safety
THE BAD
– Can all too much separation of receivers in off-man coverage at times
– Does not have great recovery speed when he’s caught off balance
– Runs well with receivers but lacks the top-end speed to match elite speedy receivers downfield
– Physical tackler who gives maximum effort, but he will recklessly dive at guys without wrapping up
– Leaves his feet too much as a tackler on running plays to grab at ankles
– Does not have a ton of ball production in 3 seasons (4 INT’s and 8 pass deflections)
– His footwork can get loose when he’s downfield
– Not tall or big for the safety position
BIO
– Born on 09/05/02 (21 years old)
– 1,358 snaps total in 3 seasons (726 slot CB, 408 FS, 169 box safety, 28 CB) according to PFF
– Started 22 games and played in 39 games total for Georgia
– Accumulated 114 total tackles, 43 run stops, 8 TFLs, 4 sacks, 12 missed tackles, 2 TDs allowed, 4 INTs, and 10 PBU’s according to PFF & College Football Reference
– 2023 AP All-SEC Second Team
– 2022 Defensive MVP of Peach Bowl
– 2022 Defensive MVP of CFP National Championship Game
– 3-star prospect in 2021 class, per 247 Sports coming out of HS
– Played wide receiver, running back, and cornerback for Baldwin HS
TAPE BREAKDOWN:
When you watch a football player like Javon Bullard, it’s an experience. He is a very talented defensive back who evokes some of the old-school nostalgia in hitting guys like a sledgehammer and making them second guess if they want to catch a football ever again, but also the football intelligence and processing skills to make plays on the ball that you didn’t think were possible. The other big strength of Bullard is that his consistency and effort will never be questioned. He brings it every single play, and his passion for the game is absolutely infectious to a team and fans.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 19, 2024
He knows how to get after runs on the backside of the formation and closes quickly. Bullard will absolutely put his face in the fan in run support, and he really embraces the physicality of taking on blocks. He is able to take on ball carriers and has good angles to tackle them either mid or low. Bullard drives guys when he tackles and does a great job of moving his feet through the entire sequence. He does try to make ankle tackles at times off his feet, which can cause him to have missed tackles, but he also still tries to go after the ball carrier if he does, never giving up on the play.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 19, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 19, 2024
He has good hip fluidity to turn on breaks quickly with receivers. When teams tried to challenge him with slants and crossers, he was able to match their turns and he would force incompletions often. In fact, Bullard was second in all of college football for the 2023-24 season of any safety in forced incompletion percentage according to PFF (27%). He’s not afraid to take on tight ends, either. He uses his good wingspan, closing speed, and great tackling effort to make sure there are rarely many yards after the catch. This was also evident when he was in slot coverage as well. Bullard is a very effective slot blitzer, albeit he wasn’t used a lot in that role, and he knows exactly when to come down and how to disguise it.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 19, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 19, 2024
He excels best in zone coverage schemes where he can use his high-level football intelligence and processing abilities to make plays on the ball, but he also can play man coverage well if he doesn’t have to run stride-for-stride with vertical shots and deep breaks. He is likely to struggle if he has to cover a ton of area as a safety. He’s what is considered a “short strider” when watching him on film, which typically means he will have difficulty recovering if he’s beaten or off balance. In man coverage, he likes to stay inside of guys and stays on the hip of the receiver well. He can play both off-man and press coverage, but that should seldom be his assignment in the NFL based on his skill set and limitations with his speed.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 19, 2024
Bullard shows good play recognition instincts to make plays on the ball frequently. You can really see him diagnose run and pass plays before the ball is snapped with consistency. He is constantly talking to his teammates. He plays the nickel and free safety positions well. Bullard rarely allows receivers to get behind him because of this awareness, and he knows how to play over the top in coverage. You can try a hole shot on him, but he has the range and awareness to make a play on it, as evidenced below.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 19, 2024
CONCLUSION
This is a defensive back who may not be for everyone because of his lack of height, size, and speed limitations, but man, does he have just about everything else you’re looking for as a big nickel safety who also was an excellent slot cornerback when asked to play that in 2022. I believe that he’s the best slot cornerback in this draft. Bullard definitely needs to improve his long speed, but that may be something he just is never great at. He also has to clean up his tackling technique so he’s not making so many tackles where his feet are off the ground. For a guy who forces so many incompletions, you would like to see him come away with more interceptions.
It’s not hard to find a comparison for Bullard because there is absolutely an archetype for him, especially nowadays in today’s NFL. He reminds me a lot of Jalen Pitre and Budda Baker. Guys who are consistently around the ball because they’re allowed to utilize their football intelligence and instincts to make plays. These kinds of defensive backs are indispensable in today’s game.
In regards to the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would love to see what Mike Tomlin and Grady Brown could do with a defensive back like Bullard. They love guys who can wear multiple hats, and his physical, tone-setting presence would fit right in with that locker room. We know how much Tomlin admires the Georgia University pipeline of players in recent years. Will he be the next in that line of selections? It’s hard to tell with all of their other needs in this draft, but he would sure fit like a glove in their defense.
Projection: Early-Mid Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.3 – Future Quality Starter (2nd Round)
Games Watched: at Missouri, at Alabama (2023) vs. Florida (2022), vs. LSU (2022)
