Maryland's 2028 Defensive Backs: Top 10 Evals

Prep Redzone Maryland closely looks at FIVE of the defensive backs rated in the Top 10 of our latest Class of 2028 prospects rankings.    Drakeford is a safety who is versatile and physical. His highlights show that running support is his major strength on the football field. Drakeford takes good angles and uses his football instincts to diagnose plays early. Whether he's lined up deep as a free safety or closer to the line of scrimmage, Drakeford seems to react quickly and attack downhill on a mission. He's a reliable open-field tackler who wraps up nicely and limits yards after contact. Several of his highlights show his ability to read plays early, shed blocks or avoid traffic, and make stops behind the line of scrimmage. There are a few plays of him in pass coverage, but not a lot that show him in deep coverage or man-to-man situations. I've seen him in coverage situations at off-season non-college camps, so I know he can cover. Right now, on the field, he's a safety who excels near the line of scrimmage and has the potential to also be a significant factor as a pass defender.     Smith is a well-rounded defensive back who can play both the safety and cornerback positions. This past season, his highlights show him playing safety for St. Frances. Smith makes some solid plays against the run and pass game in his highlights. He plays with a physical edge as a safety, which is impressive for his size. He comes downhill against the run with a sense of urgency and aggression. Smith takes good angles and is more than willing to initiate contact. He showed impressive closing speed on one pass play while jumping in front of a dig route to break up a pass. In another play, he showed discipline and technique in off-man coverage from the slot. Smith stayed square and tight to his man before breaking in front of him and deflecting the pass. I expect to see more plays of him defending the pass. Overall, Smith is a physical and versatile defensive back with the tools to make plays all over the field.     Mahomes brings an impressive blend of discipline, physicality and coverage awareness to the field. His highlights show a player capable of excelling in press, off-an, and zone coverage. Mahomes plays with a lot of swag and has a solid grasp of understanding leverage and route concepts. Those things stand out in the highlights where he's in Cover 2 and 3. Mahomes shows great instincts, patience, and vision. There's one highlight where he doesn't bite on the pump fake and puts himself in a position to make the play. That's evidenced in a couple of highlights where he intercepts the pass and others where he breaks up the pass. There's one play where you see him perfectly jam the receiver at the line, flawlessly transition out of his backpedal, and then successfully cause an incompletion on a deep passing attempt. Against the run, he's a willing tackler who takes on blocks, sheds them, and makes tackles that minimize gains. He's a young player, so he has enough time to put more weight on his frame. There's a lot to like about Mahomes, with his coverage versatility, fluid movement, and solid technique at this stage of his development.     Dawkins is a safety who primarily lined up as an outside linebacker for his team this past season. His highlights show his skill set and instincts, which makes me confident that he can transition to a strong safety position when his time comes. Dawkins's highlights are filled with high-impact plays that show his ability to diagnose and attack quickly. In coverage, he shows strong awareness and ball skills (e.g., his two interceptions - one where he undercuts a curl route while in zone coverage and another where he catches a tipped pass). I like Dawkins's ability to recognize plays early, as shown in his highlights, where he makes tackles behind the line of scrimmage on both screen and swing passes. He plays with an edge and disciplined aggression. Dawkins is comfortable playing near the line of scrimmage and is a consistent tackler. There are a couple of plays that indicate he's a legitimate threat as a pass rusher as well. The most significant question mark right now is his pass coverage, and that's only because he projects as a safety at the next level. I'm sure those answers will be provided sooner than later as his career develops.     Despite a limited sample size of highlights, there are a couple of things that suggest Dolby has some upside as a cornerback. He shows quick reaction time and a willingness to be physical in run support. In multiple plays, Doby scans the run and makes sound tackles. In coverage, there are a couple of plays where he shows good recovery speed and awareness. He reacted quickly to break in front of the receiver, causing an incompletion on a red zone rep, where he initially gave up inside leverage. Another highlight briefly shows his ability to run stride-for-stride on a deep route, forcing an incompletion. As I mentioned, a more complete evaluation will be done as he gets more game reps on film.

Prep Redzone Maryland closely looks at FIVE of the defensive backs rated in the Top 10 of our latest Class of 2028 prospects rankings.