Jacoby
Stevens.
Jacoby
Stevens.
LSU· 6'1"· 212 lb· 4.63s 40
"A 6-foot-1, 212-pound LSU hybrid safety and former 5-star WR recruit with a 9.04 RAS, 42-inch vertical and blitz production — box-and-star traits ahead of deep-half instincts and a fit-specific Day 3 projection."Pre-draft read
This hybrid box safety/dime linebacker operates inside the numbers, aligning near the second level as a robber, hook-curl defender, or A-gap blitzer. He attacks downhill through arc runs, wrapping in the alley on wide-zone bounces, rushing with ankle bend and quickness on green-dog and simulated pressures. In coverage, he excels in short-to-intermediate zone drops, tracking the quarterback and triggering on crossers and shallow overs.
His man reps against tight ends flash potential when leveraging and staying square, using length to disrupt at the catch point. Limitations appear at true free safety: hips are heavy on late rotations, angles from depth get flat on posts and deep overs, and his trigger can fire prematurely. Tackling is inconsistent, with a habit of chest-tackling, yielding yards after contact.
A quarters/Cover-6 based defensive system that prioritizes downhill aggressive box safeties, multiple safety packages and sub-package versatility.
Stevens can contribute immediately as a core special teams player while developing into a versatile sub-package defender capable of playing dime linebacker or a strong-side box safety role; his ceiling is a scheme-specific starter who can toggle between safety and linebacker.
A Fangio two-high or other deep-half safety-driven scheme that requires consistent single-high or split-field assignments, as his coverage hips and deep-zone limitations would be exposed.
Stevens' unique blend of size, physicality, and athleticism make him a valuable chess piece for defenses willing to leverage his downhill playmaking and special teams prowess within a defined box role.
LSU Safety JaCoby Stevens Official Senior Season Highlights
Full 2020 senior reel — box blitzes, alley fills against wide zone and coverage reps versus SEC tight ends and backs.
LSU Safety Jacoby Stevens 2019 Highlights
National-title season film showcasing hybrid usage and open-field tackling as part of the 2019 LSU defense.
LSU Safety Jacoby Stevens (3 Sacks) vs Arkansas
Single-game blitz production tape — A-gap timing, edge quickness and finish through running-back protection.
Stevens projects as a dime-package sub-safety and core special-teamer with position flexibility to weakside linebacker in certain fronts. His value stems from his frame, closing burst, and blitz production. He is a player a team acquires to fill specific inside-the-numbers roles, rather than as a primary deep-half defender, noted for his 42-inch vertical.
He signed with LSU as a five-star recruit, initially as a receiver, before transitioning to defense. He became a box safety for the 2019 national title team and took on an increased role in 2020, showcasing versatility in a leaky LSU defense. In his final season, he recorded 56 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 5.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and seven pass breakups.
Evaluators noted his elite lower-body explosion but flagged his tight coverage hips and spotty tackling. Consensus positioned him as a mid-Day 3 sub-safety or linebacker convert with special teams utility, rather than a deep safety. He was drafted by Philadelphia as the 224th overall pick in the sixth round.
- 01
Lower-body explosion
A 42-inch vertical and 130-inch broad jump at 212 pounds indicate rare pop, translating to violent closing angles and a strong first step on blitzes.
- 02
Downhill run defender
Reads flow quickly from box alignments, fills the alley on wide-zone bounces, and delivers contact through the ball carrier's frame.
- 03
Blitz production
Posted 4.0 sacks and 5.0 tackles for loss in 2020 as an A-gap and off-the-edge blitzer, demonstrating ankle bend and quickness.
- 04
Position flexibility
LSU used him as a box safety, dime linebacker, and match zone defender, offering various sub-package uses without a specific coverage profile.
- 05
Ball production and playmaking sense
Three interceptions and seven pass breakups as a senior show his ability to play through the hands at the catch point.
- 01
Coverage hips at depth
Heavy on late rotations from single-high looks, putting him behind on posts and deep overs when asked to spin as a free safety.
- 02
Inconsistent tackling technique
Chest tackles too often and drops his eyes on wrap attempts, leaving yards after contact against elusive ball carriers.
- 03
Man coverage on quicker receivers
Slot and jitterbug releases can win at the top of the stem before he flips his hips, forcing him to trail rather than play through.
- 04
Overrun angles from depth
Trigger sometimes fires before the read is complete, producing flat pursuit lanes on wide zone that let backs bend behind him.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.63sp50
- Vertical
- 42inp50
- Broad jump
- 130inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | LSU | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | LSU | 13 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | LSU | 15 | 92 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2020 | LSU | 10 | 63 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Career | — | 44 | 184 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Late-round SEC safety who carved out a real role via special teams and dime-package snaps before earning defensive reps — the realistic developmental path for a Day 3 hybrid.
Bigger, faster hybrid safety who won early as a box/dime defender with linebacker-adjacent tackling volume — the archetype LSU's coaches hoped Stevens could grow into in the right sub-package.
Explosive testing safety whose coverage limitations pushed him out of a defensive role and into special-teams and positional-conversion territory.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Stevens signed with LSU as a five-star receiver, moved to defense as a sophomore and settled in as a hybrid box safety on the 2019 national championship defense before a heavier full-time role in 2020: 56 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 5.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions and seven pass breakups. He measured 6-foot-1, 212 pounds and tested with a 4.63 forty, a 42-inch vertical and a 130-inch broad at his pro day — a 9.04 RAS at safety, with the vertical pop grading in the elite range. The board saw a scheme-specific box/dime defender: real closing burst and blitz value inside the numbers, tempered by heavy hips at depth, streaky tackling and a coverage profile that did not project to true free safety.
NFL fit — Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia took Stevens in the sixth round intrigued by the hybrid tools and hinted at a linebacker conversion in a defense trending toward smaller, faster second-level bodies. He spent most of his rookie year on the practice squad, saw limited action on special teams and defense in his second season and never locked down a rotational role as the Eagles cycled through nickel packages under a shifting coordinator room.
Retrospective. Stevens bounced between the Eagles' active roster and practice squad, worked in with the Bears and Panthers organizations at various points and never turned the athletic profile into steady regular-season snaps. The bet was that a 9-RAS box safety with LSU pedigree would find a niche as a dime defender or converted linebacker; the reality was that the coverage limitations and inconsistent tackling that flagged pre-draft never fully resolved. He grades out as a miss on the pick, a reminder that hybrid athleticism only converts when a defense commits to a specific sub-package role, and that special-teams alone rarely keeps late-round DBs on 53-man rosters.