Richard
Lecounte.
Richard
Lecounte.
Georgia· 5'10"· 196 lb· 4.79s 40
"A 5'10", 196-pound Georgia captain with instincts, ball production and playmaking splash, but pre-draft measurables and a September 2020 motorcycle crash pushed a projected top-100 free safety into Day 3."Pre-draft read
Undersized free/rover safety excels via anticipation, ball skills, and decisive downhill triggers. He aligns primarily single-high or in split-safety looks. His eyes are key; he swiftly reads route distribution, drives on windows pre-throw, and reliably finishes at the catch point. A compact backpedal and smooth hip flips are assets, though his long speed lags on deep post/seam routes, causing late arrival.
As a run defender, he is a willing alley trigger who times fits and delivers pop. However, he leaves his feet on contact, losing leverage against pulling guards and second-level blockers. Tackling is honest but often insecure; arm tackles appear in space. He is best in coverage as a robber, low hole, or split-field safety, where his processing outshines his athletic limitations.
Cover-3 match primarily with heavy two-high looks to disguise coverage
Immediate special teams contributor as a gunner and punt-return vise player; eventually a nickel/dime sub-package safety specializing in short-to-intermediate zone coverage within a two-high shell.
A single-high scheme where he is asked to cover the deep middle third without safety help, exposing his lack of top-end speed and range.
LeCounte's instincts and ball skills make him a valuable asset in zone-heavy schemes that can protect him from true deep-field responsibilities.
RICHARD LECOUNTE III Highlights Georgia Bulldogs
Career highlight cut showing route anticipation, ball skills and downhill triggers from his 2018-2019 Georgia seasons.
Richard LeCounte 2019 Georgia Highlights
Junior-year reel — the tape that produced the top-100 conviction, featuring the Sugar Bowl interception off Baylor.
Georgia Safety Richard LeCounte Highlights
Full-season cut with quarters/robber alignment reps and splash plays vs. SEC offenses.
LeCounte projects as a special-teams-first developmental safety, offering instincts and ball production for a team seeking value in the later rounds. His high-end SEC tape demonstrated the ability to process concepts and produce splash plays, making him a worthwhile project despite athletic and medical flags. His collegiate production, including six career interceptions, highlights his playmaking ability from the secondary.
Throughout his collegiate career at Georgia, LeCounte was utilized primarily as a hybrid free/rover in a quarters-heavy scheme. He consistently demonstrated the ability to sift route concepts and communicate effectively, earning captain honors. His senior season was cut short in October 2020 due to a severe motorcycle accident, which impacted his draft stock significantly by limiting his final year of play.
Concerns surrounding LeCounte centered on his 4.79 forty-yard dash and shorter arm length, which hinted at limitations in range and vertical coverage. These athletic concerns, combined with the medical unknowns from his accident, led to a drop in his draft projection, with consensus placing him lower than his initial top-100 evaluation. He was ultimately drafted at pick #169 in Round 5, reflecting a calculated risk on his instincts and character.
- 01
Route anticipation
Reads route distribution off #2 quickly in Smart's quarters/robber shells, driving on concepts before the throw, leading to six career interceptions.
- 02
Ball skills at the catch point
Tracks the deep ball effectively, adjusts to under-thrown passes, and consistently finishes with reliable hands, similar to a receiver.
- 03
Communication and leadership
Served as a two-time Georgia captain, trusted to align the back end and effectively communicate pre-snap checks in critical situations.
- 04
Downhill trigger vs. run
Willing alley player who reads run keys quickly, times fits into the C-gap, and delivers real impact for his size.
- 05
Special-teams projection
Instincts, physicality, and a legitimate fifth-year captain profile contribute to his value as a gunner and on punt units.
- 01
Below-standard timed speed
A 4.79 forty at his pro day is below NFL free-safety expectations, evident in his late arrival on deep post/seam routes.
- 02
Length and frame
His 5'10", 196-pound frame with short arm proportions can cause him to lose contested catches against taller receivers.
- 03
Testing profile
His 32.5" vertical, 128" broad, and 7.44 three-cone do not support projecting range or significant slot-cover responsibilities.
- 04
Tackling technique in space
Tends to drop his head and deliver arm tackles against pulling guards and second-level blockers, impacting his missed-tackle rate.
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
- 4.79sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 128inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.44sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.49sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Georgia | 10 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Georgia | 14 | 74 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | Georgia | 14 | 61 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | Georgia | 6 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Career | — | 44 | 176 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Grossly overstates his range; the honest likely was a rotational two-high safety and core special-teamer if healthy — never got there.
Aspirational undersized safety comp — instincts, ball production and vocal leadership carry the profile despite non-elite testing. Ceiling only if he adds a real slot/nickel role.
Undersized safety with average length and average speed who bounced between rosters without a defined NFL role — the crash and pro day made this the realistic downside.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Richard LeCounte III arrived at Georgia as a five-star from Liberty County (GA) and grew into the emotional core of a Georgia defense, earning captain honors and second-team All-SEC in 2019 with four interceptions and a Sugar Bowl-clinching pick off Baylor. Listed at 5'10", 196, he played a hybrid free/rover role, sifted route concepts quickly and was one of the SEC's most productive splash defenders across 2018-2019. His senior season ended in October 2020 after a serious motorcycle accident outside Athens that produced a concussion, rib fractures and a shoulder injury; he never returned to the field and the medical file dominated the pre-draft conversation. At the Georgia pro day he ran 4.79, jumped 32.5" vertical / 128" broad and posted a 7.44 three-cone — modest numbers that produced a 2.99 RAS and confirmed the fear that the tape had been carried by processing rather than range.
NFL fit — Cleveland Browns. The Browns took LeCounte at #169 in Round 5 as a developmental deep safety and special-teams body behind John Johnson III and Ronnie Harrison, betting the medicals would clear and the instincts would translate on a value-heavy Day 3 board. He spent his 2021 rookie year on injured reserve after a preseason concussion, was waived from Cleveland's 53-man in 2022 and cycled through the Colts and Broncos practice squads before washing out of the league by 2023 without a regular-season defensive snap on record.
Retrospective. A hard miss on the field but a defensible bet on the board: teams that liked him in the top-100 backed off after the pro day and the accident, and the Browns bought the tape at appropriate cost. The scouting lesson is durable — sub-4.80 safeties with short arms and average length need elite processing plus special-teams juice to stick, and the crash robbed him of the reps needed to prove either at the NFL level.