Treydan
Stukes.
Treydan
Stukes.
Arizona· 6'1"· 190 lb· 4.33s 40
"Positionless nickel/safety hybrid with elite click-and-close speed, 4-INT All-America tape, and a projection that hinges on whether he adds the strike-force to hold up as a full-time NFL safety."Pre-draft read
Positionless secondary chess piece aligns at nickel, deep-third, and dime-backer, allowing the coverage picture to fully develop. He reads route stems via high-hand technique, shortening the field with a burst that closes on flat throws and dig windows the instant the quarterback's eyes commit. Man reps display fluid hips, sudden mirror at the top of the stem, and a swipe hand playing through the catch point, not grabbing it.
In zone, he stacks routes vertically, drives downhill through his heels, and high-points the football like a receiver. Run-support angles are honest; he sifts through trash to squeeze cutbacks from depth. However, he arrives as a wrapper, not an eraser, and shorter arms mean he funnels ball-carriers into help rather than isolating them in the alley.
Fangio two-high
Will be a primary nickel defender Year 1 with potential to develop into a starting two-high safety with coverage versatility.
A true single-high safety scheme where he is asked to cover the entire field alone.
A highly athletic and intelligent defensive back whose versatility and ball-hawking skills make him a valuable asset in a modern coverage scheme, despite some physical limitations in run support and contested catch situations.
Treydan Stukes Highlights — Arizona / Raiders R2
Full-length Arizona highlight cutup showcasing nickel work, deep-half range and the Territorial Cup one-hander.
Treydan Stukes Plays All Over the Field — Film Breakdown
Coach's-tape breakdown mapping his snap-by-snap position flex from CB, nickel, single-high and dime backer.
Film Breakdown: The Perfect Nickel for the Modern NFL
Route-recognition, click-and-close and tackle finish study framed against modern NFL nickel usage.
Treydan Stukes projects as a versatile hybrid defensive back, capable of filling roles from nickel to deep safety. His combination of speed, coverage instincts, and ball skills makes him a valuable asset for teams seeking a chess piece in the secondary. He brings an ability to impact both pass coverage and run support, with a floor as a starting nickel.
Stukes played six seasons at Arizona, outlasting multiple coaching staffs and evolving into a standout. He finished 2025 as a third-team AP All-American, recording 4 interceptions and 6 pass breakups. His one-handed interception against Arizona State highlighted his playmaking ability and elevated his draft stock into potential Day 2 consideration. He was frequently deployed in various secondary positions, demonstrating his positional flexibility.
Evaluators recognized his archetype as a nickel/deep safety with 4.33 speed. Concerns centered on his 31 3/4-inch arms and whether a college cornerback without a heavy contact profile could transition to a two-high safety role in the NFL. Despite these questions, draft rooms projected him in the late first to early second round, with the Raiders trading up to select him at pick 38.
- 01
Play Style Versatility
Positionless secondary chess piece aligns at nickel, deep-third, and dime-backer to allow the coverage picture to fully develop.
- 02
Route Recognition
Reads route stems via high-hand technique, shortening the field with a burst that closes on flat throws and dig windows.
- 03
Man Coverage
Man reps display fluid hips, sudden mirror at the top of the stem, and a swipe hand playing through the catch point.
- 04
Ball Skills
In zone, he stacks routes vertically, drives downhill through his heels, and high-points the football like a receiver.
- 05
Run Support Angles
Run-support angles are honest; he sifts through trash to squeeze cutbacks from depth as a wrapper.
- 01
Arm Length
Sub-32-inch arms mean he funnels ball-carriers into help rather than isolating them in the alley.
- 02
Tackle Finish
He arrives as a wrapper, not an eraser, and shorter arms mean he funnels ball-carriers into help.
- 03
Deep Half Range
Deep-half range as a true safety is projected rather than proven, as Arizona rarely tasked him with single-high centerfield reps.
- 04
Position Uncertainty
Position uncertainty regarding his optimal NFL role; teams disagreed on whether he was a full-time nickel or safety.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.33sp50
- Vertical
- —in
- Broad jump
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- Three-cone
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- Shuttle
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- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Arizona | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Arizona | 12 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 | Arizona | 12 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 | Arizona | 13 | 55 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 | Arizona | 12 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | Arizona | 10 | 52 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Career | — | 61 | 207 | 1 | 6 | 26 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Long-strider hybrid nickel/safety whose value lives in matchup packages — big slot, deep-third, dime backer — instead of a locked position.
Undersized-but-instinctive positionless defender who forces coordinators to redesign coverages around his versatility rather than hide him.
Traits-forward hybrid who flashes weeks in a designed role but struggles when asked to be a full-time deep-half safety in vanilla shells.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
**Pre-draft context.** Stukes arrived at Arizona as a lightly-recruited three-star from Litchfield Park and outlasted three coaching transitions, redshirting behind veterans before slowly claiming reps at every spot in the secondary. The 2025 season broke him out: 4 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, 51 tackles, a PFF grade of 90.1 that ranked sixth among FBS cornerbacks, and third-team AP All-America honors — the first Arizona DB so recognized since Antoine Cason in 2007. The combine reframed him. Measured 6'0 5/8", 190 pounds with 31 3/4" arms, he worked out with safeties instead of corners and ran a 4.33 forty that ranked among the top marks at the position. The pre-draft debate wasn't whether the traits and tape were real; it was whether an undersized college nickel could hold up as a full-time NFL safety.
**NFL fit — Las Vegas Raiders.** The Las Vegas Raiders personnel decision-makers traded up to grab Stukes at 38, sold on his ability to plug directly into a hybrid nickel-safety role opposite Isaiah Pola-Mao and Tre'von Moehrig. Early-camp reports have Vegas rotating him through big-nickel packages, dime linebacker looks on obvious passing downs and single-high emergency reps when they want to disguise post-safety help. The Raiders' bet is that his 4.33 speed and route recognition let the defensive scheme minimize length concerns — keep him underneath and in the middle of the field, use his click-and-close to erase quick game, and let his ball skills manufacture the takeaway rate the defense has lacked.
**Retrospective.** Too early to grade, but the projection call is clean: if Stukes hits, it will look like the pre-draft comp to Antoine Winfield Jr. — an undersized chess-piece defender who forces offenses to identify him pre-snap. If he misses, it will trace to the same flags the evaluation flagged in April: shorter arms exposed on the boundary, tackle finish in the alley, and a role that requires a defensive play-caller willing to design around him instead of into him. The 4-INT senior tape and 4.33 speed give him a floor as a starting nickel; the ceiling depends on Vegas's willingness to keep moving him around.