The 2021 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Divine Deablo 2021 NFL Draft Profile.
Position: Safety
Size: 6-foot-3, 226 pounds
Class: Redshirt Senior
2020 stats: 55 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 4 passes defended
A one-time wide receiver, Deablo was able to make a name for himself at safety for Virginia Tech. The redshirt senior finished up his long college career and is now in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Deablo decided to leave the state of North Carolina as a four-star prospect and attend Virginia Tech. In his first season on campus, he played wide receiver, but did not see the field very much. He switched to safety the following season, but only played in four games before suffering an injury and being medically redshirted. In 2018, Deablo missed some time with injury, but did play in 11 games with 55 total tackles and two passes defended. The Hokies finished the regular season at 6-6, but lost to Cincinnati in the Military Bowl. As a redshirt junior, Deablo had 84 total tackles, one interception and two passes defended. Deablo helped lead the team to eight wins, but they lost to Kentucky in the Belk Bowl. For his last season of college football, Deablo totaled 55 tackles, four interceptions and four passes defended.
After five seasons in Blacksburg, Deablo is heading to the NFL. He is a projected third to fifth round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Deablo has great size for a safety at 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds. He is able to be effective in the box and has good physicality, which is possible because of his size. To go with his height and weight, Deablo also has long arms at 33 inches, which help him contest catches and give him a larger tackle radius.
His ability to be a factor against the run is a great strength. He will likely be a box safety at the NFL level. Deablo is able to get through traffic well and can shed blocks too. He has the ability to track the ball carrier down and then make the tackle to complete the play.
He is great in zone coverage, as Deablo does a good job of reading the quarterback’s eyes. Deablo has good recognition of the routes being run against him as well. His solid awareness of both routes and where the quarterback might throw the ball work together, then he is able to go make plays on the ball.
Deablo should not be used in man to man coverage very often. He often gets detatched from the man he is covering and can give up some big plays. If he gets matched up with receivers or even athletic tight ends it could be a problem.
While he did show solid awarenes of where a quarterback may throw the ball, Deablo struggles with awareness in other ways. He doesn’t diagnose plays very well and will bite on play actions and double moves. At the next level, he’ll need to play with more discipline or he will be taken advantage of.
His best fit may be as a smaller linebacker at the next level. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as many teams are going to smaller linebackers, but he will need to learn a new position if that’s the case, which will take time. If the change is needed, he’ll need to add play strength and get used to playing near the line of scrimmage.
Projected Draft Range: Third Round Pick-Fifth Round Pick
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