Hamsah Nasirildeen is an incredibly fun player to watch. He’s a 6’3″ strong safety out of Florida State, who can be used virtually anywhere. Nasirildeen is more known for his play in the box, and as a traditional strong safety, but he can be used in coverage when needed. He’s really the prototypical hybrid safety that NFL teams love these days. Nasirildeen brings exciting hit power to the table and can really get his guys going on defense. Unfortunately, Nasirildeen only got to play two games in 2020 due to a torn ACL late in the 2019 season.
Player Bio
Name: Hamsah Nasirildeen
Jersey: #23
Position: Strong Safety
School: Florida State
Class: Senior
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 215 lbs
Coverage (8.25/10)
There’s not too much of Nasirildeen in true man coverage on tape but he faired very well in certain scenarios. He covered some wide receivers in the slot and did just okay, not too much to mention in that aspect. A big matchup for him in 2019 was Kyle Pitts. He only played about 15 snaps in the 2019 Flordia game before tearing his ACL, but his play on Pitts was really well done.
He blanketed Pitts in coverage and only allowed one catch on a highly contested ball. This shows the flashes that Nasirildeen can bring to the man coverage game and demonstrates that he can fair well against tight ends. Teams could utilize him against bigger receivers and tight ends due to this ability. In zone coverage, he can be a little over-aggressive but generally does well. It is important to note that he can be used as a single-high safety in the league, which speaks even more to his great coverage abilities and versatility.
Instincts (8.75/10)
Instincts are very important for a guy like Nasirildeen. As a safety who is going to spend a lot of time in the box and sub linebacker, this is a huge necessity for his game. Nasirildeen is quick to make a decision and it is normally the right one. Nasirildeen is always one of the first guys to the ball carrier and one can really see him process the field within the first half-second of the rep. There are several instances where Nasirildeen blows up his block and gets right to the ball carrier. Nasirildeen gets a huge plus in his overall grade by being a very instinctual player.
Run Defense (8.75/10)
This trait kind of piggy-backs off of his instincts but Nasirildeen is very talented in the run game. There are a few times where he can be slow to the ball, but this is very rare. He’s always looking to make a play and attack the ball carrier.
Range (9/10)
Nasirildeen demonstrates great range. He is a really nice athlete for a guy his frame and he can fly to the ball anywhere on the field. Nasirildeen takes nice angles when coming in to tackle the ball carrier and can shoot through gaps very nicely. When playing in the box, he’s very quick to the ball and uses his speed and size to make a play. This is an area where Nasirildeen can excel at the next level.
Tackling (8.25/10)
Judging Nasirildeen’s tackling is tough. He’s got incredible hit power and has laid guys out a multitude of times. However, he’s got some misses on the film. There are instances where he just throws his body into the play and doesn’t really make an impact. Besides this, his tackling is pretty good. He’s got nice technique is seems to be always involved in making a play on the ball carrier, even if the carrier has been wrapped up by three or four other players.
Athleticism (9.5/10)
Nasirildeen will wow you with his athleticism. He’s an incredible mover for someone his size and it’s really shown best on film, as he had to perform hurt during his pro day. There are some times where his play speed is a tad bit slow which is why he gets half a point off here but he’s explosive and as soon as the ball is snapped he just takes off. It’s really quite fun to watch.
Ball Skills (9/10)
Not an incredibly large sample size here but Nasirildeen has very good ball skills. Nasirildeen uses his size and speed to interrupt the passing lane incredibly well. If he’s blanketed a receiver in coverage, there’s almost no way a quarterback can make any sort of throw that can be caught. He’s just so big and will be able to make impact plays on the ball at the next level.
Versatility (9.25/10)
Nasirildeen has been moved all over the place at Florida State. Nasirildeen has played some nice reps in the slot but has more been used in linebacker roles. He’s come off the edge in some dynamic blitzes, lined up in the box, and as the sub linebacker. On top of all this, he can come into the league and be what is known as a “tight end killer.” This is a player who has the size and athleticism to match with any tight end in the league. He’s even got great reps in special teams units over his entire career at Florida State. Needless to say, teams will love Nasirildeen’s versatility.
Football IQ (8.5/10)
Nasirildeen has shown good IQ and processing throughout his career. In the run defense, he constantly seems to be scanning the line. In the passing game, he knows where everyone on the field is. Overall, no complaints about his football IQ.
Competitive Toughness (4.75/5)
Nasirildeen is going to give teams something every down. It’s really fun to watch a guy just get in on plays that have been finished for a couple of seconds already. He’s aggressive and plays with some serious physicality. He’s sort of a five because there are times when he sort of gives up, but very rarely.
Injury History (2/5)
Who would’ve thought that out of all the categories Nasirildeen gets the most points off in, it’s injuries? Nasirildeen tore his ACL and had setbacks from it which kept him out for quite a while. Then, Nasirildeen had a hamstring issue for his pro day and scouts said he had to “gut” through it. It’s a bit of a scary scene for teams that want to select him, but players have torn their ACL before and come back clean.
Player Summary
This guy is so fun to watch. The effort and athleticism Nasirildeen brings are near one-of-a-kind. Nasirildeen does everything very well and teams will be able to use him however they please. His ceiling is super high as well as his floor. At the very worst, Nasirildeen can be a key special team contributor in the NFL. At the very best, he could be an all-pro safety.
Player Grade (86/100): Mid-first round
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