The Denver Broncos added depth to their secondary in the sixth round of the NFL draft last month when they picked Boise State safety JL Skinner.
Skinner (6-4, 209 pounds) looks like a potential future Kareem Jackson replacement both on film and on paper. Jackon is a hard-hitting safety who often plays down closer to the box while Justin Simmons plays deeper in the secondary as a free safety.
Skinner might one day become a candidate to start at strong safety for Denver, and he’s open to playing anywhere in the secondary.
“At my school, we did a lot of both,” Skinner said after being picked by the Broncos when asked if he plays deep or down near the box. “I have experience doing both, so I’d say I do a lot of work down by the box.
“My school had me rotating down in a box a lot, so just depending on those situations and what the Denver Broncos want me to do, I’m able to do both. I feel very experienced deep in the post and down [in the box].”
After the Broncos re-signed Jackson, Skinner seems very unlikely to start as a rookie. He’s not even a lock to serve as the fourth-string safety this fall given that at least Simmons, Caden Sterns and Jackson are likely above him on the depth chart. P.J. Locke and Delarrin Turner-Yell might have an edge over Skinner at the moment as well.
With a deep safety depth chart, Skinner will face tough competition for playing time in 2023, but he’s a versatile rookie with a promising future outlook and the ability to emerge as a SS or FS.
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