San Francisco 49ers: Who is safety Chanceller James?
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise’s annual “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players in 2017 rolls along with a breakdown on undrafted free-agent safety Chanceller James and his chances to make the roster this season.
Following the 2017 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers made a slew of undrafted free-agent transactions in the days up to, and including, rookie minicamp.
One of those was plucking former Boise State safety Chanceller James.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound James has two years’ worth of collegiate starting experience, likely translating over to a strong safety position at the NFL level:
| Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Def | Def | Def | Def | Def | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD |
| *2014 | Boise State | SO | S | 8 | 25 | 11 | 36 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| *2015 | Boise State | JR | S | 12 | 32 | 22 | 54 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2016 | Boise State | SR | S | 12 | 49 | 31 | 80 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | Boise State | 106 | 64 | 170 | 10.5 | 2.0 | 4 | 29 | 7.3 | 0 | 7 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 6/7/2017.
Currently, the two favorites to make the 53-man roster at this position are safeties Eric Reid and his backup, Jaquiski Tartt. James likely provides both depth and camp competition, although his three interceptions from 2016 are worth taking a look at.
What are James’ chances to make the regular-season roster this season?
Let’s take a look at that, as well as his strengths and weaknesses.
San Francisco 49ers
Why He’ll Improve
Size-wise, James certainly has an above-average body type to play down in the box in San Francisco’s Cover 3 defense. He’s already taller and heavier than the remaining 49ers safeties, so that gives the rookie some advantages.
According to his scouting report on DraftAnalyst.com, James is solid in run support — ideal for an in-the-box safety — and frequently puts himself into playmaking positions.
This is likely reflected by four career interceptions and seven passes defended.
James is also a good fit in zone schemes, where he can face the offense and work as a complement to other defensive backs.
Why He’ll Regress
Also per the report, James’ straight-line speed isn’t particularly great — a 4.54 40-yard time.
That might be OK within the box, but James doesn’t posses the best pure coverage skills. And this is something easily exploited at the pro level.
It’s also worth noting James has torn both ACLS, one in 2013 and the other in 2014. His efforts since then have certainly looked good enough, but this injury concern has to raise a few red flags.
What to Expect in 2017
James’ ability to make the 53-man roster in 2017 will largely hinge on his ability to double on special teams.
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Assuming the Niners are happy with both Reid and Tartt as their top-two free safety options, James likely doesn’t make the cut. Especially if San Francisco prefers to give looks to other rookies like Lorenzo Jerome and/or Adrian Colbert.
If James has a good training camp and preseason, his chances are clearly better to have a shot.
Next: 49ers risers and fallers in OTAs so far
At best though, it’s more likely James winds up being little more than a practice squad candidate. The intangibles are there to be a nice developmental piece, although he’ll have an uphill battle to do much more than that in 2017.