49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Safety Adrian Colbert

Niner Noise looks at a standout from 2017, San Francisco49ers safety Adrian Colbert, and breaks down his possible impact this upcoming season in our latest “Who Is?” installment.

We learned a lot of things from San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch in the 2017 NFL Draft. And one of those was his ability to hit on mid- and late-round picks.

Lynch’s final selection from that year’s draft class was Miami defensive back Adrian Colbert, taken in Round 7 at No. 229 overall.

Few would have expected Colbert to go from a seventh-round rookie to an impact starter his rookie season. Transitioning from the collegiate ranks to the pros is particularly difficult for defensive backs. Yet Colbert quickly emerged as a quality starter, likely cementing himself in the same role heading into 2018.

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/19/2018.

The traditional stats don’t quite tell the story.

Colbert was pushed into a starting role following injuries to fellow safeties, veterans Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmie Ward. The latter was all but handed the starting job to kick off 2017. But looking at Pro Football Focus grades, Colbert appears to be the better option moving forward.

Ward earned a measly 46.9 overall grade, compared to a respectable 77.6 mark from Colbert.

This has likely pushed Ward out of the starting free safety job, and it’s going to be Colbert’s job to lose in training camp.

What will he need to do to ensure he remains in this stead?

Why Adrian Colbert Improves in 2018

There’s a lot to like about Colbert. Linebacker Reuben Foster even referred to the 6-foot-2 defender as a “heat seeking missile.”

It’s not hard to see why:

There’s little reason to question Colbert’s intimidating abilities on the field. On a number of plays last season, Colbert flashed his ranginess and willingness to move from sideline to sideline.

Seeing how he registered a 4.40 40-yard dash time at his pro day in 2017, this isn’t hard to comprehend.

Colbert’s coverage skills, which were already pretty good last season, should get even better with a full year of experience under his belt. The ability for young defensive backs to recognize the more-complex routes at the NFL can be difficult. Yet Colbert’s anticipation was always good, rarely revealing him out of position in the passing game.

Why He Regresses

There’s always the chance Colbert’s rookie season was a bit of an anomaly, lending thoughts to why he was drafted so low.

San Francisco 49ers

This is a reach, of course, as Colbert regularly demonstrated his ability to provide an impact on the field. But it’s worth storing as a reason why 2018 could be something of a regression.

One of the actual concerns, though, is Colbert’s ability against the run. PFF awarded him with a less-than-desirable 60.8 run-stopping grade, compared to 80.0 in coverage. He missed two tackles last year, per PFF, and had an overall run-stop percentage of 4.3.

This will be an area needing improvement, especially as Colbert displayed tendencies to take poor angles against the run in college.

What to Expect with the 49ers in 2018

There’s going to be a competition with Ward during training camp, and one would be led to believe Colbert wins this out. Ward’s positional flexibility will keep him on the roster, although it’s Colbert’s job to lose.

The 49ers added another safety-type player in Southern Mississippi’s Tarvarius Moore, grabbing him in Round 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft. But Moore, 6-foot-2, seems poised to make a conversion to cornerback, possibly being the long-term replacement for veteran corner Richard Sherman.

Even if the Niners view Moore as a better safety prospect than cornerback, Colbert’s job looks pretty safe.

Next: 49ers' top 4 position battles to watch in OTAs

Overall, it should be pretty fun to watch Colbert patrol the last line of defense for San Francisco this upcoming season. Based off his efforts a year ago, and the frequent “big leap” second-year players make in their development, 49ers fans should be in for some nice things from the promising defensive back.