Name: Jevon Holland

School: Oregon University

Year:  Junior

Position: Safety

Measurements: 6-foot-1, 194lbs

STATS:

General Info:

Jevon Holland will be entering the 2021 NFL Draft after sitting out the 2020 season for the Oregon Ducks.

Holland was a four-star recruit coming out of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, California. While early on he was primarily utilized as a defensive player, he became a massive vertical threat as a wide receiver in his final two years of high school, averaging almost 30 yards per reception. Usually it’s the other way around, where you see high school wide receivers transition to defensive back in college. For Holland, he’s been roaming secondaries since very early on in his high school days and has plenty of experience doing so.

HIs transition to Eugene was as smooth as the Oregon staff had probably hoped it would be. As a freshman, Holland played in all 13 contests, starting two (both at safety). He logged 42 total tackles and had 5 interceptions. For a non-starter much of the season, and a freshman, his ball hawk abilities were instantly noticeable. To say the Oregon coaches were likely giddy about Holland’s 2020 potential would be an understatement.

Holland didn’t disappoint. In 2020, he started each and every game. He finished the season with 66 total tackles and 4 interceptions, playing both cornerback (outside and slot) and safety. While he played more at safety, Oregon was more than comfortable lining him up at cornerback and his play backed up their decision.

Positional Skills:

What has scouts salivating about Holland is his versatility. He is an obvious rock at the safety position. But he’s shown playmaker ability when playing the cornerback spot as well. That sort of versatility blends perfectly with what a lot of defensive coaches want in today’s game.

When watching Holland’s tape the one thing that immediately stands out is his instincts. He’s great at diagnosing what is about to come and where he needs to be. He has that uncanny ability that sounds cheesy, but “you can’t teach it.” Some of these dudes either have the instincts or don’t and Holland checks that box to the max. He’s an excellent, quick, on the spot, thinker.

He has a smaller frame which could have some talent evaluators scurry but they would be foolish to do so because when you watch Holland, he sure doesn’t shy away from contact. He’ll fill a gap in the run game without hesitation and does a hell of a job more times than not.

Perhaps one of his weaknesses is that if a team drafts him to solely play him at corner, he’s more raw at that position. The worry would be the ceiling and what exactly it is for Holland at cornerback if a team is hell-bent on keeping him at only that spot. While it seems unlikely whoever drafts him explores that only avenue, it is a possibility. He struggles at times with more physical receivers in those one on one battles, but it isn’t for a lack of effort. It’s something that can be worked on via technique as there are ways to work around that weakness in his game.

His pass coverage skills at safety are top tier in this draft class. He’s a ball hawk who does better when scanning an entire offense instead of being on an island in a one on one matchup at slot corner. His hands are more than reliable, his aforementioned instincts flourish when playing safety and he just seems more confident when taking reps at safety. He may not lack confidence at cornerback, per se, it’s just clear as day how much he trusts himself playing safety.

Finally, Holland has a high floor. He’s a really solid athlete, not freakishly great, just all around really solid. His intangibles across the board are seemingly all, again, really good. Does he do anything exceptionally better than others at his position? Maybe not. But his weaknesses aren’t ones that you look at and think, “Wow he’s miserable at this aspect.” Hence the high floor. You draft Holland, there’s a better than not chance at worst you have a good starting safety for quite a few years in the NFL. It’s hard to see him turning into any sort of a complete bust.

Fit for the Packers:

So how does this spark plug, Jevon Holland fit in with the Green Bay Packers if he were to be selected?

You might be thinking, “Uhhh the Packers have Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. Why another safety?” Point taken. Here’s the rebuttal.

If Holland is available on day two, late in round two he damn well might be the best player on the board when the Packers are selecting. And sure you have Amos and Savage, but the Packers will need help at corner for 2021, and Holland could be plugged in at slot corner and be an extra defensive back when Green Bay goes to the dime package or potentially the nickel. The thought of Holland out on the field simultaneously with Savage and Amos, yea go ahead and sign me up for that. He could be Damarious Randall except consistent and actually able to play multiple spots very well.

The cherry on top? Holland returned punts at Oregon. Green Bay signed Tavon Austin during the season in 2020. At the time it may have been more because of the Tyler Ervin injury, but they did put Austin back to return punts as well. Green Bay’s special teams as a whole were downright awful in 2020. At worst, you could start Holland at punt returner and line him up at gunner and it’s an immediate upgrade on both fronts.

The Packers are trying to win a Lombardi Trophy now. Drafting Holland is drafting a player who can give you instant impact, not someone who will need to be slowly brought along with a hope that he emerges and puts the pieces of the puzzle together by year three or four. His versatility would be a welcomed boost to the Packers defense and special teams.