Demani Richardson 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• Earned the Defensive Top Newcomer and Freshman Strength Award as a freshman in 2019 

• Recipient of the Defensive Production Award and Defensive Aggie Award for strength and conditioning in 2021 
• High School US Army All-American 

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Multi-front with blended coverages 
• 2022 projected role: Starting safety

Pros: Demani Richardson already has three seasons of high-level starting experience and it’s clear that he understands his role in the defense. He is effective at staying leveraged and not being out of position. The Aggies have him play in a variety of alignments including as a deep safety in single-high coverage, in the slot, and in the box. He’s an instinctive player in coverage that anticipates routes well and takes options off the menu for the opposing quarterbacks. Richardson is a competitive defender that is a willing tackler. 

Cons: For a player that is sound in coverage in deep alignments, I wish he had more range and ball production. Demani Richardson doesn’t appear overly comfortable locating and breaking on the football. In addition, angles can be hit or miss both when driving downhill or breaking toward the sideline. While missed tackles haven’t been overly problematic, there are instances where he comes in too high and fails to wrap up. He isn’t overly springy and there is some segmentation to his transitions and change of direction ability. Richardson is a sound player but he’s missing some ingredients to make him a highly appealing prospect. I’m hoping for a more consistent playmaking presence in 2021 where he’s confident driving on the football and makes more impact tackles while taking consistent angels.

Demani Richardson NFL Draft Scouting Report by Joe Marino