The Iowa Hawkeyes had three underclassmen to this year’s NFL Draft. The first two, Tristan Wirfs and AJ Epenesa, were no brainers and likely first round picks. The third was a borderline decision in Iowa safety Geno Stone. I say borderline, because he is unlikely to be picked on the first two days of the draft, but I almost always think it’s the right move to leave college and get paid so good on him for getting closer to actually being compensated for putting his body on the line. I took a look at his games against Michigan, Iowa State, and USC to get a better idea of how he could make an impact for an NFL team.
Before we get to the film, let’s take a look at how he tested athletically at the combine.
That is...not ideal.
Geno is clearly looking to jump the route on this play.
He hangs back just enough to give the quarterback a window, knowing that he can break downhill to either tip the ball or get an interception. Since the linebacker remained fairly close as opposed to going to a zone more outside, the Michigan quarterback checks off the route before throwing a really bad pass in the opposite direction.
That play may seem like nothing, but it hints at what can happen when he makes a quarterback believe there is an opening that isn’t actually there.
Here he stays underneath the Michigan wide receiver while still staying close enough to the tight end where it will only lead to a short gain. He knows he has help behind him on the receiver but gives Patterson just enough of a window to make the throw. He doesn’t play the receiver, he plays the path of where the throw has to go and it leads to him making the interception.
He also has great instincts in the run game.
He looks like he has a rocket attached to him as he emerges on the screen and darts directly to the ball carrier to turn what looked like a first down into a play that comes up five yards short.
I will say that tackling could use some work. I don’t think it’s a big issue, but he isn’t a guy that really laid the wood on his hits, and there were times where he was desperately diving for legs instead of wrapping up.
Last year, I was absolutely enamored with Amani Hooker. He played in the box and at safety and excelled at both roles because his instincts were always right. Geno Stone has great instincts, and the only reason I can’t put him quite on Hooker’s level is that he wasn’t given the opportunity to play anywhere but safety. Still, he was very good at what he did. Analytics sites like Pro Football Focus love him, but anyone who loves raw athleticism isn’t even going to have him on their board. Hooker fell to the fourth round, so I would say that is about as high as we could expect Stone to go. I think he’s likely a fifth round pick who ends up being very valuable as a starting safety in the league. I don’t think he’s an All-Pro guy, but he’s a football player who will be in the right place at the right time and knows how to make big plays. If the Chicago Bears got him in the fifth round, I’d be ecstatic.
Previous Scouting Reports
1. Tua Tagavailoa - Alabama
2. Joe Burrow - LSU
3. Jordan Love - Utah State
4. Justin Herbert - Oregon
5. Nate Stanley - Iowa
6. Tristan Wirfs - Iowa
7. AJ Epenesa - Iowa
8. Geno Stone - Iowa
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