Name: Makari Paige
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #7
Last year: I ranked Paige #30 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He made 2 tackles.
TTB Rating: 79
Paige went from a quasi-starter in 2020 to only playing in nine games in 2021 without having an impact role. It was an odd detour for Paige’s career, especially playing for a position coach who used to be Paige’s high school head coach in Ron Bellamy. I figured the connection and relationship would build into a good amount of playing time, but the young guy who played a lot turned out to be true freshman Rod Moore instead.
Now that Brad Hawkins and Daxton Hill are gone to the NFL, that opens up a door for Paige. It seems as if Rod Moore and R.J. Moten will both start in some capacity, leaving room for Paige to be the #3 guy instead of #4 or lower. It remains to be seen who will play Hill’s nickel position, whether it will be Moore, Mike Sainristil, or someone else. If Moore plays nickel, Paige could start at safety. If Sainristil plays nickel, Paige would probably be a backup. At this point I haven’t seen anything to make me think Paige is a true difference maker, but he is experienced and has good size (he’s 1″ taller and 8 pounds heavier than last year’s listed measurements).
Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer
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