Scouting Report: Wayne Lyons, S – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Fort Lauderdale, FL safety Wayne Lyons |
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
Class: 2011
Position: Safety
School: Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL
40-yard dash: 4.55 seconds
Vertical: 31″
Notes: Holds more than 50 offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Stanford, and USC . . . Had 95 tackles and 2 sacks as a sophomore in 2008 . . . Had 87 tackles and 2 interceptions as a junior in 2009 . . . Holds a 4.8 GPA . . . 4-star recruit, #9 safety, #160 overall player, and #29 prospect in Florida according to Rivals . . . 4-star recruit, #6 safety according to Scout . . . 4-star recruit, 81 rating, #68 overall player, #7 safety according to ESPN . . . Missed large part of senior season due to MCL sprain
Strengths: Hard hitter . . . Instinctual playmaker . . . Rips at ball frequently when ballcarrier is stopped . . . Does a good job of avoiding overpursuit . . . Plays at a high speed with an aggressive nature . . . Very good feet and hips allow him to change direction in coverage and pursuit . . . Extends arms well to prevent blockers from getting into his body
Weaknesses: Good speed, but not great . . . Needs to bulk up physically . . . Attacks with bad intentions, but doesn’t always hit with as much authority as he wants . . . Aggression sometimes gets body out of position to make tackles . . . Needs to break down sooner when tackling . . . Must be smart about choosing when to strip ball and when to make tackle
Projection: Lyons is a very smart kid who seems to understand how the offense is trying to attack the defense. He’s also a very good athlete whose hips and coordination outstrip his pure, straight-line speed. Lyons could play free safety in a pinch, but his speed wouldn’t be ideal at that position; adding 15 to 20 lbs. would make him a prototypical strong safety to help in the run game. He could be a 3-year starter in a BCS-level program.