Houston Texans safety Kurtis Drummond entered the NFL draft process as a likely early or mid-round prospect, but the closer teams looked, the less they found to like.
Drummond, 6-foot-1, 208-pounds, has the physical tools of a quality starting safety, but too many aspects of his game seemed out of sorts. He boasts significant ball skills, but lacks elite instincts. He doesn't play a particularly physical game or tackle well.
In short, a finesse safety with limited instincts is going to struggle in the NFL unless he can make significant changes to his playing style.
Luckily for Drummond, he may have landed in the best situation possible with the Texans.
"The Texans signed Rahim Moore to be their starting free safety, but cut starting strong safety D.J. Swearinger after the 2015 NFL Draft, " writes Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com. "That opened up a starting competition and another roster spot for a backup. Veteran Stevie Brown is the favorite to be the starter, but if Drummond stands out in training camp and during the preseason, he could factor into the decision and receive serious playing time even if he isn't the starter."
Drummond finished 2014 for Michigan State with 72 tackles, four interceptions, and 11 pass break ups - totals which led the Spartans' top-10 defense - en route to a Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year award and a first-team All-American selection.
Still, it was a good, not great, season for Drummond and disappointed NFL teams hopeful that he would improve upon a phenomenal junior year which saw him post similar numbers, but do it in a much more consistent, projectable manner.
Drummond followed a so-so senior season with a poor effort during the NFL rookie scouting combine, posting a 4.65 40-yard-dash and a 4.41 short shuttle.
The combination of his limited agility, poor instincts and lack of physicality pushed a player many draftniks presumed to be at least a mid-round pick to undrafted free agent status.
With Swearinger out in Houston though, Drummond has a fantastic opportunity ahead of him to make an immediate impact for the Texans.
Brown will likely start alongside Moore, but the former New York Giant seems more like a stop-gap addition - he appeared in 16 games in 2012 and 2014 for Big Blue, but missed the entirety of 2013 due to an ACL injury.
Unless he can return to the form he displayed in 2012 when he broke out for 76 tackles, two forced fumbles and eight interceptions, he's not likely to remain in Houston beyond the one-year, $825,000 contract he signed this offseason.
Eddie Pleasant has been a member of the Texans team for three seasons now, but has started just one game in his career and amassed just 28 tackles. While it's ill-advised to write off any player and many do develop later in their careers, he seems unlikely to break into the starting lineup now, which brings us to Drummond.
If Drummond can find his way past the likes of Lonnie Ballentine - the 2014 NFL Draft's Mr. Irrelevant - and Pleasant, he could wind up contributing to the Texans cause from Day One, probably as a reserve and special-teamer, potentially as a spot starter behind Moore and Brown.
