Tyler Nubin - Minnesota

Position: Safety

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 199 lbs.

Year: Redshirt Senior

Hometown: St. Charles, IL

Experience: 3-Year Starter

Measurables: 

40yd dash: 4.74s

Broad jump: N/A

Vertical: 35.80 in.

3-cone: N/A

20yd. Shuttle: 4.56

Bench Press: N/A

Career Notes: 

Nubin has spent a long time in Minneapolis as a 5-year player for the Gophers. He has left a legacy with the Gophers’ football program, leaving the university as the career leader in interceptions. 

Nubin started his career sitting and learning behind NFL standout, Antoine Winfield Jr. for two seasons. His journey began in 2019, coming from St. Charles as a 4-star prospect who played quarterback at a high level in high school. At Minnesota, Nubin would use his prior QB experience to pick apart offenses as a defensive back. Minnesota couldn’t keep him off the field, as he saw playing time in all 12 games as a true freshman. In 2020, his play time continued as he saw action in seven games, logging 41 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. 

By his junior year in 2021, he had earned a starting spot, taking over for Winfield and keeping up the same high level of play that Gophers fans had come to expect from the safety position. He finished the season with 52 tackles, 3 interceptions, and a sack to boot. 

Over his final two seasons in 2022 and 2023, he put together a performance befitting his reputation as the premier safety in the Big Ten. In those two years, he logged 108 tackles, 9 interceptions, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack. He finished 2023 with All-Big Ten First Team honors from the Big Ten and Associated Press. He was also listed on at least four news outlets’ All-America Second Team lists, including the Associated Press.

Injury Report: 

Nubin’s 2022 season ended in week 11 when he broke his right hand against Iowa. He returned in 2023 to play the full season injury-free.

Career Stats: 

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/tyler-nubin-1/gamelog/2023/

Analysis: 

Man Coverage 2.75/5.0: Nubin wasn’t placed in man coverage often, but when he was, he showed a lot of promise. He was physical when receivers crossed his face and he was sticky, staying in their hip pockets. QBs didn’t throw at him a ton in man coverage, he just closed up routes and didn’t let guys get open. Minnesota liked to rotate him down from the deep safety spot, and his credibility as a man defender allowed the defense to mix up when they would send him on a blitz, when he’d play man, or when he’d drop into an intermediate zone. His ability to play man opened up his options as an individual as well as opening up Minnesota’s defensive playbook. 

Zone Coverage 3.0/5.0: Nubin’s nose for the ball was undeniable in his time at Minnesota, locking up a lot of interceptions and pass breakups as a deep safety. His instincts were consistent, and he was usually well-positioned post-snap. As a deep safety, he consistently closed off deep routes and put himself in position to tackle intermediate pass targets, preventing explosive plays. Minnesota most often positioned Nubin 12-20 yards off the line of scrimmage, directly aligned with where the ball was. This meant that in two-deep coverage, he often covered the shorter half of the field. Because of his length, speed, and reactions in zone coverage, many quarterbacks (including North Carolina’s Drake Maye) had to throw long passes to the far side of the field to have a chance on hitting deep routes. Throwing a deep pass to Nubin’s zone on the near side was a risk that many guys didn’t want to take (ask Jeff Sims of Nebraska how well testing Nubin works out—Sims found out the hard way after 2 interceptions not to try Nubin). While Nubin’s positioning and instincts were consistent, I would like to see him continue to grow in these areas. As a deep safety, sometimes he seemed to lean to heavily on the textbook answers to where he should be positioned and when to crash on routes. I think his game as a pro would really flourish if he could go off-script and learn when to deviate from the strictly defined roles that come with coverage responsibilities. That said, Minnesota’s front 7 was very aggressive in attacking the run, so he may have stayed deep on a lot of plays just to account for the threat of explosive plays due to the intermediate zones being vulnerable.

Against the Run 3.5/5.0: I absolutely loved Nubin’s run support. The guy was fast, decisive, and crashed into offensive linemen and tight ends without fear to tighten up run lanes. This was on display frequently against North Carolina and Michigan in 2023. He made tackles all over the field, and his tackling is some of the purest that I’ve ever seen. His form is impeccable. His leverage leaves room for growth—he could stand to get lower on tackles—but Nubin always wrapped up ballcarriers and drove through tackles. His ability to assist in the run also helped Minnesota keep their playbook versatile, because he would frequently blitz from 7-10 yards’ depth. These blitzes and his ability to stun offensive linemen in the run meant offenses had to be wary of him when he was within ten yards of the line of scrimmage.

Speed/Quickness 3.25/5.0: Nubin gets nicked a lot for a lack of top-tier speed, but I honestly didn’t see a shortage of speed in his game at Minnesota. Maybe I’m overlooking something, but his acceleration and speed made him someone I’d trust as a back-end defender against top NFL speed. His positioning, decisiveness, and intelligence definitely helped him make the most of his physical gifts, but I also think the guy can flat-out fly. His 4.74s time at the 40-yard dash does raise some questions about his top-end speed, but I still think Nubin just plays fast. As for his agility, I don’t think his change-of-direction was exceptional, but I think his lateral movement is what a median NFL safety needs.

Impact Play Ability 3.75/5.0: Regarding big plays, Nubin was a curious case to watch on film, because he just plays consistently within the scheme of the defense and executes exactly his responsibilities. Usually, guys make impact plays by going above and beyond, or going outside the defined roles of the defense. Nubin, however, was just consistent and found himself with his hands on a lot of picks staying true to his responsibilities. His impact plays also came outside of his interceptions, locking up a handful of ballcarriers for tackles that could have been huge plays in the open field. 

Summary: Nubin was the model of consistency and explosiveness at Minnesota. While I think the most pro-ready aspect of his game was his run support, he was no slouch in pass defense. His coverage in deep zones, short zones, and man coverage all made him someone that QBs didn’t want to throw at. If a quarterback overthrew a ball by even a few yards in Nubin’s vicinity, you could guarantee that ball was going to be Nubin’s. He’s been criticized for athleticism and speed, but those criticisms don’t weigh heavily in my mind. I think his speed is a plus in his game both in coverage and in attacking the run. He was also a nasty defender in the run, thumping offensive linemen and tight ends consistently to tighten up running lanes. His size was the cherry on top of his well-rounded game. Packers fans will be happy to know he’s physically a lot like Morgan Burnett, and has the same balance of pass and run support that Burnett put on display a few years ago.

Overall Grade 3.25 / 5.0

If drafted by the Packers:

Nubin has gone from being the #2 safety behind Kamren Kinchens early in the draft process, to landing anywhere from #1 to #4 on scouts’ safety rankings. I think Nubin would be available for Green Bay early in the second round. Even with the arrival of Xavier McKinney, Brian Gutekunst will likely have to use early draft capital to find a suitable teammate for McKinney along the back end so that McKinney can roam and create turnovers. Re-stocking in the second round with a young and talented safety would also add a great level of competition to the safety room. With all of these details surrounding Green Bay’s safety position, Tyler Nubin would be the perfect prospect at the perfect spot in the draft for Green Bay’s 41st overall pick in the second round.

Nubin’s versatility as a pass defender and in run support make him a terrific prospect for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Nubin’s playmaking ability would disrupt quarterbacks’ timing and rhythm on a weekly basis. His size and athleticism would only add to his disruptiveness. His willingness to aggressively fight through blocks in the run would allow him to stay on the field for every play—whether it’s 2nd & 3 or 3rd & 16. His sure tackling would be a welcome addition to a defense that has struggled to bring down ballcarriers at times. He’s no Nick Collins, but I think Nubin would have a successful career in Green Bay in a role similar to the versatile Morgan Burnett.

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