NFL Draft Profile: Kaevon Merriweather, Safety, Iowa Hawkeyes

NFL Draft profile scouting report for Iowa S Kaevon Merriweather

Kaevon Merriweather
Iowa Hawkeyes

#26
Pos: S
Ht: 6000
Wt: 205
Hand: 0928
Arm: 3178
Wing: 7718
40: 4.62
DOB: 12/20/1999
Hometown: Belleville, MI
High School: Belleville
Eligibility: 2023

---

One-Liner:

A well-formed safety that has useful athleticism, Merriweather just needs more opportunities to display his skill set.

Evaluation:

Great build with adequate length and substantial structure for a safety. Primary aligns to the strong side and boundary. Fluid athlete with an easy pedal, sudden break, and loose hips. Scheme limits the amount of range he can display, but seems to have the open-field speed requisite to play in the post. Has cross-field pass breakups, showing both his pace and awareness, cleaning up others missed assignments. Quick in his run vs pass diagnosis. Ample tackler uses square body positioning and fundamentals. Fills the alley from depth with solid form tackling. Mainly aligns in two high shells, leaving questions about his versatility. Not a full-time starter before 2022. Hasn't played tons of man coverage, with some eye discipline concerns when he has. Takes questionable pursuit angles at times. Merriweather has the makeup of draftable safety thanks to his size and ability to cover grass. With a full season worth of starts, it will be important that he capitalizes and makes the most of athletic testing to prove his usefulness.

Grade:

4th Round

Background: 

Born and raised in Belleville, Michigan. Attended Belleville High School and was rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports. Played in nine games as a freshman and decided to redshirt the following season. During redshirt sophomore year, played in all eight games and had twenty three tackles. Had a following season, finishing with twenty nine tackles. Really improved going into the 2022 season, playing in every game and finishing with thirty four tackles. Projected as a fourth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.