Jireh Edwards

Physical Profile

Listed at 6-2, 205 as a junior and 218-221 pounds on Alabama's roster, Edwards arrived with a linebacker-adjacent frame that is already college-ready. That mass does not come at the expense of movement: 247 notes he tested off the charts the spring before his junior year, and his tape shows the closing burst and grip strength to rip ball carriers down in space rather than merely arrive. The build is ideal for a box or overhang safety who can hold up against tight ends and pulling guards, and it gives him legitimate dime-linebacker versatility. The one place the size shows up is in hip fluidity on deep-route transitions, where he is more of a straight-line mover than a bend-and-turn cover man.

Play Style

Edwards plays what 247 calls an angry brand of football. He is at his best moving forward: keying run action from depth, filling alleys, blitzing off the edge or through the A-gap, and delivering finishing blows. In coverage he is sticky in man from a robber or overhang alignment, relies on anticipation over pure speed, and jumps routes for takeaways, which explains his two interception returns for touchdowns. He is a communicator and an alpha on the back end, which fits the modern hybrid safety role more than the classic single-high centerfielder mold.

Strengths

• Run defense and tackling: 167 tackles from the safety spot on a 8-1 MaxPreps No. 2 team is extreme production for the position; he trigger reads quickly, takes efficient angles and finishes with violence and grip strength in the open field.
• Ball production and instincts: six interceptions with two pick-sixes in 2025, and Alabama DC Kane Wommack called him one of the most instinctive playmakers he has seen coming out of high school; 247 credits him with elite reaction times in coverage.
• Blitz and alignment versatility: 247's Andrew Ivins describes him as a fearless blitzer who storms gaps and punishes quarterbacks, and projects him as a chess piece who can spin down into the box, play the overhang or patrol from depth.
• Football character: days after surgery he was sitting in position meetings; Wommack described him as obsessed with football, which matters for a player whose value is tied to processing and communication (247 tags him with green-dot potential).

Areas to Improve

• Deep-coverage discipline: 247's evaluation flags that he can be exposed on deeper routes when his positioning is compromised, so he needs cleaner footwork at the top of routes and more patience playing the post from a two-high shell.
• Change-of-direction at his current mass: at 218-221 he must prove he can flip his hips and match slot receivers in man coverage rather than relying on physicality; if not, his usage narrows toward the box.
• Durability and re-acclimation: the right-arm injury cost him the end of camp and the season opener window, and a casted arm limits tackling technique and ball skills; he has to close the gap between physical clearance and game-speed execution, which his DC has publicly named as the priority.

College Projection

Rotational safety and sub-package weapon as a true freshman, with Wommack already stating he would see significant playing time before the injury. Once cleared, expect early snaps as a dime or money backer, in run-heavy packages and on special teams, growing into a full-time starter at strong safety or the STAR spot by 2027. Given his physical readiness and production profile, a three-year path to the NFL Draft is realistic if the coverage refinement comes.

NFL Outlook

247 projects him as a Day 2 (Round 2-3) pick and comps him to Malaki Starks, with an earlier Ivins evaluation comparing him to Lewis Cine, both first-round safeties. The floor is a physical, versatile box safety and core special-teamer; the ceiling is a first-round hybrid if he shows enough range and man-coverage fluidity to stay on the field in three-safety looks. Health and how his body responds to another 5-10 pounds will shape which of those he becomes.

Best Fit

A multiple, pressure-based defense that uses safeties interchangeably, which is exactly Kane Wommack's Alabama scheme. He is maximized in a three-safety structure where he can play the overhang, the box or the robber and rush the passer from disguised looks, rather than a pure two-high shell that asks him to cover half the field on every snap.