Dashawn Spears S LSU |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #10 ROLE: Man-Zone Slot/Nickel Safety | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 10/14/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.43 seconds (90%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jersey: #10 | |
| ROLE: Man-Zone Slot/Nickel Safety | |
| Last Updated: 10/14/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.43 seconds (90%*) | |
| Overall Rating: |
86.4 / 100
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
|
73% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 46.8 | |
| Tackling: |
|
77% |
| Run Defense: |
|
79% |
| Coverage: |
|
89% |
| Zone: |
|
78% |
| Man/Press: |
|
89% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
2nd - Mid
Overall Rank:
#49
Position rank:
#8 (DB)
|
||
| College Games: 27 College Snaps: 565 | ||
ESPN RATING: 83/100
|
||
|
247 RATING: 96/100
|
||
|
RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
|
||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emmanuel McNeil-Warren - Toledo |
|
86% |
| Jaden Hicks - Washington State |
|
81% |
| Antonio Johnson - Texas A&M |
|
81% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Spears, who changed his last name from McBryde to honor his stepfather, was a ball-hawking safety at Denham Springs in Louisiana, intercepting ten passes as a junior and adding nine more with three defensive touchdowns as a senior. He earned first-team all-state honors in each of his final two years and signed with LSU as a four-star and top-100 national recruit.He appeared in all thirteen games as a true freshman in 2024, drawing three starts and recording 24 tackles. His role stayed rotational into 2025, but the splash plays came anyway.
Against Florida, Spears intercepted two passes and returned one 58 yards for a score, a performance that earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the year with 19 tackles, three for loss, a sack and two interceptions before drawing his first career start in the Texas Bowl against Houston, where he posted a career-high tackle total.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Rare timed speed and size at 208 pounds for the back end
- Run defense is among the best at the position
- Top-tier coverage with the range to carry the deep middle
- Took two interceptions off Florida to earn SEC defensive honors
- Drives downhill from depth and finishes with reliable tackling
- Closes on throws from depth with the burst to undercut routes
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Played a rotation role on only 255 snaps
- Body of work is smaller than a full-time starter's
- Reps in man against NFL tight ends are still developing
- Torn ACL against Ole Miss ended his 2026 after only three games
Scouting Report: Summary
Spears is a big, fast safety who covered and defended the run as well as anyone at the position, a 208-pounder with rare speed who carries the deep middle and finishes downhill. He announced himself with two interceptions off Florida for SEC defensive player of the week, drives on throws from depth, and tackles reliably with only one miss. The size-and-speed combination and the per-snap dominance is a clear first-round trait set at the back end.The one real caveat is volume. He played a rotation role on only 255 snaps, so the body of work is smaller than a full-time starter's, and his ball production beyond the Florida game was quiet. His man reps against NFL-caliber tight ends are still developing. He is a high-trait safety whose projection asks a defense to bet on a smaller but excellent sample, and that sample will not grow, as a torn ACL suffered against Ole Miss on September 19 ended his 2026 after seven tackles. He also has eligibility remaining, so a return to LSU in 2027 is a real possibility.
He projects as a starting safety who covers the deep middle, fits the run, and tackles, the kind of size-and-range defender a modern back end wants. The limited snaps and the injury now keep him out of the first round, but the per-snap excellence and the traits are bankable. With the medical review now central, he projects as a second-round safety, a rangy, physical defender whose traits make him a worthwhile bet once the medical checks clear.
How other scouting services rate Dashawn Spears (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
91.5
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
24.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.