Ramsey, Jack could lead next wave of NFL defensive hybrids

The NFL is undergoing a positional revolution, where the importance of nominal player designations matters little anymore.

Tyrann Mathieu, Kam Chancellor, Deone Bucannon, Mark Barron, and a host of others have helped blur the lines between cornerback and safety, often starring as de facto linebackers while being deployed all over the field.

With the Arizona Cardinals' blitz-heavy scheme gaining traction around the league, the hybrid defensive back/linebacker doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.

Without further ado, here are the men who could lead the next wave of hybrid defensive players.

Jalen Ramsey

Considered by some to be the best player in the draft irrespective of position, Ramsey excelled at safety before being moved to cornerback exclusively during his junior season at Florida State. Ramsey's world-class athleticism allowed the Seminoles to deploy him all over the field, and he shone in blitz packages throughout his collegiate career.

It's probable that Ramsey would star as a conventional cornerback, especially if asked to play in press coverage exclusively. However, doing so would cap Ramsey's transcendent potential, as the 21-year-old boasts outstanding straight-line and recovery speed, ball skills, blitzing ability, and tackling technique.

Limiting a player of Ramsey's caliber to one position would appear to be a waste of talent. Ramsey, who said he's the best player in the draft, could follow in the footsteps of the All-Pro Mathieu by dominating in numerous facets of the game.

Myles Jack

Jack is one of the most versatile prospects in recent memory, lining up at linebacker, safety, cornerback, and even running back during his career at UCLA. Jack is projected as a linebacker at the professional level, although that designation varies depending on the team.

The 20-year-old said the San Diego Chargers would use him at safety to replace Eric Weddle, even though he's 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds. It's a testament to Jack's excellent straight-line speed and lateral quickness that he'd be considered at safety, and would operate functionally similar to Chancellor.

Jack is also a proficient edge-rusher and the rare player who can be deployed at all three levels of the field. Because of his rare skill set, it may be difficult to predict where Jack will best contribute.

Jeremy Cash

At 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, Cash is eerily reminiscent of Bucannon, and could operate as a clone of the Cardinals' burgeoning star. Cash played safety at Duke, but possesses the size and speed to feature at outside linebacker in the NFL.

During his collegiate career, Cash would disguise his intentions at the line of scrimmage, usually before dropping back into coverage. With his base familiarity as a hybrid safety/cornerback/linebacker, there's nothing to suggest he wouldn't continue to develop in the same capacity in the NFL.

Su'a Cravens

Cravens was utilized as a strong-side linebacker/safety hybrid during his sophomore and junior seasons. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound hybrid player began his collegiate career as a strong safety, and was asked to take on a more dynamic role as his stature in the defense grew immensely.

Possessing great ball skills and a willingness to engage with blockers, Cravens can be deployed all over the field and would be an asset to a team with dynamic blitz schemes.

Miles Killebrew

Although he played at unheralded Southern Utah, Killebrew quickly cultivated a reputation for being a devastating open-field tackler with excellent form. Killebrew's 40-yard dash time varied from 4.43 to 4.65, but at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he will make an impact as a strong safety or outside linebacker at the professional level.

Killebrew has been compared favorably to Shaq Thompson by scouts, according to NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah. While it's unclear whether he'll play strong safety or outside linebacker at the next level, there's little to suggest he won't find success.