Link: Levine Film Room: Adam Beck
STRENGTHS
Adam Beck is a very good-sized safety at 6’2” and 184 pounds. I would assume the new staff would put some weight on him this summer to at least try and get him around 195-200 range.
A handful of great things stood out when reviewing his film. First, he is VERY good at tracking the ball in the air -- maybe the best out of the tapes I have reviewed. He not only tracks and catches the ball well, but he does a phenomenal job getting to the wide receiver’s hands and breaking up the pass. Adam’s ability to work around wide receivers and get his hand into the pocket of ball carriers and WR’s is outstanding and something you don’t see that often.
Second, he does a great job playing in the box and in the run game. He is able to keep his hips square to the line of scrimmage while diagnosing the play. He has a very high motor, and he also seems to be knowledgeable in safety reads, which is evident in a few clips of him reading the TE block and filling to his gap.
Last, I really liked what I saw with his tackling. He does a good job shooting into legs of opposing players and wrapping up. He also has the ability to deliver the big hits that is needed at the safety position.
AREAS TO IMPROVE
While there is definitely a lot of good stuff on Adam’s film, there was one big piece missing for me: special teams clips. Granted, he could have a folder full of those clips that didn’t make his film, but being active on all special teams has always a big upside for me. It’s an area of the game that many defensive backs can help out at early in their careers and effort in special teams is a good representation of their grit and commitment.
Beck can also play a little high and out of position at times. He is seen sinking his butt and almost leaning back at times which means on any sort of break, he is going to have shift all the weight back forward before he can go anywhere. I would love to see him more balanced -- shoulders aligned with knees, knees aligned with toes.
The last thing I saw that I think Beck can work on, both in the weight room and on the field, is his ability to engage and disengage blockers. At times he was hesitant taking on wide receiver blocks and gave as much as 7-8 yards of ground before he was able to disengage. I would like to see him more aggressive on blocks, attack offenders opposed to giving ground, and be more violent with his hands. But that’s nothing a sled, weights, and drills can’t fix.
BOTTOM LINE
Adam Beck is a very good addition to the Gopher secondary adding some much needed length at the safety position with the departure of Damarius Travis. I believe his ability in the passing game to break up throws and get into the pockets of receivers will make him one of the best pass coverage safeties Minnesota has had in a long time.
Along with his ability in the passing game, his ability to tackle in the box will allow him to be an every down safety. One thing that has set him apart from other safeties I have evaluated is his knowledge of the game and reading his keys.
Ultimately, I think that Beck would benefit a lot from a redshirt in order to put on some pounds and increase his strength/speed in the weight room. However, with a new staff and new schemes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the field his freshman season.
STRENGTHS
Adam Beck is a very good-sized safety at 6’2” and 184 pounds. I would assume the new staff would put some weight on him this summer to at least try and get him around 195-200 range.
A handful of great things stood out when reviewing his film. First, he is VERY good at tracking the ball in the air -- maybe the best out of the tapes I have reviewed. He not only tracks and catches the ball well, but he does a phenomenal job getting to the wide receiver’s hands and breaking up the pass. Adam’s ability to work around wide receivers and get his hand into the pocket of ball carriers and WR’s is outstanding and something you don’t see that often.
Second, he does a great job playing in the box and in the run game. He is able to keep his hips square to the line of scrimmage while diagnosing the play. He has a very high motor, and he also seems to be knowledgeable in safety reads, which is evident in a few clips of him reading the TE block and filling to his gap.
Last, I really liked what I saw with his tackling. He does a good job shooting into legs of opposing players and wrapping up. He also has the ability to deliver the big hits that is needed at the safety position.
AREAS TO IMPROVE
While there is definitely a lot of good stuff on Adam’s film, there was one big piece missing for me: special teams clips. Granted, he could have a folder full of those clips that didn’t make his film, but being active on all special teams has always a big upside for me. It’s an area of the game that many defensive backs can help out at early in their careers and effort in special teams is a good representation of their grit and commitment.
Beck can also play a little high and out of position at times. He is seen sinking his butt and almost leaning back at times which means on any sort of break, he is going to have shift all the weight back forward before he can go anywhere. I would love to see him more balanced -- shoulders aligned with knees, knees aligned with toes.
The last thing I saw that I think Beck can work on, both in the weight room and on the field, is his ability to engage and disengage blockers. At times he was hesitant taking on wide receiver blocks and gave as much as 7-8 yards of ground before he was able to disengage. I would like to see him more aggressive on blocks, attack offenders opposed to giving ground, and be more violent with his hands. But that’s nothing a sled, weights, and drills can’t fix.
BOTTOM LINE
Adam Beck is a very good addition to the Gopher secondary adding some much needed length at the safety position with the departure of Damarius Travis. I believe his ability in the passing game to break up throws and get into the pockets of receivers will make him one of the best pass coverage safeties Minnesota has had in a long time.
Along with his ability in the passing game, his ability to tackle in the box will allow him to be an every down safety. One thing that has set him apart from other safeties I have evaluated is his knowledge of the game and reading his keys.
Ultimately, I think that Beck would benefit a lot from a redshirt in order to put on some pounds and increase his strength/speed in the weight room. However, with a new staff and new schemes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the field his freshman season.
