Ourlads' Profile:
2025 Guide: What Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services said about DANTE TRADER JR.:
Maryland | Hometown: Delmar, DE | HT: 5107 | WT: 200 | 40 time: 4.65 | Hand: 0900 | Arm: 3114 | Wing: 7518
Three-year starter. All-Big 10 honorable mention in 2024. Multi-sport athlete who was an All-America lacrosse player in 2023. Typically aligned as the boundary safety; experience playing deep safety and nickel. Undersized safety prospect with length concerns. A natural athlete who can maneuver the field with quick feet and considerable movement skills. From deep safety, reads the quarterback's eyes well and puts himself in position to make plays on the ball. Good man technique to track hips of the receiver and stay in-phase throughout the route with considerable change-of-direction skills, hip fluidity, and good eye discipline. His lacrosse background shows up in his physicality with receivers in both catch-man and zone coverage. Great ball skills and has excellent processing speed to get in the way of passes and come away with interceptions. A sideline-to-sideline run defender who takes proper angles to the ball on regular occasions. Notable burst when closing on ball carriers in the open field and on receivers attempting to make catches. Both in space and in the clutter, he uses excellent tackling technique and brings bigger targets to the ground while allowing limited yards-after-contact. Insufficient range and speed to cover necessary ground as a one-high defender at the next level. Needs to leverage receivers better underneath to prevent easy receptions. He is a step slow in coverage and allows faster receivers to separate in man-on-man situations, and must eliminate his drifting tendency to stick to receivers on sharp breaks. On a number of occasions in backside pursuit, he showed no effort to impact the play. Early candidate for special teams duties where he can excel with his athletic profile and physical nature.
2024 Stats: 59 T, 4 PBU, 1 INT. VJ-31, SS-4.32. Draft projection: 4th/5th round