Demani Richardson

[MHS831]

I had Demani Richardson in the Strong Safety slot, and that may have been an error.  I have since found several references that refer to him as a Free Safety.  If I was wrong, I apologize. 

However, as I researched him, I found encouraging news that tends to get lost during a losing season.  I will highlight the parts of this that make me wonder if he, beside Moerhig, could be the second half of the starting safety tandem:

 

"To watch Demani just continue to work at his game, continue to be asking the right questions and taking good coaching, and he's made plays, he's come up and made open field tackles, he's come up with interceptions, and those things like that… he's got so much he needs to work on," Panthers head coach Dave Canales admitted this week of his rookie safety. "He's got so many things that can be cleaner from a communication standpoint, accountability, playing his leverage, doing all the things exactly right. It's not just about making plays. It's about doing things right longer than the opponent, and that's the goal for Demani; that's the challenge for him.

"He's got to realize the weight of this opportunity to continue to press in and to make it so that his teammates can count on him at all times. And so that's what I hope for him is that he continues to press in and strive, to be somebody that your teammates can count on and respect."

NOTE: IT sounds as if he has been inconsistent but is working hard to develop into a good player, but it also seems that Canales is sending a message to Richardson.  There was another article about Richardson that featured a teammate talking about how confident he has become (compared to earlier in the season) and that teammate said that Richardson had become more confident with his communications (I assume they are referring to his coverage calls pre snap). Tea Leaves: If your concerns about a rookie, UDFA safety is in the area of communication and becoming "somebody that your teammates can count on and respect," it seems they are looking for him to become a leader or starter.

So why is Canales not saying much about his play? When he got on the field, he (statistically) played well.

"This was, as mentioned, only the third start for Richardson in a rookie season when he wasn't expected to contribute much at all. But between injuries and lineup changes, he's found himself on the field more and more, playing 100 percent of the snaps in those three starts and accumulating 32 total tackles (6.4 tackles a game when on defense), two passes defended, and the interception.

It seems that Richardson made an impression in 2024.  Any player averaging 6.4 tackles a game on defense (unless that tackle is the guy you were covering) is impressive.  PFF credits him with 42 tackles on the season.  If you consider that he played a third of the snaps (Teammates Woods and Jackson had 1200), Richardson was on pace for 3 interceptions, six passes defended, and 126 tackles.  I am not sure he was at free safety during that time because Xavier Woods played both.  Regardless, Richardson will be in the mix for a starting FS spot if he gets his leadership, consistency, and communication up to par.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Icege]

poo, you're right. I thought he lined up primarily at SS but he saw most of his snaps at FS.

 

I'm hoping that they bring back Sam Franklin Jr as the back-up SS if this is the case, but mainly for his ST contributions.

Might be drafting a guy to compete with Demani in camp...

Edited 3 hours ago by Icege

[LinvilleGorge]

I remember him coming into the draft as a mid-round prospect that I was keeping an eye on.

[PadresPanthersFan]

I'd still like to draft someone for competition and depth but he seems like one of Morgan's Dawgs. 

Did we luck into 2 udfa starters last year?

[MHS831]

14 minutes ago, Icege said:

poo, you're right. I thought he lined up primarily at SS but he saw most of his snaps at FS.

 

I'm hoping that they bring back Sam Franklin Jr as the back-up SS if this is the case, but mainly for his ST contributions.

Might be drafting a guy to compete with Demani in camp...

First of all, I LOVED what Canales said about him.  He is looking beyond the on-field performance and into the mind of a leader--what he wants at FS.  He is focused, it seems, on his emotional and cognitive development in relation to leadership.  As an educator, I got chills.  It meant to me that he is focused on holistic development of players.  What a great analysis he gave to the press, and specifically, to Richardson.

Richardson also had a 96.8 or so QB rating against him.  Not great, but the guy he played behind, Vonn Bell, had a passer rating of 113.8. Bell also had 1 interception and fewer tackles than Richardson.   Xavier Woods, for the sake of comparison, had a 93.8.  So Richardson held his own against the Panther veteran safeties last year, but they are not the standard--they were not retained.  However, Canales states what must be done, so I expect this offseason to be key for Richardson.

[MHS831]

20 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I remember him coming into the draft as a mid-round prospect that I was keeping an eye on.

Me too.  I was excited to get him and Coker.

[MHS831]

2 minutes ago, PadresPanthersFan said:

I'd still like to draft someone for competition and depth but he seems like one of Morgan's Dawgs. 

Did we luck into 2 udfa starters last year?

Very possible.  I think Canales did a great job of describing what Richardson has to do--so it is not his yet, but when push comes to shove, their confidence in you determines who they go after to compete.  If they draft the kid from South Carolina in the first, Richardson is probably a "swing S" who can (I think) play both spots.  If that is the case, he would still need the communication skills Canales describes.  To your point, you draft someone and have them earn it--but I feel better about S after my extensive, exhaustive research. (google)

[Khyber53]

Would be great to have a home grown starter at FS. I hope he can reach the potential Coach Canales seems to have seen.