Safety prospect with the toughness, instincts and ball skills to handle NFL work, although his lack of speed could give teams pause. Kinchens is a willing run supporter near the box, hits with message-sending purpose over the middle and plays with outstanding range as a high safety. Despite the positive tape and attributes at his disposal, he made mistakes in run support and coverage that led to big plays and, in some cases, touchdowns. If he can eliminate the mental mistakes and take better angles to the ball as an open-field tackler, he will improve his consistency, but Kinchens’ poor speed testing at the NFL Scouting Combine could limit how teams will want to use him.
Strengths
- Scouts praise him for his toughness and intelligence.
- Instincts and over-the-top range led to 11 takeaways over the last two seasons.
- Attracts throws with a receiver’s timing and ball skills.
- Shadows route breaks with adequate transition quickness.
- Displays enforcer mentality when patrolling the hashes.
- Capable add-on run defender as a big nickel near the line.
- Productive tackler on coverage teams.
Weaknesses
- Lack of speed displayed at NFL Scouting Combine is a concern.
- Needs to play with better eye balance between receiver and quarterback.
- Plays with better anticipation from zone than man.
- Zone coverage mix-ups led to two scores at North Carolina.
- Average lateral agility and burst as an open-field tackler.
- Needs to improve angles to the ball-carrier as a high safety.
Sources Tell Us
“He’s quiet but leads by example. He’s a tough guy, like most Miami safeties, and can really see the field when they play him in center field.” – AFC regional scout
Profile by Lance Zierlein – NFL.COM