While Battle better projects as a strong safety in the NFL, he spent most of his time at free safety in 2022. He’s capable of playing both positions, making him an intriguing prospect at the next level. His instincts have flashed very well at times, but he’s far from being a finished product. I think that there’s a lot of upside left in his game.

Is there much upside to Battle’s game? Sure. His instincts could get better, and he can continue to get stronger. But as a guy who’s started 44 games in the SEC, is his instincts really going to get much better? That’s a big question for a guy we’d like to have already seen this type of stuff from. 

Happy Birthday Jordan Battle 🥳❤️pic.twitter.com/meKtRf7mbY

— Alabama DieHards (@DiehardsAlabama) December 14, 2022

Injured his ankle in the second half against Cincinnati in the CFP. Outside of that, Battle has done a good job staying available. Hasn’t missed any games over the last three years. 

Jordan Battle’s scouting report

Athletic Ability (35)

Speed/Athleticism: 15 

• Speed (6/7) – Ridiculous speed. Great for the backend. 
• Lateral Quickness (3/4) – Very solid lateral quickness. 
• Body Control (3.5/4) – Has excellent control of his body – very capable of doing whatever he asks of himself. 

Strength: 15

• Upper Body Strength (3/5) – Lacks the upper body strength to control the tackle. Delivers a punch but that’s more based in his lower half. 
• Lower Body Strength (4/5) – Lower body looks solid. Very explosive. Has power and can accelerate decently well. 
• Brute Power (4.5/5) – Certainly has some brute-type power for the safety position. Punishing tackler. 

Hip Flexibility: 5

• Change of Direction (4/5) – Solid, smooth hips. Can change direction very quickly. 

Defending Ability (40)

Tackling/Pursuit: 15

• Tackling Ability (6.5/8) – Has tackling ability, but I’d like to see him play through the ball carrier stronger. Good strong hands to corral the runner. Powerful at the point of contact. Has become a vicious tackler over the 2022 offseason. 
• Pursuit Angles (5/7) – Still learning to take proper pursuit angles and not miss tackles as often. Tends to under pursue still. Very solid range, made some tackles that saved big plays in 2021. 

Blitz Ability: 5

• Timing (2/5) – Not a great blitzer. Was pulled out of that role in 2022. 

Coverage Ability: 20

• Zone Coverage (8/10) – Strong zone coverage instincts. Has the ability to be effective in deep coverage and underneath. Very physical at the catch point.  Very effective deep coverage player. Ball hawk with strong ball skills. 
• Man Coverage (3.5/5) – Good, physical man coverage ability. Has to shore up his technique when engaging a receiver from a disguised deep coverage. 
• Space Defending (3.5/5) – Doesn’t close as well as I’d like to see him. He tends to hesitate and takes his time coming up to make a tackle. Very sure tackler, doesn’t miss many.

Intel/Instincts (20)

Instincts: 15

• Pure Instincts (7/10) – Still learning how to play with instincts and stay true to his assignment. Certainly flashes great instincts at times. 
• Consistency (3/5) – Shows very solid instincts at times. Other times looks clueless. There’s a wide range here on the consistency side. 

Football IQ: 5

• Play Recognition (3/5) – Very good play recognition in some games, not great in others. Would like to dig deeper into his film study habits. 

Overall: (78.5) – 2nd/3rd Round