Tenth in an 11-part series. A specialist will appear tomorrow.
Football has always been a family affair for Tyler Nubin, whose younger brother Jordan was a teammate the past two seasons at the University of Minnesota.
But playing in the defensive secondary is also in Nubin’s blood. His late uncle Steve King was a defensive back at the University of Michigan in the mid-’90s and was teammates with future Pro Football Hall of Famer Ty Law and two Heisman Trophy winners. Corner Charles Woodson.
Nubin, whose father Rodney also played at Eastern Michigan University, could be on the path to NFL stardom as Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked safety entering next week’s draft.
Nubin wore No. 27 while in high school in the Chicago area and at the University of Minnesota, in homage to King, who wore that number at the University of Michigan.
Martin Luther King Jr. died of a heart attack in 2014 at just 41 years old.
“He was really good friends with me and was always thinking about me.” [early] It’s a football career,” Nubin, 22, said at last month’s draft meeting. “He played in almost every game, so when he passed away, I just wanted to carry on his legacy because he wore No. 27. It really meant a lot to me. It’s important.”
“That’s why I wore No. 27 all through high school and college, and hopefully I can carry that into the NFL, because no one in my family ever did that. ”
Nubin added that King “meant everything to me,” recalling training with his uncle in Chicago-area parks and learning the finer points of defensive footwork and how to protect the ball.
“It was heartbreaking for me when he passed away, which is why I try to emulate the intensity he brought to the field,” Nubin said. “Now he says, ‘I can’t believe you’re here.’
“This is a dream come true for me, but you never know what it’s going to take to get there and if you’ll actually get there. So he never thought I’d be here. You wouldn’t believe it and you’re probably crying happy tears right now.”
The 6-foot-2 Nubin was a second-team All-American last season after setting a Minnesota program record with five interceptions and 13 career interceptions.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. rates Nubin as the second-best safety on the draft board behind Georgia’s Javon Bullard.
In last week’s CBS Sports mock draft, the Giants selected Nubin with the 47th pick to replace free agent Xavier McKinney.
This is actually the area around where Nubin’s mentor, former Gophers safety and teammate Antwon Winfield Jr., was selected by the Buccaneers (45th pick) in 2020.
He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and was a first-team All-Pro with Tampa Bay last season.
“He definitely set the standard, brother,” Nubin said of his freshman teammate. “Honestly, a lot of my game and a lot of the way I approach the game comes from Antoine Winfield Jr.
“Just being able to see how he carried himself as a professional in the building before he became a professional. The way he sees film, the way he approaches practice, his sheer intensity, That love and passion for the game is something that really impressed me when I first came to Minnesota. I saw how that translated into his play on the field. So I saw that every day. I’m trying to imitate that.”
In addition to Winfield, Nubin listed Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jesse Bates, Justin Simmons and Quandre Diggs as NFL safeties to keep an eye on.
Nubin, who underwent meniscus surgery after his senior season, said he considers himself a “Swiss Army knife” who can play anywhere on the field.
“I think I’m intense, and my intelligence affects my play a lot,” Nubin said. “I make plays because I know what’s going to happen. I can get inside the offensive coordinator’s head and adjust and diagnose situations and formations very well. That’s what I learned from my film study. This is how I play.
“One hundred percent, I’m not a one-dimensional safety. I can do it all.”
