2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Julius Wood, S, East Carolina

Player Data

Name, Jersey #	Julius Wood #32, #4
School (Code)	NCEA
Class Yr	Sr/2024
Height, Weight	6015, 187
40 Yd Dash	4.54 est.
Position/Depth	Deep Safety/SS
Honors	Pre-Season Second Team All-AAC
Season Viewed (yr)	2022/2023
Games Watched	10-08-2022 East Carolina @ Tulane10-28-2022 East Carolina @ BYU09-02-2023 East Carolina @ Michigan
Scout Name / Date	Brinson Bagley, 09-27-2023

Per Year Stats (Most Recent First)

2023 (4 Games)	Solo 15, Ast. 15, Total 30
2022	Solo 39,  Ast. 49, Total 88, FF 2,  INT 2,  PD 4
2021	Solo  4, Ast. 12, Total 16, PD 3
2020	JUCO- Solo 14, Ast. 5, Total 19,
2019	JUCO-Solo 13, Ast. 23, Total 36, FR 2

Player Summary:

Julius Wood is a 5th year senior who spent his first 2 seasons at Blinn College before transferring to East Carolina. He boasts a long, cut, wiry frame. He spends most of his snaps deep, lined up across the formation, usually from tackle to tackle, and is versatile enough to maneuver between deep safety and run coverage responsibilities. He is an aggressive player firing like a missile downhill for run support, maintaining solid contact balance, and rarely giving up yards after contact. A standout tackler in space or in a crowd, he will even stalemate running backs. He’s a fluid, rangy safety, who uses quick-footed backpedaling, and can immediately break to tackle from his deep zone. He is a violent tackler who can force a game-changing turnover. He also depends on his UOH to enforce his functional strength. In press coverage, he often re-routes the receiver with violent shoves and maintains hands-on (legal) coverage, slowly restricting the receiver. He additionally flies to, and around 2nd level blocks to get to the running back or receiver. In off man, when in front of the receiver, he quickly closes the gap to engage. He is an aggressive, consistent, high-effort player with good play speed that also contributes to S/T coverage. A particular setback is agility and COD, as he is vulnerable in man coverage with his back to the ball and against route breaks or double moves, and looks to grab the receiver. He also takes poor angles in lateral run coverage, at times over-pursuing the carrier. With adequate twitch and hip turn ability, he labors to keep up against deep threats, and even when over the top, his breaks to the ball in the air are not quick enough, and has adequate ball skills when around the pass. He will often find himself out of position when surrendering too much space to a receiver, lacking the closing burst to compensate. 

Scheme Fit:

Cover 2/ Cover 3

Power Statement:

Julius is a physical player who has the tenacity to find a way to make a play. He is always involved in run coverage and can be a tone-setter with his jarring hits. His play on special teams will buy him time to improve his coverage skills at the next level.