Houston Texans: 6 Players to target in the third round of the NFL Draft
By Peter Manfre
Jordan Battle Safety, Alabama
Jordan Battle is another obvious DeMeco guy to me. A four-year starter on Nick Saban's defense tells you everything you need to know about the former Crimson Tide. He was trusted in that defensive backfield by Saban, and that has a lot of value.
Is he the most talented defensive back to come out of Alabama? No. but he was arguably the most overlooked of all the defensive backs in the last four years. Again, I don't mean to beat that horse, but he is a strong leader, hard worker and a player if taken in the third round, he should play for you for the next four years at a starter level.
In his 50 games starting for the Crimson Tide, Battle was very versatile, playing all over the defensive backfield, as either safety position or nickel. The main reasons scouts love him are his experience, high IQ as well as his leadership ability both on and off the field.
Upon watching him, the area in which I saw the most need for growth is in his tackling. Sometimes battle comes in too hot and whiffs, which may remind Texans fans of last year's rookie safety Jalen Pitre. So, they may be a poor fit together, but I believe tackling is an easy ability to grow in with coaching.