He’s a safety, and in general, safeties aren’t the best tacklers, in terms of technique.
From my playing days the safety was there because they could finish off a runner. Usually sure handed and few would get past them in an open field. The strong safety usually had a larger receiver to cover and tended to be more aggressive. Ronnie Lott and Jack Tatum come to mind.
You make a good point however. And today’s defensive backs don’t “wrap up” the receivers and go “through” them like I was taught to do.
Good point.
He has the slender build of a free safety.
A free safety has two basic job responsibilities...
Double team receivers who are running deep routes - or - blitzing the quarterback.
The “strong safety” - who is a really fast underweight linebacker - is the guy who is supposed to tackle full speed runners who break past the linebackers.