Zeke Motta Here’s a look at the second safety the Falcons selected in the seventh round in Zeke Motta.
Height: 6-2 1/4
Weight: 215
School: Notre Dame
Class: Senior
Speed: 4.71 (Campus)
He split reps with Jamoris Slaughter during hi...
Zeke Motta Here’s a look at the second safety the Falcons selected in the seventh round in Zeke Motta.
Height: 6-2 1/4
Weight: 215
School: Notre Dame
Class: Senior
Speed: 4.71 (Campus)
He split reps with Jamoris Slaughter during his sophomore and junior seasons at strong safety, playing opposite Harrison Smith. After Smith was drafted in 2012, he moved to free safety as a senior in his lone season as a full-time starter. He had career highs in tackles. Not a great coverage guy, Motta has good size and is an active run defender. But like many of his Notre Dame brethren, Motta’s stock was hurt by the fact that he had an underwhelming game against Alabama in the National Championship. He did lead the team with tackles in that game, recording a career-high 16 but many of those were made several yards downfield after successful Alabama runs or throws. Then his stock was hurt even more with a slow 40 time at the Combine (4.83). His first name is short for Ezekiel.
CAREER STATS
2012: 13 GP/13 GS, 77 tackles, 2 TFLs, 0 sacks, 0 INTs, 3 PD, 0 FF, 1 FR
2011: 13/8-40-0.0-0.0-1-3-1-1 (1 FR for touchdown)
2010: 13/8-50-1.5-0.0-1-3-0-1
2009: 12/0-12-0.5-0.5-0-0-0-0
2012 GAMES WATCHED
vs. Stanford (10/13): 2 targets, 1 rec., 22 yards (11.0 YPA), 3 YAC (3.0 avg), 0 TDs; 1 missed tackle
vs. Pittsburgh (11/3): 0 tgt, 0 rec, 0 yds, 0 TD
at USC (11/24): 2 tgt., 0 rec, 0 yds, 0 TD; 1 TFL
vs. Alabama (1/7): 2 tgt., 1 rec., 27 yds (13.5 YPA), 3 YAC (3.0 avg), 0 TDs, 1 PD; 5 missed tackles
SKILLS
These are general skills required for his position and relative to not only top collegiate prospects, but also NFL players. Grades are based on a 10-point rating scale: 1-pathetic, 2-poor, 3-weak, 4-below average, 5-average, 6-above average, 7-good, 8-very good, 9-excellent, 10-elite
Speed (5.5) – Plays faster than his timed speed and shows good closing burst on the edge. Has enough speed to get to the edge and prevent speedy back from turning the corner. Good short-area burst to come downhill and defend the run. Shows decent speed and burst to close on crossing receivers over the middle.
Tackling (6.0) – Does a pretty good job wrapping up. Is a capable hitter that shows some pop against smaller receivers. But struggles to tackle powerful backs as well as quick ones as they can slip his tackles or run him over. Really struggled against Alabama with the jump cuts to the outside.
Man Coverage (4.0) - Shows decent footwork when working in coverage, but he’s not a guy that is good at turning and running with receivers. Not a guy you want matched up on an island against speedy wideouts, as they continually run by him. But his size and speed might be enough of a match against tight ends, albeit he’d struggle against the top ones.
Zone Coverage (5.0) – When working in centerfield, too often lets fast receivers get behind him. Does his best work when he’s allowed to keep things underneath and does a good job closing on the receiver and ball to make the hit or stop immediately after the catch.
Ball Skills (4.0) – DIdn’t have many opportunities to make plays in coverage and rarely did. Has a decent nose for the ball when defending the run, but will take some bad angles from time to time.
Range (5.0) – Doesn’t have ideal speed and range to make that many plays outside the numbers when he’s asked to cover the deep half in Cover-2. Shows decent range when working in centerfield.
VALUE
Motta is a solid player, but has limited potential at the next level because he’s lacking as a playmaker in coverage. He’s a smart player that is a capable run defender, but his upside on defense will be limited by his less than stellar speed, range, and cover skills. He’ll have to contribute on special teams to stick long-term at the next level. He’s worth a look in the seventh round due to his special teams ability and ability to add decent depth.
Grade: 3.0 – Has enough tools to st