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Get to know Kevin Byard

By Will Lomas

Sep 12, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders safety Kevin Byard (20) comes down with an interception during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders safety Kevin Byard (20) comes down with an interception during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kevin Byard and the Tennessee Titans made it official today when he announced the signing of his rookie contract.

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While the name may not pop out at you, there are a lot of reasons that you should know about Kevin Byard, so let’s take a look at the new safety.

Background

Byard is a Middle Tennessee State prospect who played in 49 games in his college career. Not only was he a major contributor there, but he was also very productive by any standard. Byard had a very nice 19 interceptions in his four years in college and a crazy 39 passes deflected.

Not only was he effective vs the pass, but he also ended up with 5 tackles for loss and 5 forced fumbles, which you rarely see with a true free safety.

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    • Along with his great production he has an NFL body at 5’11 and 216 lb. He shockingly didn’t get a combine invite, but posted great Pro Day numbers with a 4.48 40-yard dash, 22 reps on the bench press, a 38 inch vertical, and a 6.73 on the 3-cone. He also has 33.5 inch arms and nearly 10 inch hands, which make him a very rare combination of production and measurables.

    His time with the Tennessee Titans

    While most of the rookie buzz has been around Tajae Sharpe, if you have been paying close attention Byard has had his name pop up on more than a few occasions. Dick LeBeau has praised his football IQ and he has had some veterans call his name when asked about talented newcomers.

    Look no further than Jim Wyatt’s weekly mailbag to find not one, but two different occasions where he is brought up.

    Here is what Wyatt said to a question asking about Kevin Byard:

    “Byard has looked good. He’s a playmaker on the field, and he’s smart. And he’s getting good advice from the veterans on the team helping him. He’s definitely going to help on special teams, and potentially in the defense.”

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    There are two big things to take away from that. First of all, he is going to have a spot on the game day active roster thanks to apparently earning a spot on special teams.

    Secondly and more importantly, it appears that it looks like he could be brought on the field for defense sooner rather than later. By the way that reads, I would imagine that there is a role for him as a 3rd safety in a cover-3 type defense.

    He could also be brought in on passing downs to give the Tennessee Titans two different ball hawking  threats at the safety position hoping to capitalize on pressure packages.

    I think that is really good news for the Titans, and if I was a player in the Nashville area, I would be excited to have a local product who seems so excited to play for this team. That is the sort of mentality you want, and he could be huge in cultivating the type of culture that Jon Robinson wants this team to have.

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