Iowa's Profile for Amari Spievey

Amari Spievey redshirted at Iowa in 2006, and then had academic difficulties and enrolled in JuCo for 2007. He excelled on the field at Iowa Central CC and re-enrolled at Iowa in 2008 as a non-scholarship player. He fulfilled his duties in the classroom and emerged as a top defensive back in the Big 10 on the field. As a junior in 2009, he earned numerous accolades for his play, recording 66 tackles, 2 picks, and 8 PDs. He also returned punts and kicks during the season for the Hawkeyes. His defensive coordinator has said that Spievey may be the best defensive back he's ever coached, and that puts him in some nice company.

Spievey has good size and long arms. He's a physical player who has excelled in man to man situations. He's effective at jamming the receiver on the line and then has the loose hips to turn and run with him. He has excellent ball skills. Solid football instincts include ball and route awareness and the ability to understand what the offense wants to do. Spievey is also very good against the run. He doesn't back down from contact and has a bit of pop to his tackles. Spievey has also returned punts and kicks. He's not a dancer and gets moving north-south quickly and is difficult to bring down in the open field. Spievey also has been injury-free during his two years at Iowa.

Spievey really only has two years experience playing at a high level, and his former academic issues could be a red flag to teams with complex defensive schemes. He struggles in zone coverage as he'll often pay more attention to the QB than his assignment. Spievey isn't a blazer, and struggles to make up ground when beaten. He's also content to allow the receiver to make the catch in front of him in a zone and doesn't show exceptional plant and drive ability.

There's some debate about Spievey's position in the NFL. His lack of top-end speed, along with his size and success in run support, make him a candidate at the safety position. This versatility may help him in the long run. He's still a solid corner and should perform well enough in post-season workouts to garner interest in the second or third rounds of the 2010 NFL Draft. He compares very favorably to former Hawkeye Charles Godfrey, now with the Rams.

Your Projected NFL Draft Round: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Undrafted

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