Makari Paige, SAF, Michigan
Size:
Height: 6’4” | Weight: 208 lbs
Accomplishments:
All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (2023, 2022) • Four-star recruit
“Makari Paige showcases a ‘do whatever the team needs to win’ mentality and brings high football IQ, versatility, and physicality to any secondary.”
Strengths:
Smooth operator
Football IQ
NFL frame
TE coverage
Versatility
Concerns:
Quickness vs. slot players
Elongated transitions
Film Analysis:
Makari Paige takes care of the back end of Michigan’s defense, where opposing offenses rarely find success throwing deep. Playing true deep safety, two-high safety, robber, in the box, and lining up in the slot, Paige does whatever’s asked of him to a high level and is rarely out of position. Being a part of Jesse Minter’s defense at Michigan asks a lot of the secondary players with how often they change the picture on opposing offenses; Paige rose to that task.
Paige is a tall, long, and athletic player who backpedals like a corner at 6-foot-4 and transitions more fluidly than you’d expect for such a tall player. He recognizes and diagnoses plays at a high level, allowing him to trigger in run defense or on in-breakers over the middle of the field. He has the speed and range to patrol the deep areas of the field and show off his click-and-close. He never seems over-encumbered with information, which enables him to be in the right spot most of the time. A scheme-versatile safety, he can also come down in the slot or out wide against tight ends and lock them down with physicality and technique.
Although he can play in the slot against tight ends, he doesn’t have the short-area quickness to keep pace with shiftier receivers, which makes nickel a situational position. The short-area movement can also creep up in his sideline-to-sideline or downhill movement with elongated transitions. Playing in the Michigan defense rarely saw him tested deep down the field, leaving some questions about his ball tracking and ball skills.
Paige is a rock-solid safety prospect with all the tools to be a successful player at the next level. Playing in a new defense under WInk Martindale in 2024 could showcase more blitzes for Paige, which would be a welcome sight.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Winning Starter
Written By: Daniel Harms
