Tenth of an 11-part series. Coming tomorrow: specialists.
Football always has been a family affair for Tyler Nubin, whose younger brother, Jordan, was a teammate the past two seasons at the University of Minnesota.
But playing in the defensive secondary also is in Nubin’s blood as his late uncle, Steve King, was a defensive back at Michigan in the mid-’90s, a teammate of two future Pro Football Hall of Famers — Ty Law and Heisman Trophy-winning corner Charles Woodson.
Nubin — whose father, Rodney, also played collegiately at Eastern Michigan — now could be on his way to NFL stardom as the highest-ranked safety by Pro Football Focus entering next week’s draft.
Nubin wore No. 27 in high school in the Chicago area and at Minnesota as a tribute to King, who wore that number at Michigan.
King died of a heart attack at just 41 in 2014.
“He was really close with me, especially coming up throughout my [early] football career,” the 22-year-old Nubin said at last month’s draft combine. “He was at every single game almost, and so when he passed away, I just wanted to carry on his legacy because he wore 27, so that’s really super-important to me.
“That’s why I wore 27 throughout high school and college, and hopefully I can bring it to the NFL. Because nobody in my family has done that before.”
Nubin added that King “meant everything to me,” and recalled working out with his uncle at Chicago-area parks and learning the finer points about defensive footwork and how to protect the ball.
“When he passed away, it was heartbreaking for me, and that’s why I try to emulate the intensity that he brought to the field,” Nubin said. “Now, he would say, ‘I can’t believe you’re here.’
“This is a dream come true for me, but you never really know what it’s gonna take to get there and if you’re actually gonna get there. So he wouldn’t believe I’m here and he’s probably crying happy tears right now.”
The 6-foot-2 Nubin was named a second-team All-American last season after registering five interceptions and setting a Minnesota program record with 13 for his career.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. rates Nubin as the second-best safety on his draft board, behind Javon Bullard of Georgia.
A CBS Sports mock draft last week had the Giants taking Nubin at No. 47 as a replacement for free-agent defector Xavier McKinney.
That’s actually around where Nubin’s mentor, former Gophers safety and teammate Antoine Winfield Jr., was selected by the Buccaneers (45th) in 2020.
He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and a first-team All-Pro last season for Tampa Bay.
“He definitely set the standard, bro,” Nubin said of his freshman-year teammate. “Honestly, a lot of my game and a lot of how I approach the game came from Antoine Winfield Jr.
“Just being able to see how he carried himself as a pro in the building before he was a pro. How he watched film, how he attacked practice, his pure intensity and love and passion for the game is what I really admired when I first got to Minnesota. I saw how that translated on the field into how he played. So every single day I try to emulate that.”
In addition to Winfield, Nubin also listed Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jessie Bates, Justin Simmons and Quandre Diggs as NFL safeties he watches closely.
Nubin, who underwent meniscus surgery after his senior season, said he considers himself “a Swiss-army knife” who can play anywhere on the field.
“I would say I’m intense and my intelligence comes a lot into how I play,” Nubin said. “I make plays because I know what’s coming. I get into the mind of the offensive coordinator and I’m able to key and diagnose situations and formations really well, and that’s how I make my plays, from my film study.
“One-hundred percent, I’m not a one-dimensional safety. I can do it all.”