NFL Teams Are Secretly Obsessed With This Unknown Safety Prospect
By 813 Staff
The decision by head coach Marcus Thorne to bench veteran safety Jalen Mills for the final two series against Atlanta, a move that directly preceded the game-losing touchdown, is the one everyone in the building is second-guessing this week. But those close to the situation say that choice speaks to a deeper, more persistent issue the front office has been quietly trying to solve since the season ended: a glaring lack of depth and playmaking ability at the safety position. That’s why the team’s war room is now fixated on a name most fans have never heard, a development first noted by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
According to league sources, the club is among at least five that have brought in former North Dakota State safety Cole Wisniewski for a Top 30 visit, the maximum number of pre-draft visits a prospect can take. Wisniewski, a Combine snub who wasn’t invited to Indianapolis, has seen his stock rise dramatically after a stellar pro day and a series of private workouts that showcased his range and football IQ. The front office has been quietly doing its homework on him for months, with area scouts reportedly championing his tape since the fall. This isn’t just due diligence; it’s a targeted pursuit of a player they believe can contribute immediately on special teams and push for rotational defensive snaps by mid-season.
Why does this matter? Because the current safety room, beyond the aging and oft-injured starter, is filled with special teams aces and late-round projects who haven’t shown they can be trusted in critical defensive moments. Thorne’s late-game substitution was a vote of no confidence in the existing options, a message the personnel department clearly received. Securing a reliable, cost-controlled defensive back for the next four years is a priority that trumps many others on their draft board. Wisniewski represents the kind of high-value, low-profile target this regime has historically favored—a player with a chip on his shoulder who won’t command a premium draft pick.
What happens next is a waiting game with heightened stakes. The fact that Wisniewski has used all five of his official visits, as reported by @RapSheet, indicates serious interest from multiple clubs, likely all clustered in the same draft range. League sources confirm the team holds him in high regard, but they must now determine if they need to use a fourth-round selection to secure him, or if they can afford to wait until the fifth and risk another team swooping in. The uncertainty lies not in their interest, but in the market. One thing is clear: after that Atlanta collapse, they can’t afford to go into next season with the same group.
