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Josh Bullocks
Position: Free Safety
College: Nebraska
Height: 6-0
Weight: 207
Hometown: Chattanooga, Tenn.

Analysis | Injury Report | Agility | High School | Personal

OVERVIEW

One of the top pass thieves in college football, opponents thought they were seeing double when they gazed at the Cornhuskers' secondary the last two years and found Josh and his twin brother, Daniel, playing alongside each other at the safety position. In two-and-a-half years as a starter, Josh Bullocks moved to second place on the school's all-time interception chart. The brothers have great sports bloodlines, as their cousin is former U.S. Olympic gold medalist Evelyn Ashford.

Bullocks took handoffs from his brother as Hixson High School's running back and primarily played cornerback on defense. A team captain, he rushed 99 times for 683 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior, with seven receptions for 212 yards and four scores. He made 33 tackles, including three tackles for loss, and also grabbed two interceptions and returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown.

Bullocks was rated as the No. 15 overall college prospect from Tennessee by the Knoxville News-Sentinel and earned first-team all-state 4A honors. He was named to the AP All-Star Team and played in the Tennessee vs. Kentucky All-Star Game, where he intercepted a pass. Josh combined with Daniel on Hixson's 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams, placing second in the 4x400 at state as a senior.

Bullocks redshirted at Nebraska in 2001. He played in every game, starting five contests the following year. He totaled 48 tackles (26 solos) with an interception and three pass breakups as a redshirt freshman. He earned All-America first-team honors from The Sporting News and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2003. Bullocks set school and Big 12 Conference season records with 10 interceptions and totaled 154 yards in returns. He also recorded 49 tackles (23 solos) with seven pass deflections and five quarterback pressures.

He followed that season with second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2004. He posted 63 tackles (43 solos) with a pair of interceptions and seven pass breakups in his final season with the Huskers. For his career, Bullocks started 28 of 36 games. He was responsible for 160 tackles (92 solos), a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, eight quarterback pressures and 17 pass deflections. He intercepted 13 passes for 211 yards in returns. Only Dana Stephenson (14, 1967-69) had more interceptions in a career at Nebraska.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a physique with adequate muscle definition, tight waist and hips, good bubble and thick thighs … Solid student athlete who has no problems taking the plays from the board to the field … Spends extra time reviewing film and is well liked by the staff and teammates … Shows good quickness, agility and balance with above-average change-of-direction skills and flexibility … Quick to sniff out the pass play and has an adequate closing burst on the ball … Not a speed burner, but comes to the line of scrimmage quickly to support the run and has enough range to handle two-deep coverage … Can play centerfield, time his jumps and adjust to the ball in flight … Provides a decent thump upon contact in the open field … Shows fluid hips and balance through his backpedal, displaying the speed to stay with backs and tight ends and good plant agility to burst out of his breaks … Can flip his hips, change direction and turn immediately to get an early break on the ball … His field instincts are evident when playing in zone coverage, as he does a good job of keeping plays in front of him … Shows urgency to finish and has excellent timing ability going up for the ball … Has natural hands for the interception and is capable of catching the ball when working in a crowd … His body control and balance allow him to stay tight on the receiver's hips in short-area man coverage … Has adequate strength, but will collide and hit with explosion when he gets a good bead on the receiver … Takes good angles in pursuit and has the burst to cover ground with the ball in the air … Stays in control working in space and knows how to keep his pads low to wrap and secure when tackling.

Negatives: Not as effective defending vs. the run as he is in pass coverage … He is not around the line much, as size and strength issues see him get stymied when trying to face up to offensive linemen … Needs to use his hands with more force in attempts to press and jam before the receiver is able to get into the route … More of a chess master who will try to finesse on the play rather than step up and play with aggression (needs to develop a mean streak) … Gets bounced around a bit working near the pile, lacking the raw strength to stack and control in run force (only one stop behind the line of scrimmage in 36 games) … Best when making plays in front of him, as he has adequate speed, but not the sudden burst of acceleration to handle the speedier receivers in the deep zone.

INJURY REPORT

2004 -- Started, but played the entire Kansas State game with a shoulder sprain.

AGILITY

4.58 in the 40-yard dash … 340-pound bench press … 305-pound power clean … 34-inch vertical jump … 32¼-inch arm length … 9 5/8-inch hands.