Calen Bullock, S USC: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Bullock was a four-star recruit from John Muir High School in Pasadena, Calif. in the class of 2021
USC Trojan standout Calen Bullock is in the conversation with Miami’s Kamren Kinchens for the top safety in the upcoming draft class. Bullock will compete for a top 50 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Calen Bullock, S USC: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Junior free safety from Pasadena, Calif
Background: Bullock was a four-star recruit from John Muir High School in Pasadena, Calif. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 186 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 130 for Rivals, and No. 215 for On3.com. Bullock was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. As a high school senior defensive back and wide receiver, he earned Second Team honors as part of the 2020 PrepStar Dream Team and Southern California News Group Fab 15. Bullock earned Second Team Cal-Hi Sports All-State Juniors and All-CIF Division 11 honors as a junior when he amassed 45 tackles, a sack, six interceptions, and three passes defensed. He also caught 40 passes for 914 yards and eight touchdowns and returned a dozen total punts and kicks.
Injuries & Off-Field: N/A
Awards: 2021 Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American, 2021 All-True Freshman Team (PFF), 2022 Second Team All-Pac-12, 2022 First Team All-Pac-12 (Associated Press), 2022 First Team All-American (PFF)
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, arm length will meet NFL standards, loose hips, smooth backpedal, reads the quarterback’s eyes to jump routes, instincts and anticipation pop, excels at reading the play as it unfolds in front of him, good awareness and anticipation in zone to snap to routes, anticipation allows him to mirror and match routes near the top of the stem, quick to crowd short tight end routes when working in the box, speed to hold up in man coverage against tight ends, impressive ball tracking and ball skills, plays the ball around receivers without fouling, willing to step down and make tackles on completions, wrap up tackler who makes good stops one-on-one in space against receivers, made a couple of key red zone tackles early vs. UCLA (2022), some surprisingly big hits
Cons: Not twitchy, lean frame, explosive burst is average, range is good but not elite, doesn’t quite have sideline-to-sideline range, needs to close out on the receiver earlier in the route, USC secondary suffered its fair share of blown coverages, loses a step when picking receivers up near the LOS, block defeat skills, steep angles to the football, stops feet and dives for tackles leading to misses, dragged for yards after contact, lines up so deep in zone that he likely won’t factor into the run game, instances of being late to recognize and trigger against the run, more hesitant to step down against the run than in the pass game
Overview: Bullock has special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He primarily operated in two-high looks as a deep safety but also played some single-high for USC in 2022. Bullock’s ample arm length, loose hips, and smooth backpedal are easy to spot on tape. His frame is lean, and he isn’t a twitchy athlete. Bullock reads the quarterback’s eyes to jump routes or limit yards after the catch. His instincts and anticipation pop. The junior excels at reading the play as it unfolds in front of him. His awareness and anticipation in zone help him mirror and match routes at the top of the stem. Bullock quickly closes and crowds tight end routes when operating in the box. He lacks elite speed and explosive burst but is athletic enough to stick with tight ends in man coverage. The PFF All-American has impressive ball skills that help him play the ball at its apex and make plays around receivers at the catch point without fouling. He steps down to make tackles on short completions. Bullock is a wrap up tackler who makes good stops one-on-one in space. He came up with two nice tackles in the red zone early in USC’s game against UCLA in 2022. Despite lacking consistent power, Bullock lands some surprising big hits. However, there are times when he stops his feet and dives, leading to missed tackles. Larger ball carriers drag him for yards after contact. The California native lines up so deep in zone that he likely won’t make much of an impact in the run game at the next level. Sometimes, he is late to recognize and trigger on runs. Bullock takes angles that are too steep to the ball, and he struggles to defeat or separate from blockers. Switching back to coverage, the former four-star’s explosive burst and range are good but not elite. He doesn’t quite have sideline-to-sideline range. Bullock needs to eliminate cushion and close out on the receiver earlier in the route. He lacks the speed to pick receivers up near the line of scrimmage and carry them deep.
Overall, Bullock excels as a deep safety who lets his reads and instincts generate big plays in coverage. He has room to expand his versatility in coverage and become a more technically sound run defender. Even with only minimal improvement in 2023, Bullock projects as a top 100 selection for a team looking to take advantage of his centerfield playmaking.
Role & Scheme Fit: Free safety in a two-high coverage shell with some single-high
Round Projection: Second Round
Size: 6'3", 190 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 08-31-23