Why NY Jets moving Hamsah Nasirildeen to linebacker is a great move
By Kelvin Hunt
Former FSU safety Hamsah Nasirildeen flirted with moving to linebacker in the 2019 season.
Nasirildeen was the ‘Noles leading tackler in 2018 and 2019 from the safety position but lined up in the box at times.
After suffering a season-ending injury in 2019 and missing most of 2020, the NY Jets announced Nasirildeen would move to linebacker after selecting him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
It’s a move I couldn’t agree more with and called it a ‘genius’ when I thought it was going to happen in 2019. At the time, FSU was going to move Jaiden Lars-Woodbey back to his safety position after experimenting with him in more of a linebacker role.
The thought was to move Nasirildeen down in the box because of his physicality and quick diagnosis of plays.
If Nasirildeen led the team in tackles from the safety position, what was he capable of when placing him closer to the line of scrimmage and decreasing the amount of ground to cover?
Here’s why it’s the right move for the NY Jets and why Nasirildeen should flourish on that defense as long as he can stay healthy.