Summary

Geno Stone was selected in Round 7 (#219 Overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of Iowa. A productive and instinctive defensive back in college, Stone was a key piece of Iowa’s secondary, finishing his career with 137 total tackles, 6 interceptions, 13 passes defended, and 4 forced fumbles, while earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors (2019). In the NFL, Stone steadily carved out a role through special teams and rotational snaps before breaking out as a full-time contributor. Through the 2024 season, he has accumulated 250+ career tackles and 15+ interceptions, including a standout 2023 season in which he recorded 7 interceptions, ranking among the league leaders. Stone signed a multi-year deal in free agency after proving his value as a ball-producing safety. He is widely regarded as a high-character, intelligent, and dependable professional, praised for preparation, consistency, and a team-first mindset that allowed him to outperform his draft position.

Strengths

• Elite Instincts: Diagnoses route concepts quickly and consistently positions himself around the football. Assignment-sound defender who minimizes mental errors.

• Ball Production: Natural ball hawk with strong hands and timing at the catch point with strong career interception numbers.

• Zone Coverage Awareness: Excels in split-safety and quarters concepts and understands spacing while processing information quickly.

• Angles & Leverage: Takes efficient pursuit angles; limits explosive plays. Secure wrap-up tackler in space.

Weaknesses

• Top-End Speed: Lacks elite range and foot speed compared to premier single-high safeties with a below-average 11.80 Athleticism score for the position.

• Man Coverage Limitations: Can be stressed by speed and suddenness in isolation. Trait limitations cap matchup flexibility against elite offenses.

• Explosiveness: Wins with anticipation rather than burst and has a limited margin for error if initially beaten.

• Physicality in Box: More of a sturdy gap fuller and form tackler, not a tone-setting hitter near the line..

Outlook

Stone is best suited for zone-oriented defensive schemes that emphasize anticipation, communication, and turnover creation from the safety position. He thrives in systems that deploy split-safety looks, quarters coverage, and disguise, allowing him to read the quarterback and jump routes rather than relying on pure speed to cover ground. Pairing Stone with a more rangy or physical safety so that he has to cover less ground maximizes his strengths and protects against athletic mismatches. Looking ahead, Stone projects as a solid starting free safety or high-end rotational starter whose value is driven by instincts and ball production. While athletic limitations prevent elite upside, his intelligence, reliability, and turnover impact provide a high floor and winning-value profile. Entering a contract year in 2025, Stone should continue to be a productive, dependable back-end defender capable of anchoring coverage structures and generating timely takeaways, but will need to accept a more modest pay day at this point in his career.