Long, rangy centerfield safety who can keep a lid on coverage from a single-high alignment and has a nose for the football when it's in the air. Wheatley's ball skills and route recognition make him a legitimate playmaker in zone, but his game falls apart in man coverage — stiff hips, late counters, and a lack of click-and-close underneath leave him exposed when asked to match up in space. The tackling is grab-and-drag at best, and his 198-pound frame isn't adding physicality anytime soon at 24 years old. He's a scheme-dependent piece — a team running two-high shells that can protect his limitations will get a reliable contributor, but ask him to do too much and you're looking at a backup who makes his bones on special teams.

• 🪂Excellent deep-half range from single-high alignment — covers ground sideline to sideline and rarely lets the ball get behind him
• 💡Above-average ball skills and instincts for reading route concepts, with 6 career interceptions and consistent ball production
• 🧠Assignment-sound football IQ — processes pre-snap information well and handles versatile alignments (FS, box, slot) without mental errors
• 💥Ideal length at 6-3, 203 lbs with a 31-inch arm — creates a wide tackling radius and disrupts passing windows when in phase

• ✂️Man coverage technique is poor — stiff hips, late transitions, struggles to mirror receivers and gives up separation to even lower-tier athletes
• 💥Inconsistent tackler who relies on grab-and-drag rather than running through targets; lunges for big hits instead of leading with his shoulder
• 🤲Lacks functional strength to hold up against NFL tight ends in contested catch situations or anchor against run blocks in the box
• 🤲Drops excessively deep in coverage, creating unnecessary space underneath that limits his own playmaking and stresses zone defenders behind him