Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig Hypes New Colorado Buffaloes Safety: 'He's A Little Different'

"The instincts he plays with, the way he plays the game, he's very aggressive and a downhill guy," Silmon-Craig said of Byard. "He's just a guy that I see a lot of myself in, too, because we're built kind of the same, kinda got the same attributes... He kind of fits the character of me."

If Byard makes half the impact Silmon-Craig made during his two years in Boulder, the Buffs' safeties room will be just fine next season. Silmon-Craig, a former Jackson State Tigers transfer, led Colorado with 93 total tackles last season and finished with 10 TFLs, three pass breakups, two sacks, one forced fumble and an interception. He then signed an undrafted free-agent contract with the Jaguars in April, joining two other former Buffs in cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter and defensive end BJ Green II.

Byard, the younger brother of Chicago Bears safety and two-time Pro Bowler Kevin Byard, spent his first two college football seasons at South Florida before entering the transfer portal in early December. With the Bulls, Byard played in 16 total games, including 10 starts, with 59 total tackles, eight TFLs, two sacks, one interception and a fumble recovery.

"Everything about him and the way he attacks the game, he's a dawg," Silmon-Craig added. "Once you see some plays on the field, you can just tell he's a little different. I can just see that in him."

Playing in front of fans at Folsom Field for the first time, Byard put his stamp on Colorado's spring game in April. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back recorded two tackles, one quarterback hurry and a pass breakup while showcasing his high football IQ.

"Tawfiq is probably one of the smartest players I've ever been around," Colorado defensive back Carter Stoutmire said. "Him and Cam (Silmon-Craig) are probably 1A and 1B."

Safety Ben Finneseth also shared some intriguing words on Byard during spring camp.

“I love Tawfiq Byard,” Finneseth said. “I’ve learned a lot from him. He came from a similar structured defense back at his old school, so we’ve been able to talk a lot of ball, and I’ve learned a lot of things from him. I think he’s learned a lot of things from me too, just us talking."