WebGet the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. Clark is good enough at everything to be the kind of versatility player the Ravens covet in their secondary. Ranking safeties in todays NFL is becoming increasingly complex because of defensive evolutions and the various roles the position encompasses. It would be easy to look at Houston last season and conclude they have no defenders of any quality, but Justin Reid has been an impressive safety for most of his career. The now fifth-year safety missed just two tackles from 67 attempts in 2020. Athlon Sports. Even with that tremendous speed, though, it may surprise you to know that Brown was almost entirely a. safety this past fall (only 60 of his 742 snaps came deep). SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO DOWNLOAD THE 2023 NFL DRAFT GUIDE FOR AS LOW AS His 26 coverage stops over that span were the fourth most among Power Five defensive backs, as his 91 targets went for only 368 yards (4.0 yards per target). Heres our updated list of this years top safety prospects: Sign up for the The Draft Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. WebGet the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. Super informed fan? PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Sign Up. Noah Sewell is the younger brother of Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell. Brown may very well have the best movement skills of any safety in the draft class. Similar to his twin brother Chase, Sydney can flat-out fly. Hes reportedly reached over 22 mph on the GPS readings, and if you watch his tape from any point this past season, its very believable. Hes extremely fluid for a 220-pounder and can easily be a tight end eraser at the next level. DeShon Elliott, S, Texas: Round 1, 3. Adams is a better player than he showed last season in Seattle, albeit likely not one good enough to justify the two first-round picks in the trade that took him there. He is coming off a season with a career-high 90.4 overall PFF grade and a 90.9 coverage grade. Hes very solidly built for the position and loves to lay the boom. https://draftwire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nfl-draft-rankings-safety-brian-branch-antonio-johnson-jordan-battle/, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/draft/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Height Feet 6-1. His biggest issue was with missed tackles, with 16 total on the year. Notre Dame s Hamilton has long been hyped as the top safety in the draft, and he tops Brooks latest top five at the safety position. 2021 NFL Draft: Top Safeties Oregon defensive back Jevon Holland (8) had nine interceptions in two seasons at Eugene before opting out in 2020. Teams looking to add some size, speed, physicality, and athleticism to their secondary will have their share of options at the safety While lacking splash plays, he is consistently in the right place at the right time and grades very well in all facets of the game. at Bates tallied a ridiculous 12 pass breakups to go along with three interceptions on the season despite playing the bulk of his snaps in the middle of the field, where those plays are hard to come by. It offers one of the best groups of slot cornerbacks in recent memory along with some size-speed freaks and versatile safeties. Jevon Holland, Oregon (third round) 5. This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams. His in-season tape is clear evidence, but you can also watch the practice/training camp footage that emerges every year of James going one on one with Keenan Allen one of the best route-runners in the game and covering him like a blanket. Experienced Jammie Robinson comes in at No. He has amassed 10 interceptions, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one touchdown. linebackers, particularly in sub packages, and the league has come to covet other skills for strong safeties. the ones that do often turn into quality starters in the NFL. A seventh-round rookie, Kamren Curl was one of the steals of the draft a year ago, one of the standout rookies of the season. Bates recorded the highest overall PFF grade among safeties last season at 90.1 he was one of two players with a PFF coverage grade north of 90.0. Four! Clark is a player the Baltimore Ravens love to deploy all over the formation and can use him in pretty much every way, including rushing the passer. Amos is often underrated and overlooked because he doesnt make as many spectacular plays as other safeties he has just nine interceptions in six years but he produced the highest PFF coverage grade among all safeties in 2020 (91.5), with seven pass breakups and three picks on the year. From a testing perspective, theres a chance he puts up the most lackluster numbers at the combine of any player on this list. New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas State Wildcats wide receiver Phillip Brooks (8) runs the ball against Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Brian Branch (14) during the first half in the 2022 Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome. The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, and the pro day circuit is in full swing, which means its time to take an updated look at our prospect rankings for the 2022 NFL draft. See his 2024 Rankings as well! Kyle Hamilton | Notre Dame. Ranking safeties in todays NFL is becoming increasingly complex because of defensive evolutions and the various roles the position encompasses. Harrison Smith has long been the prototype for this group of safeties. He possesses good size and physicality for the position with average range and physicality. Thats obviously not as big a deal in a deep role, but the team drafting him may have to accept some role limitations. Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama: Round 1, 4. John Johnson III backed up his fine play in Los Angeles with a solid year in Cleveland. S. All Scouts Average Overall Rank 42.9. Maye earned a career-high PFF grade of 82.9 last season, also notching career highs in snaps from the slot and in the box. A few years ago, this meant Earl Thomas-type players who occupied the single-high zone in defenses playing almost exclusively Cover 3 or Cover 1. His in-season tape is clear evidence, but you can also watch the practice/training camp footage that emerges every year of James going one on one with, Tyrann Mathieu is such a matchup weapon that for several years of his career he was a pure slot cornerback more than he was a safety. What was concerning about last season was how badly he was exposed in coverage within the Seahawks defense. But both before and after that play, Williams has been one of the best in the NFL. Ward struggled early in his NFL career despite entering the league with the prestige of a first-round pick, but the last two seasons have seen him at his best. Welcome to College Football News's European Union Experience. All Scouts Average Position Rank 11. Collins isnt that far removed from a genuine Defensive Player of the Year kind of season, but he has declined sharply since that spectacular 2016 season. Both players have shown elite upside and play, but they havent been able to maintain that peak for as long as some others. Safety in the NFL is, in truth, several different positions with wildly different responsibilities, and comparing them directly is tricky. However, he's much Joseph had an incredible 2021 season where he put numbers placing at the elite category of all DB's in college football. Moehrig has some of the best ball production youll see from a safety prospect, as he led all FBS safeties in pass breakups in each of the past two seasons. At 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, Moehrig has ideal size and physicality for the position, as well. 2. Elijah Molden, Washington Molden is the gold standard in the slot for this class. This most recent season saw him post career-low marks in overall grade (65.8) and coverage grade (61.5), which drags him outside of the top 10, such is the strength of competition. His overall PFF grade dropped, but he was still above average in every facet of play that PFF measures. Hes missed 14.9% of his tackle attempts in his career and will have some ugly ones when asked to wrap up from a standstill. Another rookie who was far from overawed by the step up to the NFL, Antoine Winfield Jr. was a significant role player in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl campaign. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports. He collected 16 stops in the run game this past fall and proved to have one of the more versatile skill sets in the draft class. That marked his third career 80.0-plus coverage grade, and it was also the third time he was aligned at free safety for more than 600 snaps over a season. Hes one of the best true backend players in the draft class. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Justin Reid, S, Stanford: Round 2, 5. Myles Murphy is a powerful edge rusher with the quick twitch qualities to develop, but he lacks a refined pass rush plan. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. His acceleration for a 6-foot-3 safety is what really makes him unique. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Strong safety used to be a coveted specialty role in the NFL, encompassing those who played more like auxiliary linebackers and patrolled the box, defending the run and covering short zones underneath. He also has ideal size, loo Verone McKinley III was an elite high school player, a good college player but may only ever be an average pro. The obvious name missing is Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. Athletic testing and measurements at the NFL combine this week will either confirm what was seen on tape or inspire a second look. 2023 NFL Draft Safety Rankings are updated weekly. Although Justin Reid is coming off some ugly grading, we saw earlier in his career what he is capable of in a defense that doesnt shed all of its talent around him. Jessie Bates III is only a year removed from a 90.1 PFF grade and a truly elite season for the Bengals. 2023 NFL Draft S Rankings (Shane) by Shane Hallam August 17, 2022 0 1430. Unfortunately for Baker, the most memorable play of his season and arguably his career is getting chased down from behind by a flying D.K. He has three 80.0-plus PFF run-defense grades in his first five seasons, and his versatility allows him to move around the defense, playing plenty as a free safety and in the slot. The 2023 Senior Bowl is officially in the books, and after another revelatory week of action in Mobile, its time to update our prospect rankings for each position group in the 2023 NFL draft class. Theres nobody better at this than Derwin James. We dont particularly know how hell fare if asked to expand his horizons in the NFL. He finished the year with 34 total pressures, 15 more than any other safety. 2,909 career snaps to his name, Robinson has been an excellent tackler. 2024 NFL Draft Position Rankings: QB | RB | FB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | NT | 3-4 OLB | 3-4 DE | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State Height: 5-11. 2021 NFL Draft Safety Rankings Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak. Mar 18, 2021. He also forced two fumbles, making five in total over the last two seasons. Even with that tremendous speed, though, it may surprise you to know that Brown was almost entirely a box safety this past fall (only 60 of his 742 snaps came deep). Will each look comfortable flipping their hips and running in coverage? Keilahn Harris, Oklahoma Baptist, rJr, 5096, 179, 4.45e, No.33 ranked WR. Draft Wire editor Luke Easterling updates his safety rankings for the 2023 NFL draft following Senior Bowl week 2023 NFL draft: Post-Senior Bowl safety rankings Teams Had it not been for injury, James might be the best safety in the league, and football fans everywhere have their fingers crossed that the injury bug is finally behind him so we can see the kind of special player he can be. There were similar concerns with Jaycee Horn coming out of South Carolina: handsy downfield in coverage and a high missed tackle rate. 2024 Rankings Since moving to Pittsburgh and being allowed to play his natural position, Fitzpatrick has blossomed into one of the best safeties in the NFL. WebGet the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. Brown has been making plays ever since he took over as a starter for the Nittany Lions in 2021. Winfield is a playmaker and exceptionally good in coverage, where his ability to read the play quickly really comes to the fore.