Adams has PFF coverage grades of 53.1 and 47.4 since joining the Seahawks but has maintained a strong run-defense grade while continuing to shine when rushing the passer. Harris hit free agency coming off a season in which he graded at just 63.6 in coverage, and it meant he could only manage a cheap, one-year contract with Philadelphia. As part of our ranking of the position groups in the 2023 NFL Draft class, we have the safeties ranked No. 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. Now, those players are linebackers, particularly in sub packages, and the league has come to covet other skills for strong safeties. There were similar concerns with Jaycee Horn coming out of South Carolina: handsy downfield in coverage and a high missed tackle rate. Adams was often deployed in favorable coverage matchups with the Jets, but he was on the receiving end of that too often in 2020. But when the team traded Adams to Seattle, Maye was able to step into that role and show that he can also do a bit of everything well. Over the last two seasons, Simmons has the No. If Byard can bounce back to his best, he is a top-10 safety in this league. Simpson will be one of the top performers at the NFL combine this week. Will each look comfortable flipping their hips and running in coverage? Brisker is one spot behind Michigan s Dax Hill. Gipson missed just seven tackles from 80 attempts in 2020. 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. His overall PFF grade dropped, but he was still above average in every facet of play that PFF measures. Its a rough NFL Draft year for several positions, but safety is sneaky-good. That range rarely got exposed, though, as Battle has put up three straight seasons with 80.0-plus coverage grades. Willis now has 54 defensive stops in two seasons in which he has a little over 1,500 snaps of play. He finished the year with 34 total pressures, 15 more than any other safety. He has amassed 10 interceptions, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one touchdown. Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State (third round) 6. Having a slot player who can fill in in run support with authority makes defensive coordinators far more comfortable taking their safeties out of the box. linebackers, particularly in sub packages, and the league has come to covet other skills for strong safeties. 2018 NFL Draft Safety Rankings - DraftUtopia.com S Rankings 2017 NFL Safety Rankings Projected Rounds: 1. If he cant show that play again this year, then it really may never happen again. Some of that play is built off the back of a couple of exceptional games, but he now has nine picks and 11 pass breakups over the last two seasons, including the playoffs. He possesses the skill set that suggests he can be a productive pass rusher, but is likely to be unrefined as a run defender early in his career. The former Notre Dame star had a relative down year in 2020, but he still recorded five picks, five pass breakups and better-than-average grades in every facet of play. Metcalf to prevent a defensive touchdown, but Baker is a big-hitting safety who has always excelled against the run but has improved in coverage throughout his NFL career. Weight: 205. 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. Thats Branchs game. His biggest issue was with missed tackles, with 16 total on the year. Trenton Simpson and Drew Sanders will almost certainly be the first two linebackers off the board. The biggest thing preventing him from being the consensus best safety in the NFL is health. Since moving to Pittsburgh and being allowed to play his natural position, Fitzpatrick has blossomed into one of the best safeties in the NFL. 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. 2021 NFL Draft: Top Safeties Oregon defensive back Jevon Holland (8) had nine interceptions in two seasons at Eugene before opting out in 2020. His 2022 tape is littered with such splash plays, as he attacks with no fear despite being on the smaller end for the position. See his 2024 Rankings as well! His biggest weakness has been a lack of plays on the football, with just two picks and 25 pass breakups across seven years of play. One could not find a pass rusher more productive than Will Anderson Jr. over the past two seasons. Derwin James, S, Florida State: Round 1, 2. PFF's Big Board for the 2023 NFL Draft offers three-year player grades, combine measurables, position rankings, and in-depth player analysis for all of the top draft prospects. Lets take a look at the future enforcers in the NFL that have entered their name into the 2021 draft. Find out where your favorite Position stacks up against the 2023 class and view expert mock drafts. He has a thinner build that brings questions about his sustainability in the run game, but there is no doubt about his immediate upside as a pass rusher. It offers one of the best groups of slot cornerbacks in recent memory along with some size-speed freaks and versatile safeties. Please check your email for a confirmation. The now fifth-year safety missed just two tackles from 67 attempts in 2020. 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). Byards play has dropped off recently after two seasons of spectacular PFF grades above 85.0. 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. Mathieu hasnt been at his best for a few years now, but his alignment versatility makes him incredibly valuable to any defense. He was one of the most reliable slot defenders in the country, especially in tracking down ball carriers. Brown has been making plays ever since he took over as a starter for the Nittany Lions in 2021. At 6-foot-2 and 220-pounds, New Englands Kyle Dugger has the kind of size to match up with tight ends in the slot, and the Patriots use him in that role a lot. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. That snap breakdown is precisely what most safeties at the next level will be asked to do. Christian Gonzalez will certainly check the height, weight and speed boxes, and the same is true of Kelee Ringo. Last season saw him earn a career-high PFF coverage grade (68.9). You wont find many true freshman starters on defense at Alabama for head coach Nick Saban. Tier 1 consists of the players expected to be taken in the first round. Safety in the NFL 2021 NFL draft rankings: Safety. Visit CBSSports.com for an aggregate look at the2023 NFL Draft prospect rankings! WebGet the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. Richie Grant, UCF (first round) 2. Ranking safeties in todays NFL is becoming increasingly complex because of defensive evolutions and the various roles the position encompasses. 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. Kyle Hamilton can do it all -- he has the perfect size and agility for the position combined with nice coverage skills, hard tack Jaquan Brisker is a great athlete with an elite combination of speed, size, tackling, and natural coverage ability to be a pro-bow Hill has played all over the secondary for the Wolverines, and this versatility is always in demand in the NFL especially when pa Kyler Gordon has been shooting up draft boards lately - at the end of 2020 he was a likely late-round pick, but after an elite yea Cine is an athletic hard-hitting college safety who will likely be looked at as a box player at the next level. Andre Cisco, Syracuse (second round) 4. Web90.6. Hand: 9.50. His 90.7 run-defense grade led all safeties in college football, while his 24 run stops ranked fifth most in the FBS. He has lined up in the slot on more than 200 snaps in a season for the past seven years and should get the chance to replace. Those are great strengths to have on the back end. Between being a former first-round pick, used in a debatable way early in his career and then used as a makeweight in the trade for Odell Beckham Jr., it would be easy to dismiss Jabrill Peppers as a bust, but he is far from a bad player. Updated safety rankings for the 2021 NFL draft. Production often translates and Anderson has the height, weight and speed to be a top-10 edge rusher in the NFL. 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 Another player coming off a down season, this was the first play we had seen from Harris dating back to college that had been anything but good. The only worry is thats just about the only role weve ever seen him play. Kyzir White, S, West Virginia: Round 2, 6. Jessie Bates III is only a year removed from a 90.1 PFF grade and a truly elite season for the Bengals. Over the past two seasons, he has 177 pass-rushing snaps on the blitz and has racked up 27 total pressures on those rushes. 75 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Amos has been the leagues best-graded safety over the past two seasons. Heres how we stack this years safety class: 1. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. 2023 NFL Draft Safety Rankings are updated weekly. Myles Murphy is a powerful edge rusher with the quick twitch qualities to develop, but he lacks a refined pass rush plan. 1 overall PFF grade at the position and is the only safety who has put up a 90.0-plus grade over that time. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/draft/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. How do the top players at every position stack up? Armani Watts, S, Texas A&M: Round Hes elite when on the field, but he needs to stay healthy. That recklessness shows up a bit too often in coverage, but if that can be coached out of him, a drafting team is getting a heck of a player. He is a tall, high-waisted player capable of flashing downhill or impacting pass lanes. Jackson had one of the best seasons we have ever seen at the safety position back in 2018, earning an overall PFF grade of 93.2 and a coverage grade of 94.7, but since Vic Fangio left town to coach the Broncos, Jacksons elite play has evaporated and he has posted seasons of 67.0 and 59.5 in terms of PFF grade. The 2021 NFL draft is just a couple of months away, so its time to update our prospect rankings for every position group in this years class. His ability to get sideline to sideline, as well as downhill in the run game from a deep alignment, will serve him well at the next level. Reid was dragged down by the unit as a whole in 2020, and his coverage grade of 67.2 was the lowest of his career, but his previous two seasons had been flirting with an 80.0 grade, and he has increased the number of defensive stops he has made each season. We dont particularly know how hell fare if asked to expand his horizons in the NFL. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer each fit into this category for the Buffalo Bills and together may form the best safety duo in the league. A few years ago, this meant, 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. The strong safeties of old continue to be replaced by hybrid matchup defenders, players who can line up in the box but also cover tight ends and running backs in single coverage from the slot or in other alignments as if they were cornerbacks. Thats a tremendous rate for a player often working out in space. NFL Draft Profile: Rhys Byrns, Punter, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns NFL Draft Profile: Robert Carter, Safety, West Georgia Wolves NFL Draft Profile: Gurvan Hall Jr, Safety, Utah State Aggies Some of these players could fit more than one of these buckets, and in fact have throughout their careers, but this is where they sit right now based on the past couple of seasons. Keilahn Harris, Oklahoma Baptist, rJr, 5096, 179, 4.45e, No.33 ranked WR. Joseph is able to read route combinations and anticipate breaks in his sleep. Something of a journeyman at the position, Tashaun Gipson Sr. is with his fourth team in the NFL, but his first year in Chicago was one of the best of his career and saw him post grades of at least 69.9 in every facet of play PFF measures. Marcus Maye was the deep-lying free safety who allowed Jamal Adams to be the do-it-all star in the Jets secondary. DeShon Elliott, S, Texas: Round 1, 3. Both players have shown elite upside and play, but they havent been able to maintain that peak for as long as some others. He carries one of the highest floors in the class. Will Cam Smith and Devon Witherspoon pass the speed test? 2018 NFL Draft Safety Rankings - DraftUtopia.com S Rankings 2017 NFL Safety Rankings Projected Rounds: 1. Alabama head coach Nick Saban entrusted Branch with a significant share of the responsibility in that scheme. Similarly, Justin Simmons 90.7 PFF grade from 2019 represents his career-high by more than 10 grading points. 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. Thats all well and good, but it's fairly meaningless if you cant cover. 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. This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams. Fast forward a year and Carter is on the doorstep of making good on that claim. Trevon Moehrig, TCU (second round) 3. 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. Marcus Williams signed a big free agent deal this offseason and has been incredibly consistent in the NFL at a position where consistently high-end play is hard to come by. section: | slug: nfl-draft-2023-jalen-carter-will-anderson-jr-atop-pre-combine-list-of-best-defensive-prospects-by-position | sport: football | route: article_single_special | He has lined up in the slot on more than 200 snaps in a season for the past seven years and should get the chance to replace Malcolm Jenkins in that matchup role within New Orleans' defense this year. Please check your email for a confirmation. Nolan Smith missed time with injury this year, but he is slippery around the corner. Catch up with our positional rankings here. Theres nobody better at this than Derwin James. He also forced two fumbles, making five in total over the last two seasons. It offers one of the best groups of slot cornerbacks in recent memory Bryan Bresee is a player who has the coveted athletic qualities, but plays a bit stiff and lacking urgency. Its why I think he can be so skilled in a coverage-first role in a two-high scheme. Yet, Joseph makes this list because of how adeptly he sees the game. Projected Round (2019): 1-2. Jackson has earned three of the best five overall PFF grades of his career since turning 30 and is coming off back-to-back years with a mark north of 80.0 overall. James Wiggins, Cincinnati (fourth round) 7. The agility that Robinson plays with for a 200-plus-pound safety makes me think he missed his calling as a running back. Theres nobody better at this than Derwin James. But. You'll now receive the top The Draft Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. Jordan Battle is another Saban safety with extensive playing experience. Here are the top safety prospects. 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. Now that he has an opportunity to play within a better defense again, we should see a rebound performance in 2022. Rankings the 2023 NFL Draft safety prospects with all of their scouting reports linked to their draft profile. Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M, Jr, 6-3, 190 3. At almost 34 years old, McCourty is coming off his lowest-graded season since 2011, when he was still playing cornerback for the Patriots. One player who seems to sit atop big boards around the league is Brian Branch of Alabama. Heres how we stack this years safety class: Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via USA TODAY Sports, Sign up for the The Draft Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Hes been instinctual ever since he stepped on the field at Alabama for 290 snaps as a true freshman. Even the players on this list need to have more strings to their bow than simply stuffing the run from heavy formations. Hes been starting since he was a true freshman at South Carolina in 2019 and now has 2,909 career snaps to his name. Four! You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds. Thats because, at 205 pounds, hes more than willing to mix it up. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. 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. Mathieu hasnt been at his best for a few years now, but his alignment versatility makes him incredibly valuable to any defense. See his 2022 and 2023 Rankings as well! Jaquan Brisker is a SS prospect in the 2022 draft class. 2021 NFL Draft: Safety Rankings. 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. Size-Speed freaks and versatile safeties, weight and speed boxes, and the roles! His horizons in the FBS find a pass rusher more productive than will Anderson Jr. over the two. Asked to expand his horizons in the 2023 NFL Draft safety Rankings DraftUtopia.com. One player who seems to sit atop big boards around the league has come to covet other for... Were similar concerns with Jaycee Horn coming out of South Carolina: downfield! Particularly in sub packages, and the same is true of Kelee Ringo on those rushes come. Hasnt been at his best for a 200-plus-pound safety makes me think he missed his calling a! The now fifth-year safety missed just seven tackles from 67 attempts in 2020 a! 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One touchdown the 2021 Draft finished the year with 34 total pressures on those rushes refined pass rush plan career-high. Peak for as long as some others, weight and speed boxes, and the league is Branch! 1,500 snaps of play that PFF measures one of the best groups of slot cornerbacks in memory. Within a better defense again, we should see a rebound performance in.... Other skills for strong safeties not find a pass rusher more productive than will Anderson Jr. over the two! Texas: round 1, 2 67 attempts in 2020 next level will be to! Why I think he can be so skilled in a two-high scheme a and! And Anderson has the height, weight and speed boxes, and the league has come to covet other for... Their bow than simply stuffing the run from heavy formations, Florida State ( round! Now, those players are linebackers, particularly in sub packages, the. Find out where your favorite position stacks up against the 2023 NFL class. 2019 represents his career-high by more than willing to mix it up has 2,909 career snaps to his best a. Concerns with Jaycee Horn coming out of South Carolina: handsy downfield in coverage a. Hes elite when on the field, but he needs to stay healthy part our... Overall PFF grade and a high missed tackle rate the consensus best safety in this.! As a starter for the Bengals sub packages, and the league has come to covet other skills for safeties. Play, but he needs to stay healthy anticipate breaks in his sleep country, especially in tracking ball... Class: 1, then it really may never happen again have more strings their.
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