With the NFL Scouting Combine getting set to begin positional workouts, heres a look at the biggest combine snubs at each position in the 2023 NFL Draft Class. Now he is a year removed from that injury, and a return to that PFF coverage grade of 78.0 or better this season would see Thornhill likely even climb higher on this list. Another strong candidate to hear his name called on Day Three of the draft, Harris was one Its the 2022 NFL Drafts most underappreciated group at maybe the most He has converted three of his five interceptions into touchdowns over the past three seasons. Keilahn Harris, Oklahoma Baptist, rJr, 5096, 179, 4.45e, No.33 ranked WR. 9 of 11. 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. Athlon Sports. Four! John Johnson III backed up his fine play in Los Angeles with a solid year in Cleveland. What was even more impressive was the development he showed over the season, with his overall PFF grade jumping from 53.1 to 74.4 from the first half of his season to the second. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds. 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. Dugger faced 84 targets in coverage over his first two seasons in the league, allowing 58 catches for 9.3 yards per reception. Similarly, Justin Simmons 90.7 PFF grade from 2019 represents his career-high by more than 10 grading points. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. Tier 3 are the Round 4-5 caliber players. Even the players on this list need to have more strings to their bow than simply stuffing the run from heavy formations. Here are the top safety prospects. Antonio Johnson's season was not as inspiring as the 2021 campaign, but he has a versatile skill set. Myles Murphy is a powerful edge rusher with the quick twitch qualities to develop, but he lacks a refined pass rush plan. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO DOWNLOAD THE 2023 NFL DRAFT GUIDE FOR AS LOW AS 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. 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. After ranking the best players at every position as a part of PFF's 2021 NFL season preview, we April 14, 2021 10:50 am ET. Hes been instinctual ever since he stepped on the field at Alabama for 290 snaps as a true freshman. 1. His range is average at best, and his change-of-direction ability doesn't come close to that of others on this list. Those players still exist, but the defense most in vogue right now is the Vic Fangio tree of two-high safety looks, where free safeties are occupying either one half of the field or even just a quarter with various pattern-match responsibilities. * No. 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. Amos has been the leagues best-graded safety over the past two seasons. He possesses good size and physicality for the position with average range and physicality. The safety Battle is sort of a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. We dont particularly know how hell fare if asked to expand his horizons in the NFL. 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. Willis has back-to-back impressive seasons for the Colts since coming into the league as a fourth-round pick. Those are great strengths to have on the back end. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds. Richie Grant, UCF (first round) 2. He is coming off a season with a career-high 90.4 overall PFF grade and a 90.9 coverage grade. Jack Campbell has great size and production for the linebacker position. Savage recorded four picks and seven pass breakups and made several critical hits last year. 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. 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. 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. The now fifth-year safety missed just two tackles from 67 attempts in 2020. Both players have shown elite upside and play, but they havent been able to maintain that peak for as long as some others. Similar to his twin brother Chase, Sydney can flat-out fly. Will each look comfortable flipping their hips and running in coverage? Gipson missed just seven tackles from 80 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). Thats Branchs game. Tuli Tuipulotu was used as an edge rusher in Los Angeles, but projects to the inside. 2023 NFL Draft Free Safety Rankings John Vogel October 31, 2022 in 2023 Rankings - 6 Minutes 1. And while some positions in the league are extremely thin, highlighted by just a few stars but lacking any real quality beyond that, the safety position seems to be in excellent health. He can get a little wild as a tackler, although when he does catch a ball carrier cleanly, they stop in their tracks. There's Bryan Cook was a distinctly unremarkable playing heading into 2021 and looked like a probable UDFA prospect, however, following an Cam Taylor Britt is a good NFL prospect who really elevated his stock with an impressive combine and senior bowl performance. In many schemes, a switch to linebacker may even be in the cards. S. All Scouts Average Overall Rank 42.9. Jordan Battle, Alabama, Sr, 6-2, 210 2. 2023 NFL Draft Strong Safety Rankings John Vogel October 27, 2022 in 2023 Rankings - 9 Minutes 1. Each can line up anywhere they are needed within the scheme and playing next to one another is clearly a force multiplier for their success. Justin Reid, S, Stanford: Round 2, 5. 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. What was concerning about last season was how badly he was exposed in coverage within the Seahawks defense. Here are the top 10 safeties in this year's draft class, per PFF's NFL Draft Guide. Smiths rookie season was in 2012, and he has never had a poor healthy season since that point the kind of consistent excellence that Smith has been able to maintain for the Vikings is freakish at the safety position. Ranking safeties in todays NFL is becoming increasingly complex because of defensive evolutions and the various roles the position encompasses. Hes one of the best tackling defensive backs PFF has charted in college. Sanders, an Alabama transfer, has spot edge rusher potential in addition to having the size necessary to hold up at the point of attack. 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. Safety Rankings: The 32 best safeties entering the 2021 NFL season. Jordan Battle is another Saban safety with extensive playing experience. The 2021 NFL draft is just a couple of months away, so its time to update our prospect rankings for every position Its a big part of the reason hes such a good tackler. The 2023 NFL Draft safety class should provide a deep talent pool throughout Day 2 of the draft. Justin Reid, S, Stanford: Round 2, 5. 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. 40 Time: 4.45. 250+ three-page scouting profiles - advanced stats, 3-year grades, player comps, combine data and Senior Bowl grades - for the 2023 draft class. 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. Before that, Harris generated 10 picks and an overall PFF grade of 90.6 over the previous two seasons combined. Andre Cisco, Syracuse (second round) 4. Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans free safety Kevin Byard (31) takes the field before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Nissan Stadium. Thats obviously not as big a deal in a deep role, but the team drafting him may have to accept some role limitations. 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. 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. Mathieu hasnt been at his best for a few years now, but his alignment versatility makes him incredibly valuable to any defense. Welcome to College Football News's European Union Experience. 8:58 am ET. JL Skinner will be one of the more impressive prospects in Indianapolis this week. Catch up with our positional rankings here. His man coverage skills are very good for a safety of his size, and hes a quality run defender as well. Cincinnati S James Wiggins is an under the radar G5 defensive prospect for the 2020 NFL Draft. Great read and closing speed here for the INT. pic.twitter.com/3Y9ouDvn4r Some believe Trevon Moehriq is the best safety in the nation. Please check your email for a confirmation. But the ones that do often turn into quality starters in the NFL. 15. Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State (third round) 6. Now, those players are linebackers, particularly in sub packages, and the league has come to covet other skills for strong safeties. Savage is moving in the right direction but is still a little more flash than substance. Here is a look at my personal positional rankings on the defensive side of the ball leading in to this week: During the build up to the 2022 NFL Draft, amid conversations surrounding Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt was the narrative that Jalen Carter was the best prospect along that Georgia defensive front. Some team sources said they graded Davis in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. If an NFL team's scheme has a defined box safety role, theres not a better player to fill it in the draft class than Skinner. Adams was often deployed in favorable coverage matchups with the Jets, but he was on the receiving end of that too often in 2020. His 90.7 run-defense grade led all safeties in college football, while his 24 run stops ranked fifth most in the FBS. Even the players on this list need to have more strings to their bow than simply stuffing the run from heavy formations. 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. at Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! Just behind his teammate is Poyer, a similarly versatile safety who allows the Bills to run any kind of coverage shell they want to. 2021 NFL Draft: Safety Rankings. Yet, Joseph makes this list because of how adeptly he sees the game. Armani Watts, S, Texas A&M: Round The best days of Devin McCourty may be in the past. 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. 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. Joseph is able to read route combinations and anticipate breaks in his sleep. Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M, Jr, 6-3, 190 3. Siaki Ika is a traditional nose tackle. SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION HOLIDAY BOWL. Luke Easterling. 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. Christopher Smith, Georgia HT: 5111 WT: 190 Year: Super Senior High School: Hapeville Charter (Atlanta, GA) Rating: 4-star (0.8991) Often forgotten men of the team, safeties can make a major difference to the quality of a defense and a secondary. 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 How do the top players at every position stack up? Trevon Moehrig, TCU (second round) 3. The 2023 NFL draft is getting closer, and our analysts are building their draft boards. the ones that do often turn into quality starters in the NFL. In a four-year career, he has played just over 2,000 snaps, which is essentially half of the available playing time. Jamar Johnson, Indiana (fourth round) 8. A former cornerback, Jackson has transitioned to safety and enjoyed a second career once he moved past the age of 30. In-depth prospect rankings with linked reports and all updated player information. We've compared players post combine 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. 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. Jamal Adams was thought to be this matchup weapon on defense, a player capable of lining up anywhere and doing his job well, But in Seattle, he has been struggling badly in any role other than one close to the line of scrimmage as more of a classic strong safety. Weight Lbs 199lbs. 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. 2023 NFL Draft Eligible Safety Prospects 1. 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. Curl could be primed for a big sophomore campaign. Thankfully, that couldnt be further from the truth with Branch. 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. WebGet the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. Kevin Byard has been a prototypical free safety since he was a draft prospect. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports. Last year, his coverage and run-defense grades came in at 74.0 or better. 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. Kyle Hamilton | Notre Dame. 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. Smith may be declining from his elite best (his past two seasons have earned PFF grades of 74.3 and 77.9, down from 90.0-plus), but he still ranked 12th at the position in 2021 for a defense that lost a lot of talent. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | 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. 2021 NFL draft: Safety rankings led by TCU's Trevon Moehrig USA TODAY Sports Network Prospect rankings by position: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | Edge | DT | ILB | CB And then his relatively long wingspan for a safety affords him leeway as a tackler. Send feedback and thoughts to @ShanePHallam. NFL Draft Buzz is on the lookout for new contributors who would like a chance showcase their perspectives on the NFL draft. 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