Safeties - 2027 NFL Draft Preview

 

Two-year starter, Fort Wayne, IN. Big, long safety prospect with notable muscle definition. Experience playing an assortment of coverages and alignments. Natural athlete. Flies all over the field with long strides and acceleration. Patient when reading cues and doesn’t commit prematurely. Lurks over top with suddenness to snap and go when the quarterback cracks the egg. Anticipation and speed make him a true sideline-to-sideline defender from one-high. Reacts instantly to the break of the route and triggers with elite burst to work into passing windows underneath and over the top. Gets his hand in the cookie jar to force passes out of receiver’s hands. Takes precise angles when coming down to support the run, and adjusts on a dime to hunt down ball carriers beneath him. Seeks out contact, flying into blockers in the box to clog holes in the run game. Gets low and wraps up with proper form to finish tackles in space and in the box. Play fakes can get him stuck staring at the mesh point. Can do a better job identifying his run lane when supporting the box.

 

 

Three-year starter, Buford, GA. Second-team All SEC in 2025. Utilized all over the defense and most commonly deep in two-high schemes. Muscular frame suited for life in the box. Enticing athleticism; speedster who is able to end up at any part of the field in the blink of an eye. Leverages multiple threats from depth and anticipates passes as they happen. Underneath he sees routes develop around him and positions himself best to attack the ball. Great option as a low-hole defender who uses quarterback cues to get into passing windows. Plays catch-man with a firm base and aggressiveness to knock tight ends off their route. Heat-seeking missile when the ball comes out. Times his punches to force passes out at the catchpoint. Flies down in run support with an eagerness to eat runners in the box. Violent with low pads on tackles to prevent yards-after-contact. Subtle stiffness in the lower half makes him less effective in one-high coverages. Needs to improve his angles from depth.

 

 

Three-year starter, Ocean Springs, MS. Third-team All America and first-team All SEC in 2025. Burly safety prospect with a thick, muscular frame. Plays his best in the box where he can use his physicality and toughness to excel underneath. Toughness in both zone and man to jam threats and significantly disrupt timing. Midpoints threats underneath while reading the quarterback to eliminate multiple routes. Tons of ball production; finds ways to get his hands on the ball and comes away with interceptions and breakups. Destructive on contact and can hold a point outside as contain or on the inside. Fires into gaps with an aggressive demeanor and holds his own in the trenches. Fantastic at working around bodies to locate and attack the ball carrier at the line. Throws his full weight into runners with active feet to negate second-chance yardage on contact. Athletic deficiencies such as hip tightness and slow acceleration limit his coverage skills especially from depth. Aggressiveness causes him to miss his lane responsibility and miss tackles in space.

 

 

One-year starter, Sacramento, CA. Transfer from Oregon prior to the season. Frame stands out like a sore thumb; very tall with exceptional length and size. Combination of explosiveness, change-of-direction, and quickness makes him an enticing athlete. Flies around the field hungry to make plays. Lurks over top waiting to fire when the egg is cracked. Violent collisions significantly slows receivers as he engulfs them with his sheer size. Makes significant ground bailing out from underneath to undercut throws. Sticky versus tight ends in man coverage. Outstanding ball skills; great anticipation to see passes coming and plucks them out of the air with soft hands and long arms. Five interceptions through the first three games of the season. Flies like a missile towards the line when he gets his run read. Loves initiating contact and will throw his weight into blockers and runners to blow them up. Limited experience with 13 career tackles coming into the season. Sometimes looks for the big hit and neglects to wrap up, leading to missed tackles.

 

 

Three-year starter, Waco, TX. Vocal leader who helps get the secondary in the right spots. Possesses a big, muscular frame with long arms. Intelligent defender who is quick to get his run/pass read and ends up in the right spot often. Constantly communicating with teammates when he identifies routes and concepts. Tries to bait quarterbacks into bad decisions with positioning and processing speed. Size and toughness to hold up in the box when rolled down. Underneath he is excellent at identifying threats all over the field in his peripheral. Fluidity and change-of-direction help him recover quickly when looked off. Quick to trigger downhill when he reads run. Suddenness to avoid blocks and work through traffic. Elite finisher with one of the lowest missed tackle rates in college football; uses his long arms to wrap up and powers through to drive runners back. Takes time to plant-and-drive out of his stance causing him to be late closing space. Limitations playing tight in man coverage.

 

Notre Dame - 6000 / 205 | SR

 

Iowa - 6001 / 203 | SR

 

Georgia - 5112 / 200 | SR

 

LSU - 6022 / 208 | SR

 

Alabama - 6016 / 206 | 5th

 

Oklahoma - 5110 / 200 | SR

 

Ohio State - 5112 / 202 | JR

 

Ohio State - 6010 / 199 | 5th

 

Clemson - 6030 / 200 | JR

 

BYU - 6045 / 212 | JR

 

Michigan - 5107 / 198 | 6th

 

Illinois - 6015 / 222 | 5th

 

Indiana - 6010 / 205 | SR

 

South Carolina - 6000 / 214 | 5th

 

Penn State - 5110 / 187 | 5th

 

UCLA - 6001 / 198 | 5th

 

Oregon - 6010 / 202 | JR

 

Kentucky - 5115 / 196 | SR

 

Florida - 5097 / 211 | SR

 

Notre Dame - 6040 / 220 | SR

 

Virginia - 5107 / 192 | SR

 

Oregon - 6000 / 208 | RS SO

 

Ohio State - 6000 / 201 | 5th