Brian Branch is a flex defender capable of playing safety, fulfilling the nickel-back role and even playing on the boundary in a pinch. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Find out where your favorite Safeties stacks up against the 2023 class and view expert mock drafts. Brisker is one spot behind Michigan s Dax Hill. Nolan Smith missed time with injury this year, but he is slippery around the corner. 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. By: CollegeFootballNews.com. PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 112. 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. 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). At almost 34 years old, McCourty is coming off his lowest-graded season since 2011, when he was still playing cornerback for the Patriots. Chinn lined up all over the formation and was more of a matchup weapon than just a safety he played at least 20 snaps at free safety, in the box, covering the slot, lined up as a wide cornerback covering tight ends or backs and even stacked up at the line of scrimmage looking to threaten as part of the pressure package. Sign Up. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. All Scouts Average Position Rank 11. But both before and after that play, Williams has been one of the best in the NFL. 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. Jaquan Brisker is a SS prospect in the 2022 draft class. 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. Siaki Ika is a traditional nose tackle. 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. Hes one of the best tackling defensive backs PFF has charted in college. He can get past a block or knife into the backfield in the blink of an eye. Its exactly the role he handled for the Aggies the past two seasons. For the purpose of the NFL Draft Bible big board, we have done our best to separate prospects into free safety and strong safety designations. Find out where your favorite Position stacks up against the 2023 class and view expert mock drafts. If youve watched Kyle Hamilton in his role this season with the Ravens, thats a good idea of what we can expect from Johnson at the next level. 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. Tier 3 are the Round 4-5 caliber players. 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. 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. 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). Here are the 10 most physical safety prospects in this class. Its the 2022 NFL Drafts most underappreciated group at maybe the most Christopher Smith, Georgia HT: 5111 WT: 190 Year: Super Senior High School: Hapeville Charter (Atlanta, GA) Rating: 4-star (0.8991) Auburn at Alabama Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, DePaul at UConn Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Maryland at Ohio State Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Pitt at Notre Dame Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Oklahoma at Kansas State Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Chicago State at Gonzaga Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Vanderbilt at Kentucky Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Xavier at Providence Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Texas at TCU Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Privacy Notice / Your California Privacy Rights. 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. The safety Simpson will be one of the top performers at the NFL combine this week. He earned a PFF run-defense grade of 85.4, making some plays that caused flashbacks to the way his father played the run with the Minnesota Vikings years ago. 1, 2023 NFL mock draft: New 2-round projections for Senior Bowl week, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Kevin Byard has been a prototypical free safety since he was a draft prospect. Branch missed only four of his 173 career tackle attempts. WebGet the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. Byards play has dropped off recently after two seasons of spectacular PFF grades above 85.0. 2024 Rankings You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds. Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans free safety Kevin Byard (31) takes the field before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Nissan Stadium. Dax Hill | Michigan. See College Football News stories in your feed, NFL Draft by college over last 5 years: 1-130 rankings, 2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams, Auburn at Alabama Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, DePaul at UConn Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Maryland at Ohio State Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Pitt at Notre Dame Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Oklahoma at Kansas State Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Chicago State at Gonzaga Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Vanderbilt at Kentucky Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Xavier at Providence Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Texas at TCU Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview, Privacy Notice / Your California Privacy Rights. Four! 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. Will Cam Smith and Devon Witherspoon pass the speed test? He made a lot of spectacular plays as a rookie yet was also on the wrong end of some big gains for the offense. Peppers has made 27 defensive stops in each of the past two seasons and has at least 10 total pressures in each of the last three. The obvious name missing is Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. Jamar Johnson, Indiana (fourth round) 8. Tier 2 are the players projected to be taken Day 2. Christian Gonzalez will certainly check the height, weight and speed boxes, and the same is true of Kelee Ringo. 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Panthers trade up for their QB, NFL combine burning questions: Young's size and more, NFL combine 2023 snubs and how other non-invites fared, Young-Richardson: Debate between production, potential, NFL combine 2023: Dates, times, how to watch, prospects, 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Colts, Bucs trade up for QBs, NFL Draft: Defensive positional rankings pre-combine, Seven burning questions for the NFL combine, Top DL prospect Carter tied to crash that killed teammate, Report: PGA Tour trimming some fields, ending cuts, Seahawks hint at drafting QB while talking deal with Smith, Kane trade grades: Rangers ace deal for former MVP, Detroit's Davis closing in on Maravich NCAA scoring mark, Trade tracker: Kings' Quick era ends with deal to Jackets. Safety in the NFL Hes extremely steady and rarely caught out of control. Now, those players. And then his relatively long wingspan for a safety affords him leeway as a tackler. 75 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. But. Hyde is often put in a good position by the defensive scheme in Buffalo, but he responds by making the plays he is given the opportunity to make. Maintaining high-level play in the secondary over time is an extremely difficult task, yet Simmons has had back-to-back excellent years for the Broncos. Battle is going to put that theory to the test, as he made four starts as a freshman back in 2019 before playing full-time the past three seasons. He racked up 10 picks over the course of his career and allowed only 80 yards on 17 targets with Notre Dame this past season. Myles Murphy is a powerful edge rusher with the quick twitch qualities to develop, but he lacks a refined pass rush plan. Subscribe to Marcus Maye was the deep-lying free safety who allowed Jamal Adams to be the do-it-all star in the Jets secondary. 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. April 14, 2021 10:50 am ET. Alabama's Brian Branch takes top spot: The slot position has evolved into an integral part of an NFL defense a role Branch can handle with ease. 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. 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. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) 2. 2023 NFL Draft Safety Rankings includes a prospect ranking, a breakdown of scouting for the position, key questions about the position, and a link to learn more.. 2023 NFL Mock Draft Safety Rankings: Brian Branch, Alabama; Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M; Jordan Battle, Alabama; Jammie Robinson, Florida State Theres nobody better at this than Derwin James. Smith can really cover some ground. Emmanuel Forbes has recorded 14 interceptions, six of which were returned for touchdowns, over the course of his career. Please check your email for a confirmation. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports. Harrison Smith has long been the prototype for this group of safeties. 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. That snap breakdown is precisely what most safeties at the next level will be asked to do. The 2023 NFL Draft safety class should provide a deep talent pool throughout Day 2 of the draft. 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. Athletic testing and measurements at the NFL combine this week will either confirm what was seen on tape or inspire a second look. The Florida State product posted an overall PFF grade of 87.8 as a rookie, but he has played just 299 total snaps in the two seasons since. Trevon Moehrig, TCU (second round) 3. 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. 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 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 that he has an opportunity to play within a better defense again, we should see a rebound performance in 2022. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds. 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. He has converted three of his five interceptions into touchdowns over the past three seasons. Often forgotten men of the team, safeties can make a major difference to the quality of a defense and a secondary. 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. the ones that do often turn into quality starters in the NFL. Over the past two seasons, Martin has missed all of seven tackles on 129 attempts. If Byard can bounce back to his best, he is a top-10 safety in this league. Mathieu hasnt been at his best for a few years now, but his alignment versatility makes him incredibly valuable to any defense. Thats because, at 205 pounds, hes more than willing to mix it up. Visit CBSSports.com for an aggregate look at the2023 NFL Draft prospect rankings! Updated safety rankings for the 2021 NFL draft. Please check your email for a confirmation. 2021 NFL Draft: Safety Rankings. Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M, Jr, 6-3, 190 3. 1. at Last season saw him earn a career-high PFF coverage grade (68.9). You'll now receive the top The Draft Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. The biggest thing preventing him from being the consensus best safety in the NFL is health. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! Keilahn Harris, Oklahoma Baptist, rJr, 5096, 179, 4.45e, No.33 ranked WR. 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. Jack Campbell has great size and production for the linebacker position. Find out where your favorite Position stacks up against the 2023 class and view expert mock drafts. Armani Watts, S, Texas A&M: Round Some team sources said they graded Davis in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. It is difficult to find quality interior pass rushers so that makes a player with Carter's skill set even more valuable. 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. 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. Since moving to Pittsburgh and being allowed to play his natural position, Fitzpatrick has blossomed into one of the best safeties in the NFL. Since entering the league, Jeremy Chinn may have had the most unique deployment of any safety, to the point that he breaks a lot of position designations and really is operating in a one-man role. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Felix Anudike-Uzomah has 19.5 sacks over the past two years, but more impressive is the ball production. 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. Joseph is able to read route combinations and anticipate breaks in his sleep. 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 ability to line up in any safety position within any coverage shell allowed the rest of the pieces to fall into place around him. Teams looking to add some size, speed, physicality, and athleticism to their secondary will have their share of options at the safety 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. 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. College Senior Penn State. Your inbox approves See the data Golfweek's top news 's best, via From the college perspective, here are the best safety prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. 2023 NFL Draft Free Safety Rankings John Vogel October 31, 2022 in 2023 Rankings - 6 Minutes 1. Hes been starting since he was a true freshman at South Carolina in 2019 and now has 2,909 career snaps to his name. 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. His range is average at best, and his change-of-direction ability doesn't come close to that of others on this list. He still has a knack for making big plays at the most critical times, as he came down with a pick in both the AFC championship and the Super Bowl, two of seven he had in total last season. Savage recorded four picks and seven pass breakups and made several critical hits last year. Here are the top 10 safeties in this year's draft class, per PFF's NFL Draft Guide. John Johnson III backed up his fine play in Los Angeles with a solid year in Cleveland. Willis now has 54 defensive stops in two seasons in which he has a little over 1,500 snaps of play. In a four-year career, he has played just over 2,000 snaps, which is essentially half of the available playing time. He h Nick Cross is an intriguing prospect who is an elite athlete with outstanding speed and explosiveness. No player has the production of Ji'Ayir Brown over the past two seasons. 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. 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Murphy is a powerful edge rusher with the quick twitch qualities to develop, but more impressive is gold! That he has an opportunity to play within a better defense again, nfl draft safety rankings should see rebound!, Oklahoma Baptist, rJr, 5096, 179, 4.45e, No.33 ranked.... Career tackle attempts you 'll find the 40 time on the boundary in a pinch snap breakdown is what!
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