Position

NFL Draft Safety Rankings

How the draft market prices safetys, what evaluators weight, and every class we cover ranked within the position.

Compiled by the NFL Mock Draft Simulator research desk

How the market prices the position

Safety is the most reliably discounted position in the draft. Teams have concluded that adequate safety play is available on the second and third days and in free agency, so safeties slide relative to their grades more consistently than any other defensive position. The versatile safety who can cover the slot, play the post and drop into the box is the exception, because he is effectively three positions.

What evaluators actually weight

Range and angles in the deep third for the free safety; tackling reliability and run fits for the strong safety. The trait that raises a safety's price is positional flexibility, since it lets a defence disguise coverage without substituting.

The recurring failure mode

Box safeties with poor deep range are effectively linebackers, and get priced as such once teams look past the tackle totals.

Safetys by draft class

Each class's rankings are a separate page, frozen once that draft is complete.

Other positions

All position rankings