2025 NFL Draft Safety Prospect Rankings

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13. Caleb Ransaw – Tulane

Ransaw is a free safety that brings some tackling ability, great versatility and elite closing speed. For his size, his block deconstruction is impressive and he has a bit of a nasty streak. His backpedal and change of direction ability is smooth and his quick trigger downhill will also be a coveted trait. His special teams value is just an added perk. Ransaw has shown some lapses in man coverage especially against shifty slot receivers. His footwork will get choppy and his over aggressiveness can be an Achilles heel. His length is limited and his ball production was also limited in college.

Player Comparisons: Quan Martin / Jalen Pitre

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Vikings, Panthers, Dolphins (Wild Card – Broncos)

12. Upton Stout – Western Kentucky

Stout is another free safety with quick processing skills, pop as a tackler and a great feel in zone coverage. He demonstrates solid versatility, good straight-line speed and special teams value. He is competitive on contested catches and has some skill as a blitzer. Stout is undersized with some length limitations and his change of direction ability is only average. He does struggle to disengage from blocks and his injury history is a bit concerning.

Player Comparisons: Malik Mustapha / Jammie Robinson

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Ravens, Cardinals, Bills (Wild Card – Colts)

11. Malachi Moore – Alabama

Moore is a natural free safety with great route recognition, natural ball skills and a high football IQ. His footwork is typically clean in transition and his communication skills are evident in coverage. He is a reliable tackler with versatility on defense and special teams experience in college. Moore will struggle to disengage from blockers, lacks an intimidating presence and his lateral quickness will sometimes get exposed by shifty receivers. His lean frame may concern some teams, but his medical history is his major knock.

Player Comparisons: Camryn Bynum / Tony Adams

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Browns, Commanders, Jaguars (Wild Card – Panthers)

10. Billy Bowman Jr. – Oklahoma                                                     

Bowman will ideally get to play as a nickel safety in the NFL. He displayed excellent ball production in college combined with track speed, fluid movement and great field vision. His closing burst is impressive, while his natural intuition helps get him to the right spots on the field. He does offer special teams value and his scheme versatility allows him to fit with many different teams in the league. His size limitations, inconsistent tackling technique and over aggressiveness in pursuit may pose some issues. He isn’t the most willing tackler versus the run and by no means is Bowman a prototypical safety.

Player Comparisons: Tanner McCalister / Jalen Mills

Projection: 3^rd – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Giants, Cardinals, Colts (Wild Card – Titans)

9. Jaylen Reed – Penn State                                                               

Reed is a versatile safety who could align at strong safety, free safety or even at nickel. He has exceptional instincts downhill, brings some pop as a tackler and has a natural feel versus the run. He accelerates through his tackles, read the quarterback’s eyes well and clearly has a high football IQ. Not only can Reed be a chess piece on defense but he offers lots of special teams value. He can be overaggressive, needs some work cleaning up his technique in man coverage and could improve his block shedding technique. Reed is not as rangy as some other safeties in this class.

Player Comparisons: Nick Cross / Bryan Cook

Projection: 4^th – 6^th Round

Best Fits: Browns, Broncos, Jaguars (Wild Card – Jets)

8. Kevin Winston Jr. – Penn State                                                   

The Penn State safeties go back-to-back in the rankings. Winston is a bigger safety with natural skills as a strong safety. He is an elite run defender, plays violent yet controlled and possesses great closing burst. Winston shows an ability to deconstruct blocks, tackles with great fundamentals and showcases some instincts in zone coverage. His length and frame is impressive, while his mentality helps him shut down tight ends and running backs. His man coverage skills are lacking and his tall frame makes it difficult to change direction quickly. His ball production was limited in college and he can be manipulated by a quarterback’s eyes. His medical history is a concern.

Player Comparisons: Kerby Joseph / Kitan Oladapo

Projection: 3^rd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Ravens, Vikings, Cardinals (Wild Card – Chargers)

7. Jonas Sanker – Virginia                                                                   

Sanker is an impressive free safety with great contact balance, an advanced understanding for timing his blitzes and the ability to win early in run support. He is great at the second level, reads opposing quarterbacks well and demonstrates natural leadership ability. Sanker’s understanding of route combinations is an asset and his controlled aggressive allows him to play at another level of intensity than many other players. There are some athletic limitations, some mechanical inefficiencies and he will sometimes get caught peeking in the backfield. His lack of size might make things tougher versus big tight ends or when filling gaps versus pullers or on misdirection plays.

Player Comparisons: Jordan Fuller / Juan Thornhill

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Browns, Jets, Broncos (Wild Card – Falcons)

6. Sebastian Castro – Iowa                                                                 

Castro is a true free safety with toughness, excellent processing speed, a linebacker’s mentality versus the run and an understanding of precise angles. Castro has a veteran savviness in zone coverage, some special teams experience and the versatility to align in multiple spots. He knows how to sniff our screens and pre-snap movement. His long speed is limited causing him to get grabby versus vertical routes. He is an older prospect and he lacks the ideal length of most safeties.

Player Comparisons: Kamren Kinchens / Taylor Rapp

Projection: 3^rd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Jaguars, Dolphins, Giants (Wild Card – Panthers)

5. Lathan Ransom – Ohio State                                                         

Ransom is a strong safety who excels near the box. He brings the hammer attacking downhill, stacks and sheds easily and knows how to force turnovers. He can seamlessly move to other positional alignments if needed and will be a special teams animal. His timing as a blitzer is elite and he brings a ton of experience to the league. His heavy feet limit his man coverage ability, while his ball production also lags behind some other prospects. He does have some injury concerns and his tackling style can lead to some missed tackles.

Player Comparisons: Xavier Woods / Minkah Fitzpatrick

Projection: 3^rd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Dolphins, Falcons, Ravens (Wild Card – Colts)

4. Andrew Makuba – Texas                                                                 

Makuba could align at free safety or nickel. He is an explosive athlete with elite speed, strong processing ability and natural ball skills. His fluid hip transitions allow him to stick tight to receivers and he also takes precise angles in pursuit. He shows no hesitation to attack downhill and consistently makes an impact. He is very lean, tends to dive at ankles instead of wrap up and can get overaggressive in pursuit. He needs to add some muscle to help with leverage in the league.

Player Comparisons: Javon Bullard / Budda Baker

Projection: 2^nd – 3^rd Round

Best Fits: Giants, Ravens, Bills (Wild Card – Commanders)

Watch as Cole unveils the top 3 – highlights included!