The Triple Take crew of Dale Lolley, Matt Williamson and Mike Prisuta take a look at the top prospects in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, which will be held in April. Today, they delve into the safety position.
The opinions expressed here are their own and not those of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dale's Take
Safeties have become major chess pieces in modern football.
In college, they're sometimes bulked up a bit and moved to off-ball linebacker. And they drop down and play the slot, man the deep post and also match up on tight ends.
It takes a diverse skill set.
The ones who can do all of those things – ala. Minkah Fitzpatrick – are unicorns. But there also are prospects who specialize in doing certain aspects of the job and can adequately do other parts of what's asked of them.
This is a good group overall in that regard.
Dale's Rankings
1. Malakai Starks, Georgia, 6-0 7/8, 197 lbs. - While Starks didn't blaze through his 40-time at the NFL Combine, running a 4.5-flat in the 40, his 1.51-second 10-yard split shows how quickly he gets up to speed. Starks was an immediate starter at Georgia as a true freshman and recorded six interceptions and 17 pass breakups in his three seasons. Starks shows a good understanding of what opposing offenses are trying to accomplish. He looks like a long-term starter at free safety.
2. Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina, 6-3 ½, 220 lbs. - Emmanwori is a monster-sized safety prospect who can drop down and play the slot or man the strong safety position with ease. His height can hurt him a little changing directions in coverage, causing a lack of fluidity, but he ran a 4.38-second 40 at the Combine while also posting a 43-inch vertical jump, two things that help him recover better than most.
3. Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, 5-11 ¾, 204 lbs. - If ball production is what you're searching for, Watts is your man. In the past two seasons, he picked off a ridiculous 13 passes, adding 14 pass defenses. The ball just seems to find him. He's not as good of a tackler as teams might want on the back end and he's not going to line up and cover people, but deep safeties with his nose for the football are hard to find.
4. Kevin Winston, Penn State, 6-1 ½, 215 lbs. - Winston is a big-bodied safety who missed a large chunk of the 2024 season thanks to a partially torn ACL. That limited him to three games in 2024. He started all 13 games in 2023 for the Nittany Lions, but overall, the 21-year-old is lacking in experience. But his traits are undeniable. Winston's medicals just need to check out OK.
5. Billy Bowman, Oklahoma, 5-9 ⅞, 192 lbs. - While slightly undersized, Bowman's speed is apparent on his tape. He ran a 4.42-second 40 at the NFL Combine and had solid jumps, showing his explosiveness. Bowman has good ball skills, having picked off 11 passes in the past three seasons, returning three of those for touchdowns. While his size limits his ability in run support, he's more than willing to mix it up.
Sleeper: Dante Trader Jr., Maryland, 5-10 ⅞, 196 lbs. - Trader is a versatile safety who can play in the box or slot while also aligning deep. He's even played a little cornerback. While his top-end speed might be lacking to pull that off in the NFL, he's got some ball skills to be a solid player, with five interceptions and 14 pass breakups the past three seasons.
Matt's Take
This safety draft class is headlined by two players: Malaki Starks and Nick Emmanwori. Both players have a strong argument for being the first safety off the board. Starks and Emmanwori could hear their names called in the first round. In 2024, the first safety wasn't selected until the 47th pick and there wasn't a first round safety in 2023.
There should be a few safeties sprinkled into the second day of the draft, but most draftable players at this position should hear their names called on the final day. It is a somewhat underwhelming group of safeties overall and many of these players will have to make a name for themselves on special teams to begin their NFL careers.
What is interesting though is that many safeties are now asked to handle some or all of their NFL team's slot defender responsibilities. Some defenses covet the deep centerfielder types - a skillset that is very hard to find.
Some defenses are very comfortable with safeties that can pair as two-high defenders, a very popular approach. Some defenses are still in the market for old school strong safety types that spend much of their time near the line of scrimmage.
Matt's Rankings
1. Malaki Starks, Georgia, 6-0 7/8, 197 lbs. - Starks is just an excellent and well-rounded football player who should help his new team in so many ways. Starks has very good size, length and fluid movement skills with an obvious confidence in everything he does. He excels in space, is quick to recognize and fill vs. the run, and shows natural playmaking skills. He plays fast. Starks' man to man coverage is still somewhat a work in progress, however.
2. Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina, 6-3 1/8, 220 lbs. - Yes, you read Emmanwori's height and weight correctly and if you really want to be blown away, go check out every test that this young man blew out of the park in Indianapolis. Emmanwori is truly a physical freak. But he was also highly productive at South Carolina. Physically, Emmanwori can pretty much do anything asked of him, but he does still do his best work near the line of scrimmage. A highly creative defensive coordinator would love working with Emmanwori.
3. Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, 5-11 3/4, 204 lbs. - Watts is a well-built safety who can command his defense from the back end. He plays a lot out of a single high alignment and excels at taking the ball away (13 interceptions over the past two seasons) while very rarely getting beaten over the top. Watts' feel for the game is outstanding and he was Notre Dame's first two-time consensus All-American since 1993.
4. Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State, 6-1 1/2, 215 lbs. - Winston has great size for the position with a large wingspan. Much was expected from him for the 2024 season, but Winston tore his ACL in the second week of the season and was lost for the year. So, there isn't a ton of go off here. Winston is best playing downhill and his strength and tackling skills are apparent. He also shows some man-to-man traits vs. tight ends and running backs.
5. Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma, 5-9 7/8, 192 lbs. - Bowman's lack of size will obviously turn off some teams and he is an inconsistent tackler. Bowman was a very good tester at the Combine and has a lot of playing experience. And Bowman throws his body around with aggression and his overall quickness is apparent. He triggers downhill vs. the run very quickly and holds up well near the line of scrimmage as a slot defender. Bowman has 11 career interceptions.
Sleeper: Jonas Sanker, Virginia, 6-0 3/8, 206 lbs. - Sanker has the body and measurables that all NFL teams look for at the safety position. He is a three-year starter and was quite productive at the college level, but his game is still a little rough around the edges, particularly with the angels he takes to ball carriers and his ability to quickly recognize plays. Sanker could end up being a big slot defender at the next level with both strong and free safety capabilities because of his traits but will likely begin his career as a core special teams contributor. There is upside here though.
Mike's Take
It's a top-heavy class at safety, and there isn't much room at the top.
Most analysts appear divided on whether it's South Carolina's Nick Emmanwori and then Georgia's Malaki Starks stacked in that order, or if it's Starks and then Emmanwori, working from the top of the board on down at the position.
But those two are pretty much universally regarded as the headliners of the bunch.
The rest of the class is for the most part regarded as having promise but not necessarily star power.
If you really need one to be a difference-making presence, the approach had better be safety first.
Mike's Rankings
1. Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina, 6-3 1/8, 220 lbs. - For teams that prefer size, Emmanwori is likely their guy. He's also an athletic freak who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and posted a vertical leap of 43 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. And he looked smooth and fluid doing it. According to NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales, "The feedback he's getting here at the Combine is, 'You're really big and you move faster than we even imagined you moving.'" He looks the part as much if not more than any player available.
2. Malaki Starks, Georgia, 6-0 7/8, 197 lbs. - Starks was a two-time finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award (nation's best defensive back) and a two-time AP All-American (First-Team in 2023, Second-Team in 2024). His ability to play as a centerfielder deep, in the box or in the slot probably had a lot to do with Starks earning such recognition. On a defense with multiple high-end NFL prospects, Starks led the Bulldogs in tackles (77) in 2024.
3. Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, 5-11 3/4, 204 lbs. - Watts won the Thorpe Award in 2023 and was a First-Team AP All-America selection in 2023 and 2024 (he and Colorado's Travis Hunter were the only consensus All-Americans in both of those two seasons). Watts tied for the FBS lead with seven interceptions in 2023 and tied for second with six picks in 2024. He was a captain at Notre Dame and he was the Defensive MVP of ND's College Football Playoff quarterfinal win over Georgia.
4. Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma, 5-9 7/8, 192 lbs. - He's a coach's son and a ball hawk (Bowman tied for fourth in FBS with six interceptions in 2023, three of which he returned for TDs). He's not a great tackler but he's an asset as a centerfielder or covering in the slot.
5. Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State, 6-1 1/2, 215 lbs. - Winston only played three games in 2024 due to a knee injury. Where he's ultimately selected is going to have a lot to do with how he checks out medically. But he has the physical skill set and demeanor to bring the necessary physicality to the position. Winston Jr. led Penn State with 61 tackles in 2023.
Sleeper: Rayuan Lane III, Navy, 5-11, 200 lbs. - Lane started his last 43 games at Navy in succession. He was enthusiastic defending the run, he's led Navy in forced fumbles (three in 2024) and passes defensed (eight in 2023) and he was a willing contributor on special teams. Don't Give Up the Ship!
