The Eagles have never drafted a safety in the first round during the Howie Roseman era. That is not likely to change this year, but it’s still possible the Eagles target the position relatively early. With the departure of CJ Gardner-Johnson, there is a big hole in the secondary next to Reed Blankenship. Combine that with some talented players at the top of this class, and the Eagles could be interested in using a top 50 pick at the position. Here are the top safeties this year.
1) Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
The pitch on Nick Emmanwori is pretty easy: He is basically unprecedented from a size and athleticism perspective at the safety position. Also he’s pretty damn good at playing the position.
At his best, Emmanwori looks like an all-world player that can dominate as a box defender, in the slot, or even deep down the field. What is frustrating is he has lapses in his play where he looks without urgency or just a bit lost.
He has gotten better every year since getting to South Carolina, and it’s possible that trajectory continues in the NFL.
NFL Comparison: Jeremy Chinn, Washington Commanders
2) Malaki Starks, Georgia
Malaki Starks has been a playmaker since day one of his career at Georgia. He is highly advanced when it comes to the mental side of playing safety, and that allowed him to excel wherever he lined up.
As a deep safety, Starks thrived with his instincts and anticipation. Playing in the box or slot, it was Starks’ fearlessness that was an asset as he stifled receivers at the line or attacked the run.
Starks is a good, not great athlete and might be capped in terms of potential. But he will step onto an NFL defense as a versatile and immediately reliable defender.
NFL Comparison: Brian Branch, Detroit Lions
3) Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Xavier Watts is the best ballhawk in this class. The two-time all-American had 13 interceptions over the last two seasons.
He is a smart, rangy safety who will read quarterback eyes like a book and fly to the ball. He is also not afraid of making big hits in coverage.
He is a good, not great athlete and relies heavily on instincts over athleticism. His relative lack of size too shows up when coming at the run. Ideally he is a pure center fielding safety for a defense that runs a lot of Cover 3.
NFL Comparison: Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills.
4) Andrew Mukuba, Texas
A small, but feisty and dependable safety. Andrew Mukuba starred at Clemson for years before transferring to Texas where he thrived in the SEC.
While Mukuba won’t overwhelm anyone with his size, his athleticism and physicality are a great asset to him. He can line up deep or close to the line of scrimmage and is rarely made to look out of place.
Size will be more of a liability in the NFL, for sure. He will likely remain a mostly deep safety as a defensive coordinator will try to maximize his speed and mitigate any concern he may have as a run defender.
NFL Comparison: Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis Colts
The Rest
5) Kevin Winston Junior, Penn State
6) Billy Bowman Junior, Oklahoma
7) Latham Ransom, Ohio State
8) RJ Mickens, Clemson
9) Jonas Sanker, Virignia
10) Sebastian Castro, Iowa
