2019 NFL Draft – Safety Rankings

Complete NFL Draft Rankings – S:

You are currently viewing the best safeties in the 2019 NFL Draft. Our top safety prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the best defensive backs in college football. Even though only about 20 will get selected in the draft, many more are signed as free agents, and many more receive a training camp invite. Find who is a first round talent, and who is likely nothing more than a training camp body. Find draft sleepers, draft stars, who will be a bust, and who is being undervalued.

BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2019 safety prospects at all levels of college football. To view other positions, follow the links below.

(Last Updated: April 24, 2019)

2019:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | DE | OLB | ILB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Juan Thornhill is a versatile player who is incredibly athletic and can play anywhere in the secondary. At 6’1" 205 pounds, Thornhill plays big enough to play strong safety, while he is fast enough to play cornerback, and has the instincts to play free safety. His incredible 141" broad jump, 41" vertical, 21 bench reps, and 4.42 40 yard dash quietly opened eyes at the combine. On the field, Thornhill has 29 passes defended and 10 interceptions over the past 2 seasons. He also hits hard, has great vision and timing, and rarely allows receptions.

2018 Stats

13 games: 98 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 13 passes defended, 6 interceptions

Jonathan Abram is an all-around safety who is a great tackler and an incredible leader. He rarely makes mistakes, can play either safety position, and is a surprisingly good athlete. At 205 pounds, Abram ran a 4.45, and got all over the field for 99 tackles and 9 tackles for loss this past year. Abram might be the hardest hitting safety in the draft, and he plays like a linebacker with coverage skills. His versatile skill set will be highly sought after in the modern NFL that loves speed and pass coverage.

2018 Stats

13 games: 99 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 7 passes defended, 2 interceptions

It took me a while to get on the Nasir Adderley train because his top end speed never impressed me. After running a good-enough 4.62 at his pro day and posting a 38" vertical, I’m sold. The 206-pounder is the best coverage corner in the draft. The passer rating against him is a mere 1.3, which is completely unheard of. He rarely ever allows completions and completely blankets wide receivers. While he wasn’t facing great competition, his instincts, mirroring ability, and tackling ability will allow him to continue his great play at the next level.

2018 Stats

12 games: 87 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, 4 interceptions

Deionte Thompson was once thought of as the clear-cut #1 safety in the draft. I was always really skeptical of this, and others have finally come around. Rarely do you see an elite safety who is under 200 pounds, but Thompson is 6’1" 195 pounds. The lanky defensive back plays bigger than his weight as he is a decent tackler and has great length. He didn’t run speed drills at the combine or his pro day, but his play speed is incredibly fast, and he is great as a last line of defense due to his recovery speed. He was caught gambling a bit in coverage late in the season, and will need to improve his discipline to not get beaten over the top.

2018 Stats

14 games: 78 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 8 passes defended, 2 interceptions

Darnell Savage has a lot of potential. While I’m not a fine of sub-200 pound safeties (Savage is 198), he plays bigger than he is and he hits hard. Most importantly, Savage is a blazer. He ran a 4.36 40-yard dash while also recording a 39.5" vertical. Savage is a gifted athlete and also has great instincts and ball skills. With 17 passes defended and 7 interceptions over the past 2 years, Savage has the production to match his athletic traits, and can also play in the slot and play some corner.

2018 Stats

12 games: 52 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 6 passes defended, 4 interceptions

Complete draft rankings for 2019 – Safety

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2019:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | DE | OLB | ILB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

There has been a lot of movement in this group throughout the draft process, with no prospect jumping out as the clear-cut #1 player. A few great athletes exist in this group including Juan Thornhill, Darnell Savage, Zedrick Woods, and Darius West. While safety is generally a slightly larger yet less athletic corner, these guys are the exception. Speed is becoming more important all over the field, and the trend is obvious with the speed of the big names.