2021 NFL Draft – Safety Rankings

Complete NFL Draft Rankings – Safety:

You are currently viewing the best safeties in the 2021 NFL Draft. Our top safety  prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the most talented defensive backs in college football. Even though only about 20 will get selected in the draft, a lot 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 stars, DB sleepers, who will be a bust, and who is being undervalued.

BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2021 NFL draft safety prospects at all levels of college football. To view other positions, follow the links below.

(Last Updated: April 19, 2021)

2021:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | DE | OLB | ILB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Trevon Moehrig is a smooth athlete in the slot, box, and ranging deep. He excels in the slot, mirroring well and playing physically to fight with tight ends. He reads the QB’s eyes well and diagnoses plays quickly in both the pass and run game. He’s an above average tackler and plays fast, but could improve coming off blocks. The best part of his game is his length and coverage ability, with the closing speed that allows him to start with deep positioning. He broke up 20 passes to go along with his 6 interceptions over the last two games, and has the physical traits to continue improving his game.

2020 Stats

10 games: 47 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, 2 interceptions

Jevon Holland is a ball-hawking safety who excels in the slot or ranging over the top, with deceptive speed and a solid frame for the position at 6’1" 200+ pounds. Despite sitting out in 2020 and entering the draft as a junior, he has more interceptions than just about any safety in college football. His 9 total interceptions from 2018-2019 was among the best over that 2 year span, and he showcased a much more well rounded skill set in his sophomore year with fewer missed tackles. While I wouldn’t consider him an elite athlete, he has plenty of athleticism and the coverage instincts of a cornerback.

2019 Stats

14 games: 66 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 8 passes defended, 4 interceptions

Did not play in 2020.

There’s a lot to love about UCF’s Richie Grant, and not a lot to dislike. He exploded onto the scene as a sophomore in 2018, totaling over 100 tackles and nabbing 6 interceptions. The numbers were less gaudy the past two years, but the film has still been great. Grant primarily works as a single high safety but has seen time in a variety of formations, offering enough versatility for a safety. His tackling numbers are impressive and he is above average in his tackling, but isn’t as big of a hitter as some of the other guys in the class. His frame is a little slight, but he’s a blue collar worker who plays a little bigger than his size. His timing in coverage and ability to read QBs make him a day 1 option at free safety.

2020 Stats

9 games: 72 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 8 passes defended, 3 interceptions

Jamar Johnson is a tough, consistent safety who saw dramatic improvement from 2019 to 2020, along with many other Hoosier players. Johnson was a 1st Team All Big Ten performer, totaling 4 break ups and 4 interceptions in just 8 games played. His anticipation, field vision, and quick reaction time are really impressive for a high safety, along with enough athleticism and instinct to play in the slot. Johnson is also unafraid to hit hard, but run support is likely his biggest weakness at this point in time.

2020 Stats

8 games: 42 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 8 passes defended, 4 interceptions

Hufanga was basically a box safety up until this year, when he had an incredible 6 game stint with USC which included 4 interceptions. Had he been able to play a full season, he had legitimate All-American expectations. Hufanga is another safety who is fairly raw, but he’s a natural athlete and one of the biggest guys in the class at 6’1" 215 pounds. He can line up in slot, two deep, or as a linebacker, and is potentially the hardest hitter among the safeties. Positioning and angles will be the biggest issues for him, along with some injuries early in his career. But Hufanga showed a lot of improvement in his shortened season, and could be a riser heading into the draft.

2020 Stats

6 games: 62 tackles, 5.5 tackle for loss, 4 passes defended, 4 interceptions

Complete 2021 draft rankings – Safety

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2021: | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | DE | OLB | ILB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

This class is very diverse, with a lot of players who have one or two unique skills, and can excel in the right situation. The top of the class is the guys who can do it all, and no one does it all better than Moehrig. You want your safety to be able to play in three different alignments: In the box, the slot, and ranging back in the field. Moehrig and Holland are probably the only two that can do all three of those at this stage of their career. Depth is always really good for Safety, and this draft looks no different. Still, there is a notable fall off after the top two or three players. Due to all the players with specialties, I’m sure there will be a lot of ranking movement at this position between now and the draft.