As the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, the safety class has garnered attention for its talent and variety. There are productive college football stars and premier athletic testers, and countless ways to rank them based on subjective measures.
How does the 2025 safety class stack up, and what might each player’s NFL projection be? Below, you’ll find our current top 10 safety rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft.
10) Lathan Ransom, Ohio State
At the safety position, you’re bound to get plenty of different flavors and player types. Some evaluations are more complex, while others are simple. You know what you’re getting with Lathan Ransom: a tone-setting strong safety who makes his mark in support.
Ransom does have some coverage utility. At 6’0″, 206 pounds, he has the requisite size, foot speed, and physicality to take on tight ends and big-slot receivers. But most of Ransom’s reps on defense at the NFL level should come closer to the box.
As evidenced by his nine tackles for loss in 2024, Ransom is an absolute striker coming downhill. He’s a fearless run fitter with the explosiveness and competitive zeal to meet runners in the hole, and his traits lend themselves well for special teams exposure early on.
9) Billy Bowman, Oklahoma
Billy Bowman will likely be undervalued due to his size in the 2025 NFL Draft. At 5’10”, 192 pounds, with just 28 1/2″ arms, he’s one of the smallest defensive backs in the Day 2 conversation. But don’t let that steer you away from a future starter on the back end.
With his lacking length, there are questions about Bowman’s wrap-up ability and disruption radius, but aside from that, he’s an incredibly solid prospect. He has exceptional instincts and range in the intermediate and deep thirds, and an unhinged, maniacal downhill urge.
Bowman’s ball-hawking ability is what sets him apart. He notched six interceptions and three pick-sixes in 2023 and two more INTs in 2024. Best deployed as a free safety with some nickel and rover versatility, Bowman could be one of 2025’s biggest steals.
8) R.J. Mickens, Clemson
A fifth-year senior, R.J. Mickens was a veteran leader for the Clemson defense in 2024, and along the way to putting up 75 tackles, six TFLs, two INTs, and seven PBUs, he also produced some of his best 2025 NFL Draft film yet, earmarked by impressive versatility.
At 6’0″, 199 pounds, with over 32″ arms, Mickens is a phenomenal linear athlete, with a 4.49 40-yard dash and a 41.5″ vertical to boast. He’s more proficient on the linear plane than the lateral plane, but he’s fluid enough to manage space and fulfill different roles.
Mickens played anywhere from single-high and two-high to box and robber roles for the Tigers. In coverage, his length and body control proved valuable in playmaking moments, but his best traits might be his range, timeliness, and tackling ability against ball carriers.
7) Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
If your team misses out on the developmental potential of Nick Emmanwori, Kevin Winston Jr. is a great consolation prize in the Day 2 range. Still just 21 years old, Winston is one of the class’ most intriguing upside gambles, and he has a path to production on Day 1.
Winston missed most of the 2024 campaign after tearing his ACL, but he’s already well on his way back. He ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at his pro day, and at 6’1 1/2″, 215 pounds, with 32 1/2″ arms, that combination of size, explosiveness, and range plays well on film.
Winston’s space management game in zone coverage is still rough around the edges, but he’s one of the better support safeties in the class. He patrols gaps with zeal, tackles like an apex predator, and in coverage, his flashes of swivel flexibility and processing excite.
6) Jonas Sanker, Virginia
Jonas Sanker has been extremely productive in both phases of the game. In 2023, he racked up 11 pass deflections. In 2024, he amassed nine TFLs in support. And on film, he has one of the more complete skill sets in the 2025 NFL Draft safety class.
At 6’0″, 206 pounds, with near-33″ arms, Sanker holds up well in contact situations. But his explosive and hyper-energized athleticism is his special trait. With his foot speed and recalibration quickness, he can snap in and out of phases and sustain a searing play pace.
In coverage, Sanker’s spatial management can be up-and-down, but he has good reaction quickness and can man up TEs as a big-nickel defender. And in support, he’s an elite alley runner with a desire to dish out punishing hits and make his presence felt.
5) Jordan Hancock, Ohio State
There hasn’t been a ton of media buzz for Jordan Hancock across the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, but the senior deserves respect as a potential starter and chess piece in the defensive backfield. Hancock thrived as a hybrid nickel and split-safety for the Buckeyes in 2024.
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The hardest part with Hancock is projecting where he plays at the NFL level, as his frame is a bit light. But Hancock has proven ability managing space and pedaling in zone, matching and carrying receivers in the slot, and functioning as a homing missile in run support.
Ultimately, Hancock can wear a number of different hats, and with 4.42 speed and elite explosiveness, he’s still trending toward his ceiling. Hancock’s best fit might end up being at nickel, given his fluidity and physicality, but his versatility is what makes him unique.
4) Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
As far as athletic talents go, there won’t be many better than Nick Emmanwori. At 6’3″, 220 pounds, with 32 1/2″ arms, Emmanwori boasts a 4.38 40-yard dash, a 43″ vertical, and an 11’6″ broad jump. He truly is the maximum when it comes to physical potential.
To a degree, Emmanwori’s talent translates on tape as well. He’s an explosive click-and-closer in coverage with good pedal footwork and route vision in zone, big nickel versatility, tight end-erasing skills, and a penchant for playmaking with his length and physicality.
Emmanwori’s response to stimulus can be inconsistent, and for a larger safety, he struggles mightily in run support, with streaky diagnosis and take-on technique. Those factors create uncertainty, but in a hybrid strong safety/big nickel role, Emmanwori could thrive.
3) Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Xavier Watts is the perfect example of a prospect who’s not an elite athlete but will be able to carve out a long-lasting role as an impact NFL defender with his elite mental game and diverse all-around ability. He grades just outside of the Round-1 range on PFSFN’s board.
At 6’0″, 204 pounds, Watts is more fluid than fast, but his play pace is magnified by his rare reaction speed and recognition. He can process route concepts and manage space on the back end with malleable hips, and he takes reliable angles to the ball in run support.
Watts plays clean and confident because of his heady style, and he’s not shy about making plays, either. He had 13 INTs combined through 2023 and 2024, and his ball-hawking ability is matched by his prowess coming downhill and meeting runners for minimal gains.
2) Andrew Mukuba, Texas
Andrew Mukuba was a standout as a true freshman for the Clemson Tigers in 2021. Two less consistent seasons in a nickel defender role led him to transfer to Texas, where he returned to his roots as a safety. And with the Longhorns, Mukuba revitalized his stock.
At 5’11”, 186 pounds, Mukuba is lighter than preferred — but that’s one of his only knocks. He has alien malleability, foot speed, and pliability as a space manager, which allows him to sink, swivel, and redirect without delay, and he processes and plays at a rapid pace.
Stacking up five INTs in 2024, Mukuba showcased his high-end disruptive ability, and he also held up well as a run defender, holding nothing back in contact situations. A middle-field and split-safety menace with nickel versatility, Mukuba can be a game-changer for a secondary.
1) Malaki Starks, Georgia
Malaki Starks’ 2024 campaign wasn’t quite as prolific as his two prior, and his NFL Combine testing performance wasn’t elite. But fatigue won’t set in for Starks here. He’s still the top safety on PFSN’s board, a top prospect in the class, and a potential blue-chip defender.
At 6’1″ and a playing weight of over 200 pounds, with near-32″ arms, Starks has the optimal size profile, and with it, he brings truly uncommon coverage mobility. His ability to sink, redirect, and manage space while pedaling is what underpins his profile.
Beyond that special coverage mobility, Starks has impressive range and vision from two-high and single-high. He’s a playmaker roaming to track passes, he’s a capable nickel defender with fast feet, fluidity, and physicality, and he’s a dynamic enforcer in support.