Disclaimer: Our Grades are based on a mixture of current skill and potential, there is no saying they will reach their full potential 

*Click on the Player Names to See Their Full NFL Draft Profiles

1. Christopher Smith II

5’11”, 192

Round: 2

Grade: 75% (Multiple pro bowl selections with potential to be perennial pro bowler)

Comp: Quandre Diggs

Summary: ​​Smith is a do-it all free safety who excels more in coverage, but is not dormant in the run game either. In coverage, he is super well rounded with a strength more so in zone than in man. Smith can roll down into the box and cover pretty much any low zone, but for me what separates him from the other safeties I’ve watched so far is that he can roam the deep zone better than anyone else. In Cover 3 or even in Cover 1, Smith understands his responsibility and is able to make plays sideline to sideline. His play speed on tape looks top tier. Let him roam and he’ll get the job done.

2. Ji’Ayir Brown

5’11”, 203

Round: 2- Early 3

Grade: 72.5% (At least 1-2 pro bowls with the potential for multiple pro bowls)

Comp: Shades of Lewis Cine

Summary: Brown very much has a strong safety mentality, but is able to play in the box or roam deep. In the box, he wasn’t blitzed a ridiculous amount, but when they did let him go he was a relentless blitzer. He was very productive in getting pressure and being disruptive in what I saw. As much as I like Brown he does have some things that need to be cleaned up. In coverage, I worry about his ability to play man against WRs and athletic TEs at the next level. His 4.65 40 shows up on tape, he does look slow at times. It’s not so much his man technique, but the fact that a single break route could create more separation than he can recover from and certain players I think will just run past him. In regards to tackling and run support, Brown can get himself in bad positions because he takes bad angles at times, and again he does not have the speed to recover. It just seems like he either overestimates his own speed or underestimates the ball carrier’s speed.

3. DeMarcco Hellams

6’1”, 203

Round: 3- Early 4

Grade: 62.9% (Starter with potential to be an above average starter)

Comp: Vonn Bell

Summary: Hellams is a really versatile safety with good vision of the field and solid range to be able to make plays all over the field. Hellams is a super physical and explosive safety who likes to get downhill as often as he can. He can crash the box and pop a WR running a slant across the middle or come barreling down to meet a RB with a hard hit and secure tackle.

4. Ronnie Hickman

6’0.5”, 203

Round: 3-4

Grade: 50% (Great backup early with the potential to develop into starter with time)

Comp: Tony Jefferson

Summary: Hickman is an intriguing prospect to me, I certainly don’t think he’s a first rounder, but I think he could be a mid-round gem. What I like most about Hickman is that he’s an extremely downhill player. He wants to put you in his highlight reel. He is not an elite level tackler, but he is a solid and reliable tackler.

5. JL Skinner

6’4”, 209

Round: Late 2- Early 5 (Based on tape, will fall due to injury)

Grade: 57.9% (Great backup and potential role player. Personally, I would like to see him sit and develop for about a year before getting a chance to start.)

Comp: Virginia Tech Kam Chancellor

Summary: Skinner is an extremely downhill type of player, which got him in trouble a few times against the pass. As you continue to watch the tape though you begin to realize that despite the thought that he is a box player, he doesn’t mind playing in space and makes the run/pass reads without jumping run too quick. Skinner played in the box a ton though, and I believe was even lined up at LB at times, and actually didn’t look that bad. Skinner is a pretty raw prospect who I believe with the right coaching could develop into a superstar. If someone could clean up his game with his size, opposing offenses will lose sleep over this guy.

6. Jason Taylor II

6’, 204

Round: 4- Early 5

Grade: 60.7% (Borderline starter with the potential to be a great starter)

Comp: Caden Sterns 

Summary: One of the first things I noticed about Taylor is that when he’s the single high safety he plays extremely deep sometimes. We are talking probably 20 yards off pre-snap with a pedal at the snap. When he is single high he also aligns in and plays the boundary more than the field, which I can’t say I’ve really ever seen. Most safeties will play the middle or favoring the field for obvious reasons. Despite having solid range, when he aligns to the boundary he can get beat simply because he has so much ground to cover. When he plays this far off too, it pretty much takes him out of run support unless the runner breaks loose. Tackling wise, he had more missed tackles than you’d like to see. His angles were poor at times and when he made contact he slid off a ton. This is because he would dive for tackles. He needs to bring his feet with him when he tackles more consistently. He has pretty good power in his tackles when he keeps his feet.

7. Brandon Joseph

6’, 202

Round: 4-5

Grade: 56.1% (High end backup who could compete for starting role, and will probably be starter by the end of rookie year or in year two)

Comp: Andrew Wingard

Summary: I liked his Notre Dame film, I didn’t love it, I didn’t think he popped on tape. I didn’t think there was a night and day difference from Joseph’s Northwestern tape to his Notre Dame tape, but there was enough to show me that he’s putting in the work and making strides as a safety. I will say though, I can’t tell what his ceiling is, although I think he has a pretty solid floor. He’s obviously not a fully polished player, but when I watch him I also don’t sit there and think there’s a whole new level for someone to unlock in him.

8. Bennett Williams

6’, 205

Round: 6-UDFA

Grade: 48.9%- Potential role player, who needs time to develop and figure out what he is going to be in the league

Comp: Adrian Phillips

Summary: Bennett is a positionless player. He will NOT be a positionless player in the league. I really have no idea what Bennett is going to play in the league. Williams wasn’t even invited to the combine, I have a feeling that he is a predicted UDFA by most people. I do believe there is a chance that he gets drafted though. I think when you turn on the tape there is going to be something that a team is going to like and take a shot on.