What the NFL expects from its safeties has changed drastically over the last decade. There are multiple reasons for this.
Think about the need for a true shutdown post safety in predominantly single-high coverage. A decade ago, when Seattle’s Legion of Boom defense was the desired template, you were playing heavy press underneath with defined box and post safeties. The Seahawks were able to do this because they had a dominant press cornerback (Richard Sherman), a dominant box safety (Kam Chancellor), and the best post safety of his era (Earl Thomas).
That’s not an easy archetype to copy, because you obviously have to hit on multiple generational players at crucial positions that all teams desperately desire. Your hit rate is reduced by the scarcity of human beings who can do what Sherman, Chancellor, and Thomas could do, and it’s then exponentially reduced even more by the fact that so many teams are looking for those same types of players. Factor in the relative lack of scheme versatility in that particular instance, and all of a sudden, the structure for your hit rate goes from the ceiling to the basement.
Now, look at where the NFL has prioritized its defensive resources in the last few years. The Vic Fangio/Brandon Staley template of two-high coverage and lighter boxes works in today’s NFL for a lot of reasons. Teams are throwing more often. Teams are running the ball not only less, but in different ways and with different types of players. In 2021, offenses threw out of more quick-game concepts (zero to three step drops) at a 60% rate, and the ability of the quarterback to have second-reaction ability to keep things alive when the play breaks down is seen as more of a near-necessity than a prominent luxury.
So, that Earl Thomas/Ed Reed-level deep safety, while awesome if you can get him and if he even exists in any draft cycle? I mean, if you know the draft prospect can possibly be that level of player, you move heaven and earth to get him, because you’re talking about a once-in-a-decade player who can define your defense.
More likely, you’re getting safeties who do a lot of things — some very well, some with developmental issues, and some things they probably shouldn’t be doing at all. You’re going to want a guy who can play some free, some slot, some box, maybe even a few snaps of outside corner, and some reps as a blitzer along the defensive line. It’s why teams go less and less for the defined box and free safeties as they used to.
There are far more Tyrann Mathieu prototypes than Earl Thomas prototypes. Not that you’re going to get a Tyrann Mathieu-level player, but that’s the desire now. And there are far more safeties who work well in two-high shells, whether they stay in two-high or spin to something else post-snap. Player value at the position has turned from athletic to schematic. It’s more about finding the player who works in the concepts you want to run, as opposed to waiting around for the guy who will fill in the nearly impossible blank.
Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton, the consensus top safety in the 2022 draft class, had 1.440 defensive snaps over three collegiate seasons, per Pro Football Focus. Hamilton had 644 snaps at free safety, 437 in the slot, 313 in the box, 29 along the defensive line, and 15 at outside cornerback.
Hamilton’s specific value is not in his ability to play that many positions, because nearly every safety coming into the draft over the last few years has a somewhat similar position share. His specific value is in his ability to take the multi-position archetype that is the order of the day, and play those positions at a level that is disproportionately high in comparison to the other safeties in this class. Factor in his height/weight template, and that’s where Kyle Hamilton becomes a potentially generational prospect. It’s not at all that he does one thing very well. It’s entirely that he does 4-5 things, he’s NFL-ready at all of them, and he’s NFL-plus ready with this or that attribute in ways we haven’t seen from other players.
When you see the position snaps for the top 11 safety prospects on our list. you’ll see, over and over, how much the value guide for the position has flipped on its head.
Here are Touchdown Wire’s top 11 safeties in the 2022 draft class.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated. All testing data comes from the 2022 scouting combine, with percentile per position, courtesy of MockDraftable.com. Certain biographical information was gleaned from Dane Brugler’s “The Beast” draft guide over at The Athletic, which is a must-read every year).
2022 NFL draft: The top 11 cornerbacks
2022 NFL draft: The top 11 linebackers
2022 NFL draft: The top 12 edge defenders
2022 NFL draft: The top 11 interior defensive linemen
2022 NFL draft: The top 11 interior offensive linemen
2022 NFL draft: The top 11 offensive tackles
2022 NFL draft: The top 11 tight ends
2022 NFL draft: The top 16 receivers
2022 NFL draft: The top 11 running backs
2022 NFL draft: The top 11 quarterbacks
Height: 6’4 1/8″ (99th) Weight: 220 (92nd) 40-Yard Dash: 4.59 seconds (93rd) 10-Yard Split: 1.58 seconds (97th) Bench Press: N/A Vertical Jump: 38 inches (81st) Broad Jump: 131 inches (93nd) 3-Cone Drill: 6.9 seconds (70th) 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.32 seconds (24th)
Wingspan: 79 3/4 inches (94th) Arm Length: 33inches (90th) Hand Size: 9 1/8 inches (34th)
Bio: A four-star recruit out of the Marist School in Atlanta, Hamilton was born on the Greek Island of Crete and spent time in Russia when his father played basketball there before moving to Atlanta as a small child. He was a basketball and football player who played quarterback through middle school until an injury had him moving away from the position — and the formation. He was a star at safety and receiver in high school, and chose Notre Dame over just about every major program in the country because of its academics. A three-year player and two-year starter for the Fighting Irish, Hamilton played all over the place in Notre Dame’s defense, tallying 313 snaps in the box, 437 in the slot, 644 at free safety, 29 at the defensive line, and 15 at cornerback. He made First Team All-American in 2021 (his second straight season doing so) and led the defense in interceptions with three despite missing the last six games of the season with a knee injury.
Stat to Know: Over those three seasons with the Fighting Irish, Hamilton allowed 39 receptions on 82 targets for 388 yards, 149 yards after the catch, one touchdown, eight interceptions, 14 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 25.9.
Strengths: Hamilton can work the entire field as a match defender because his transition skills are top-notch. He’ll use his hands to establish the landmark, and run the route right with the receiver — no matter where it goes. This interception against Florida State is a master class.
Here’s his second interception against Florida State, and this is the first example of many where Hamilton’s insane ability to work from one side of the field to the other in a very short times shows up as a major asset. He starts the play on the defensive right seam, and somehow not only gets to the left boundary, but has the wherewithal to make the pick. There are not many safeties in the NFL who can pull this off; Devin McCourty at his best has plays like these — and Devin McCourty is 5-foot-10, 195 pounds. Guys this big and rangy are not supposed to have movement skills like these.
And when Hamilton closes down on a receiver, he arrives with violent intentions. Said receiver had best have his head on a swivel.
Hamilton didn’t blitz a lot for Notre Dame, but if I’m on his NFL coaching staff, I’m thinking about his size, aggression, and closing speed, and I want him on that wall. Wisconsin’s quarterback would probably agree.
You will hear that Hamilton has issues covering in the slot, and in man coverage underneath, but… I dunno, you guys — this rep against Cincinnati looks pretty good to me. When you can have a safety who trails motion and goes to the boundary downfield like this, I think it’s a plus.
This was a 31-yard run for Purdue’s King Doerue, but watch how Hamilton careens over to stop it from becoming a house call by outrunning everybody on the field. All that closing speed you see in coverage is just as evident when he’s playing the run.
Weaknesses: Hamilton’s height leads to iffy transition skills at times, and while he can play the deep third as a single defender, it’s not his optimal spot — unless he’s turning and running to react. He’s not the ideal defender against quicker, more angular receivers downfield. On this play against USC, Hamilton’s backpedal out of single-high is decent enough, but he doesn’t transition as quickly as he would if he was coming down to the receiver. Drake London gets a 29-yard catch as a result.
I think that Hamilton can develop into a better deep-third player, and it’s still crazy what he’s able to do back there at his size, but that’s one discussion to be had in front offices, and you can see why some analysts ding him for this. If you want him up high in two-deep looks, which is where the NFL is headed anyway, I think he’ll be just fine. He needs to be more sudden with his transitions, develop better timing to the ball, and trust what he sees in those open-field situations.
Conclusion: There are a lot of questions about Hamilton’s NFL future. I have two.
Is Hamilton the next evolution of the Isaiah Simmons “defensive weapon” template in that deep-half skills and ungodly open-field speed are now built in? What is that worth to a defense?
Why is Hamilton the best player in this draft class? He’s an unprecedented athlete at one of the NFL’s most important positions. We have simply never seen anybody like him before. That’s why he’s the best player in this draft class to me.
Mel Blount was 6'3", 205. KYLE HAMILTON IS BIGGER AND TALLER THAN MEL BLOUNT AND HE'S DOING THIS. https://t.co/lJyHM8f8uW
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 14, 2022
Some teams will not know what to do with him. Some will see him as a big box safety — I’ve seen comparisons to Kam Chancellor, and with all due respect to Kam Chancellor, that erases the crucial range component of Hamilton’s play. Also, some teams simply don’t value the safety position enough to think of him as a top prospect. You can usually tell which teams think of safeties like that in the modern NFL, because their pass defenses stink.
I hope that Hamilton goes to a team with a head coach and a defensive coordinator who don’t try to limit his potential as one primary type of player or another. Kyle Hamilton is the rarest type of player — a jack-of-all-trades who is also a master at just about everything, and the iffy stuff is fixable. You can build an entire defense around a player like this.
NFL Comparison: Derwin James. When healthy, James has become one of the NFL’s most versatile and productive safeties, and he does it all over the place. Last season, he played 361 snaps in the box, 224 in the slot, 326 at free safety, nine at cornerback, and 41 along the defensive line. James has had some transitive issues as a pure deep-third safety, but as the Chargers run a ton of two-high under head coach Brandon Staley, that concern is minimized by scheme.
Now, take everything I just said about Derwin James, add three inches to his height, and 5-10 pounds to his weight. Now, you have Kyle Hamilton. Again, we’re talking about an unprecedented player.
(Okay — the ultimate upside comparison for Hamilton, and I do this with a lot of trepidation, is the late, great Sean Taylor. Taylor could do things at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds that just did not physically make sense. Hamilton would have to develop more smoothness in the deep third, but he has every other attribute to make that kind of an impact in the NFL over time).
(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Height: 6’2 1/4″ (93rd) Weight: 199 (20th) 40-Yard Dash: 4.37 seconds (95th) 10-Yard Split: 1.51 seconds (83rd) Bench Press: N/A Vertical Jump: 37 inches (71st) Broad Jump: 133 inches (96th) 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 78 inches (81st) Arm Length: 32 1/4 inches (71st) Hand Size: 9 3/8 inches (54th)
Bio: Born in Haiti, Cine was moved to Florida at age 4, and alternated between Haiti and Florida for a time before moving to Massachusetts, where he became a defensive back at Everett High School. Cine was named Massachusetts Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, the same year the Everett won the state championship. He then moved to Cedar Hill. Texas to live with his uncle, enrolling at Trinity Christian. Again, he was a standout player, and again, his team won the state championship.
The four-star recruit passed on Michigan, Florida, Penn State, and Texas in favor of Georgia, where he became a full-time starter in 2020, and a key part of the NCAA’s most dominant defense in 2021.
Over three seasons with the Bulldogs, Cine played 1,008 snaps at free safety, 338 in the box, 192 in the slot, 26 at cornerback, and 10 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: In 2021, Cine had a blown or missed tackle on 10% of his attempts, which is something he’ll need to clean up at the next level.
Strengths: Cine has the athleticism and tracking skills to take catches away from receivers to either seam and boundary. If he gets inside position on this play, it’s a pick, and it’s plays like this that have me excited about his NFL future when he gets more detailed coaching.
He also has the easy movement skills to spy a mobile quarterback and track the ball at the same time.
Cine comes down and across on plays with the hammer. If he’s on a line to your general direction, your yards-after-catch experience is not what you think it’s going to be. Alabama tight end Slade Bolden could vouch for that.
Even if he’s in the deep third, your simple swing pass can be blown up once Cine gets a bead on your running back.
Weaknesses: Cine’s motorhead playing style does have its drawbacks — there are too many times where he’s to intent on making the kill shot, he’ll miss the tackle altogether. This happens against the run and the pass, and it’ll be up to his NFL coaches to get that under control.
Cine can also twist himself up into some missed coverages.
Conclusion: Right now, Cine has the NFL attributes to be an overhang enforcer who will cause trouble on anything in front of him. Over time, and once he cleans up a few things in coverage and with his tackling, he could be a top-10 NFL safety with his athleticism, aggressiveness, and coverage potential.
NFL Comparison: Jessie Bates III. Selected with the 54th pick in the 2018 draft out of Wake Forest, Bates started his NFL career as a rangy safety with a ton of tools, and became one of the league’s best and most underrated safeties both in the deep third and in the box when he put it all together. Cine can be that same style of player.
Height: 6’1 3/8″ (77th) Weight: 199 (20th) 40-Yard Dash: 4.49 seconds (75th) 10-Yard Split: 1.52 seconds (77th) Bench Press: 22 reps Vertical Jump: 35 inches (36th) Broad Jump: 124 inches (92nd) 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 76 inches (49th) Arm Length: 31 3/4 inches (56th) Hand Size: 9 7/8 inches (86th)
Bio: A three-star recruit out of Gateway High in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh), Brisker played receiver and safety in high school and then enrolled at Lackawanna Community College as academics was not the focus it should have been. After two seasons there, Brisker chose Penn State over Alabama, as it was his dream to play there. Brisker had two interceptions as a non-starter and spot player in 2019, made Third-Team All-Big Ten in 2020, and advanced to Second Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten in 2021.
Over three seasons with the Nittany Lions, Brisker played 668 snaps at free safety, 690 in the box, 332 in the slot, 13 at cornerback, and 41 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: No safety on this list allowed a lower opponent passer rating than Brisker in 2021 — he gave up 12 catches on 21 targets for 105 yards, 38 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 46.8. He allowed no catches on three targets in man coverage.
Strengths: Some think of Brisker as a predominant box safety, and I don’t get that at all — he’s perfectly good in the deep third, especially in two-high coverage. On this interception against Maryland, watch how he tracks the quarterback out of the pocket and puts himself in position where the ball will be his.
He’s also great at reading the quarterback, as he showed on this red zone interception against Wisconsin. Track the ball and go get it.
And if you need a guy who can move quickly from one side of the field to the other, Brisker is just fine with that. Unfortunately, he couldn’t turn this into an interception.
NFL teams that play a lot of Cover-0 and blitz to it (Chiefs, Ravens, Dolphins) should love Brisker’s aggressiveness and tracking skills to the ball.
Weaknesses: Much like Lewis Cine, Brisker is so aggressive at times, he can take himself out of the play by losing track of his tackling fundamentals. This blitz against Rutgers would have had a more positive outcome were that not the case.
Brisker has the footwork and transition skills to be a quality pass defender up the seam and over the middle, but he isn’t always in the right place to finish the play.
Conclusion: Brisker’s cornerback background shows up on tape with his ball skills, and I love his play personality. Like a lot of safeties in this class, he’ll need to learn to temper his aggression at times to avoid giving up big plays, but overall, he’s got his game on lock, and the stuff that needs fixing is fixable.
NFL Comparison: Adrian Amos. I generally try to shy away from player comps from the same school, and Amos also played for Penn State, but this one makes too much sense. Like Amos, Brisker can play at a dominant level in the box, and he’s underrated as a deep defender. Brisker might be even more advanced as a deep defender over time, but no matter how he’s utilized, he’s got Day 1 starter traits and game-changing potential.
Height: 5’11″ (19th) Weight: 198 (17th) 40-Yard Dash: N/A 10-Yard Split: N/A Bench Press: 16 reps (43rd) Vertical Jump: 35 inches (42nd) Broad Jump: N/A 3-Cone Drill: 6.74 (86th) 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.18 (57th)
Wingspan: 73 1/2 inches (19th) Arm Length: 30 5/8 inches (17th) Hand Size: 9 inches (15th)
Bio: A three-star recruit out of Stafford High near Houston, Pitre chose Baylor over SMU, and was the only recruit who stayed put after the Art Briles disaster. This proved to be the right move, as the high school linebacker and safety became a force multiplier in Dave Aranda’s concepts. An early enrollee and five-year starter, Pitre was named First-Team All-Big 12 in 2020 and returned both of his interceptions for touchdowns that season. He built on all that in 2021, allowing 31 catches on 54 targets for 268 yards, 141 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 55.2. He was named Consensus First-Team All-American, and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Over five seasons with the Bears, Pitre played 425 snaps at free safety, 367 in the box, 1,273 in the slot, 26 at cornerback, and 367 at the defensive line. Also, on 907 coverage snaps over those five seasons, Pitre never allowed a single touchdown.
Stat to Know: Pitre was sent on blitzes on 17% of opponent quarterback dropbacks in 2021, by far the highest percentage for any NCAA safety — Ball State’s Bryce Cosby ranked second at 8%.
Strengths: Pitre’s transition to more of a full-time safety is a bit of a projection because he played so much slot, but this fade interception against Texas State allows you to put him a few yards back in a two-deep alignment in your mind, and everything is just fine back there. He can peel off his first assignment and help in the back because he’s quick and fluid in his transitions.
Pitre had two interceptions last season, but he had his hands on a lot more passes that were just a fingertip or two away from becoming picks. This end zone deflection against Oklahoma State shows how he can match up with bigger slot receivers and tight ends — he’ll just align and clamp down in coverage.
This interception against Texas State shows how well Pitre can play that deep slot/STAR position we all know about via Jalen Ramsey.
Why was Pitre sent so often on blitzes? Because he has a great sense of how to get past blockers, and an impressive close to the pocket. He put up five sacks and 25 total pressures last season.
Weaknesses: If Pitre is to match with tight ends through the route at the NFL level, he’ll need to do so with positioning as opposed to physical strength; he can get bodied out pretty easily.
Pitre’s NFL coaches will want to have him watching tackling videos pretty quickly. There are too many whiffs on his tape.
Conclusion: If you need a firecracker player to accentuate your defense with aggressive play personality, slot speed, and high potential in free and blitz roles, Pitre might be at or near the top of your defensive back board. I’m not dumb enough to compare any college defensive back to Tyrann Mathieu, given the ways in which Mathieu can stitch a defense together at his NFL best, but if you squint a little, it’s not impossible to imagine that kind of effect if Pitre hits his ultimate ceiling.
NFL Comparison: Jevon Holland. There are some elements of John Johnson III’s game with the Rams here when he played the STAR and slot positions as well as deep safety, but Pitre reminds me most of Holland, the former Oregon standout safety who the Dolphins took with the 36th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Like Holland, Pitre can do everything from slot to free to blitz, and he can make it look pretty easy. It’ll be fascinating to see where Pitre lands in the NFL — hopefully with a team that understands and knows how to utilize his athleticism and versatility. Even in an era where safeties are asked to do a lot of things at a very high level, it’s an interesting mix.
Height: 6’0 1/4″ (39th) Weight: 191 (5th) 40-Yard Dash: 4.38 seconds (95th) 10-Yard Split: 1.47 seconds (97th) Bench Press: N/A Vertical Jump: 34 inches (28th) Broad Jump: 121 inches (53rd) 3-Cone Drill: 6.57 seconds (97th) 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.06 seconds (87th)
Wingspan: 79 1/4 inches (92nd) Arm Length: 32 1/4 inches (71st) Hand Size: 9 1/2 inches (63rd)
Bio: Coming out of Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa (where he was born), Hill was anything but a secret. He was a five-star recruit as a safety and occasional receiver, and was the No. 1 safety prospect in the 2019 class, and the No. 1 prospect in his state overall. Hill committed to Michigan, then Alabama, then back to Michigan on signing day. A three-year starter for the Wolverines, Hill excelled under defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who’s now the Ravens’ defensive coordinator. Another Ravens connection: Hill’s older brother Justice, a running back from Oklahoma State, was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft by Baltimore.
Over three seasons with the Wolverines, Hill played 311 snaps at free safety, 308 in the box, 906 in the slot, 35 at cornerback, and 33 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: Sports Info Solutions defines its Hand-on-Ball Percentage metric as the “Percentage of plays where a defender got their “hand on the ball.” This includes breaking up or intercepting a pass as well as forcing or recovering a fumble.” Only Kyle Hamilton (1.9%) had a higher HOB rate among safeties last season than Hill’s 1.8%.
Strengths: Teams in need of a slot defender in the draft who can run in sub-packages right now would do well to consider Hill. He has the range to cover through the middle of the field, and the closing quickness to get to balls other defenders might not.
On this interception against Wisconsin, you can once again see the match qualities, closing speed and ball skills from the slot. Hill can both work the receiver’s route, and break off for the big play.
And here, it wasn’t Aidan Hutchinson or David Ojabo who was making Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett’s life miserable — it was Hill off the edge on a blitz. He’s excellent in this role.
And while he didn’t play the deep third a lot in Michigan’s defense, Hill certainly has the athletic profile to do that at the next level — especially two-deep.
Weaknesses: There are instances in which Hill, for all his coverage speed and quick-twitch skills, can lose to receivers in the recovery phase, and he doesn’t always have the last-second burst to make up for it. This appears to be more a matter of pre-snap positioning and post-snap understanding than any athletic issues. In other words, it’s coachable.
And let’s just say that Hill’s tackling won’t provide a lot of teach tape. He must improve his technique in this regard.
Conclusion: I would put Hill up there with Baylor’s Jalen Pitre as one of the two best slot defenders on this list — Hill will bring that value to his NFL team right away, and that extends to playing overhang roles in the deep slot. From there, it’s a decent transition to more of a interchangeable free safety role, which could make Hill a key cog in any defense — just as he was in college.
NFL Comparison: Jimmie Ward. Ward has been one of those underrated multi-position defensive backs ever since the 49ers took him with the 30th overall pick in the 2014 draft. But if you talk to his teammates, they’ll tell you that Ward is the guy who holds his defenses together with his acumen all over the field. Hill, who may turn out to be better than his college tape shows, may have the same transformative effect in the right home.
Height: 6’1″ (59th) Weight: 203 (33rd) 40-Yard Dash: N/A 10-Yard Split: N/A Bench Press: 18 reps (63rd) Vertical Jump: 39 inches (87th) Broad Jump: 123 inches (67th) 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 79 1/2 inches (33rd) Arm Length: 33 inches (93rd) Hand Size: 10 1/4 inches (90th)
Bio: A receiver, running back, and all-around defensive back in high school in Florida, Joseph saw college offers come late as a three-star recruit. Eventually, he chose Illinois over South Florida, Mississippi State, and Syracuse. He was a part-time starter at safety and occasional receiver until 2021, when it all came together, and he was named Second Team All-Big Ten after recording his first five college interceptions.
Over four seasons with the Fighting Illini, Joseph played 609 snaps at free safety, 260 in the box, 133 in the slot, 10 at cornerback, and 44 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: 2021 was by far Joseph’s best collegiate season, as he allowed nine catches on 19 targets for 134 yards, 32 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, five interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 66.4. In his three previous seasons, he’d allowed three touchdowns with no picks, and he’d never allowed an opponent passer rating lower than 103.5.
Strengths: Joseph is a good as any safety in this class at tracking the deep ball in single-high alignments, and using his ball skills to make the play. Yes, the NFL is becoming more of a two-high league, but one reason is that there isn’t a lot of players at the NFL level who can do stuff like this.
He’s also very adept at tracking the ball in short areas, and again, the ball skills show up on this acrobatic interception.
You can also use Joseph as a spy and a blitzer.
Weaknesses: I don’t necessarily love Joseph as a box or slot defender flaring out to cover flat and curl areas; I think he’s more adept coming down and moving out from up high. He can get a bit lost on those closer coverages.
Conclusion: Joseph is a good all-round player, but I think that teams playing more single-high and staying on that schematic island would do well to look him up in that role. It’s where he seems most comfortable, and there’s still a lot of specific value there.
NFL Comparison: Kevin Byard. Like Byard, Joseph can take care of business in a lot of ways, but he’s at his best when asked to cover the deep third in single-high situations.
Height: 6’0 3/4″ (42nd) Weight: 206 (46th) 40-Yard Dash: N/A 10-Yard Split: N/A Bench Press: N/A Vertical Jump: N/A Broad Jump: N/A 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 78 inches (81st) Arm Length: 31 7/8 inches (59th) Hand Size: 8 1/5 inches (4th)
Bio: The rare no-star recruit on one of our lists, Cook played quarterback and cornerback at Mount Healthy High School in Cincinnati, and the only offer he received was from Howard University. He played cornerback there for two seasons, and then entered the transfer portal to play with his home city college team. NCAA rules prevented him from playing in the 2019 regular season, but he did get reps in the Bearcats’ Birmingham Bowl win over Boston College. Cook played in 10 games in 2020, starting just one at safety, but 2021 was the year in which it all came together for him. Along with Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Coby Bryant, he helped to build one of the NCAA’s best secondaries, and Cincinnati made it all the way to the Cotton Bowl against Alabama.
Over five total seasons with the Bison and Bearcats, Cook played 344 snaps at free safety, 508 in the box, 258 in the slot, 408 at cornerback, and 23 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: In 2021, Cook allowed 22 catches on 37 targets for 202 yards, 101 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 51.9. One of those picks came against Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.
Strengths: Cook is as good as any safety in this class when it comes to patrolling the deep third, especially as a single=high defender, where he can use his lateral speed and on-field acumen to shut down any deep attempts to either side of the field.
Cook works this end zone crossing route as a cornerback would — match the tight end through the route, get inside the target, and work to the ball. Reward: Interception.
When evaluating safeties, it’s not just the plays they shut down; it’s also about the plays they prevent entirely. Houston’s quarterback is looking for his receiver on the deep crosser through this scramble drill, but he has to tuck and run, because Cook leaves him no room with his match skills.
Weaknesses: Cook can play the slot, but it’s not his optimal coverage location. He’ll need to be more on point when it comes to receivers who make quick cuts and route adjustments.
Not that Cook was the only defender to miss tackles when trying to stop Alabama running back Brian Robinson — there were three on this play alone — but you’d like to see more squaring up and fewer ankle tackles in a general sense.
When Cook does get his tackling together, and he matches that with his field speed, he’s the kind of safety who can prevent big plays from becoming bigger.
Conclusion: Given Cincinnati’s high rate of both press coverage and single-high concepts, it’s quite easy to project Cook in those kinds of old-school defenses. Were he coming out of college a decade ago, he might be a first-round pick. But there’s still more than enough value in what Cook does to make him a plus starter in the deep third over time.
NFL Comparison: Quandre Diggs. Seattle’s five-dimensional whiff on Jamal Adams tends to obscure the fact that the Seahawks absolutely stole Diggs from the Lions a few years back. Detroit deployed Diggs as more of a hybrid free/overhang slot defender; Pete Carroll put him in that old Earl Thomas role as the deep-third eraser, and Diggs proved able to handle it as few other NFL safeties could. There’s no projecting Cook in that role — he played it all the time for the Bearcats, and he did it very well.
Height: 6’0 1/8″ (38th) Weight: 212 (72nd) 40-Yard Dash: 4.34 seconds (98th) 10-Yard Split: 1.51 seconds (83rd) Bench Press: N/A Vertical Jump: 37 inches (71st) Broad Jump: 130 inches (92nd) 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 76 inches (72nd) Arm Length: 31 1/2 inches (49th) Hand Size: 9 inches (46th)
Bio: Cross’ parents didn’t allow him to play football until he went to DeMatha Catholic High School in Bowie, Maryland. He was a linebacker at first, and then switched to safety in his sophomore season. At that point, he had 2020 second-overall pick Chase Young as a teammate; DeMatha can also claim Brian Westbrook, Cameron Wake, Ja’Whaun Bentley, and Rodney McLeod among its more famous football alumni. Cross became a star in football and track in his junior and senior seasons, and chose Maryland over just about every major program in the country as a four-star recruit. He made Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten in each of his three seasons, and led his defense in interceptions in each of those three campaigns.
Over three seasons with the Terrapins, Cross played 996 snaps at free safety, 396 in the box, 147 in the slot, 30 at cornerback, and 11 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: Cross had a rough stretch in the second half of the 2021 season, when he was debited with a touchdown allowed in four straight games (Indiana, Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan). This was right before a two-target/no-catch game against Ohio State.
Strengths: Cross’ closing speed allows him to get to the ball and have time to get in proper position to make the play.
This is even more true when he’s playing two-high, and he only has to cover half the field. Have we mentioned yet that the NFL is moving to more two-high coverages at an accelerated rate?
Speaking of closing speed… how about this sack against Michigan where Cross has to sift through blockers, has to reset his body, and still gets the takedown? Blitz-heavy teams should be highly intrigued.
Cross isn’t a headbanger in the run game per se, but when he’s in position, he’s good for a few key tackles for loss at the right time, such as this stop against Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, who some believe to be the best back in this class.
Weaknesses: Cross can be an estimable blitzer, but (stop me if you’ve heard this one before), he’ll have to clean up his tackling technique.
Cross can be prone to false steps, and as impressive as his coverage speed is when he’s sure, he gets a bit caught up otherwise, and the reaction time is less than ideal.
He can also get beaten deep when he isn’t aggressive with his steps off the snap — here’s where the late-season lapses came in — both in vulnerability to misdirection, and losing speed in hesitation.
Conclusion: Cross’ specific value to an NFL team is that you don’t see a lot of guys with his height/weight profile playing true free safety roles as much as he does. At the NFL level, I like him as a do-it-all guy whose blitzing adds an interesting dimension, and whose two-high deep abilities fit very well in today’s NFL.
NFL Comparison: Eric Reid. Selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2013 draft out of LSU by the 49ers, Reid played a primary free safety role in Vic Fangio’s Sen Francisco’s defense, and then became a very good free/box/slot hybrid over time. Cross projects quite similarly. As he continues to learn how to trust his reaction time, his NFL profile will increase.
Height: 6’2 1/8″ (92nd) Weight: 195 (10th) 40-Yard Dash: 4.36 seconds (92nd) 10-Yard Split: 1.52 seconds (77th) Bench Press: N/A Vertical Jump: 40 inches (77th) Broad Jump: 128 inches (97th) 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 77 3/8 inches (73rd) Arm Length: 32 3/8 inches (75th) Hand Size: 8 71/2 inches (4th)
Bio: A three-star recruit out of Byron P. Steele High School in Cibolo Texas, Woods was a wide receiver and safety. He received offers from schools around Texas, and several in the Ivy League, but chose Baylor as the first and only Power 5 school to show that level of interest. Nicknamed “The Heartbreak Kid” in Dave Aranda’s defense because of his ability to destroy intentions of opposing quarterbacks with nine total interceptions over the 2020 and 2021 seasons (and another in the Senior Bowl), Woods was Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 in both of those seasons. He was also a track star for the Bears, winning the 110-meter hurdles at the Baylor Invitational, and timing at 10.61 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the USC Invitational.
Over four seasons with the Bears, Woods played 856 snaps at free safety, 564 in the box, 535 in the slot, five at cornerback, and 22 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: In 2021, Woods allowed 22 receptions on 35 targets for 263 yards, 103 yards after the catch, one touchdown, six interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 55.7. That’s not a fluke, as he allowed an opponent passer rating of 45.6 in 2020.
Strengths: When Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral got hurt against Baylor in the Sugar Bowl, it was up to Luke Altmyer to pick up the slack. That didn’t really happen. Instead, Woods made Altmyer’s life miserable with two interceptions and a pass deflection. When Altmyer thought that the middle of the field was open, it generally wasn’t, and Woods was the primary reason.
Woods can afford to be an opportunist to the ball, because he’s very good at playing high safety to the field side, and he’ll keep his eyes on the quarterback though his drops. This allows him to jump routes deep and come down and close to the ball. This pick-six against Texas State shows the latter ability in full.
Weaknesses: Not to sound like a broken record with the whole missed tackles thing, but Woods has a problem with this as well. If he’s whiffing against the run at the NFL level at this rate, he’s going to be an unfortunate participant in highlight shows.
There’s no question about Woods’ field speed, but he can get caught betwixt and between on play-fakes, RPO stuff, and combo routes. On plays like this, it doesn’t matter how fast you are in a straight line.
Conclusion: When a prospect ranks in the 92nd percentile in both height and 40 speed for his position, you want to see both things on the field. You do with Woods when it’s time to eliminate a play downfield with easy speed and transitive skills. There are some serious tackling and awareness issues to deal with, but Woods is a great third-day bet when it comes to his overall potential.
NFL Comparison: L’Jarius Sneed. Sneed, who the Chiefs selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of Louisiana Tech, became a plus NFL cornerback after playing safety for the most part in his final season at Louisiana Tech. Sneed had more college reps at cornerback than Woods did, but I wonder if the NFL team taking Woods might see him as somebody with more slot/outside attributes. Maybe I’m going too far outside the box, and maybe Woods will be a good speed safety in the NFL over time, but you never know.
Height: 5′ 10″ (69th) Weight: 198 (20th) 40-Yard Dash: N/A 10-Yard Split: N/A Bench Press: 16 reps (43rd) Vertical Jump: 35 inches (42nd) Broad Jump: 120 inches (45th) 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 81 5/8 inches (17th) Arm Length: 34 inches (9th) Hand Size: 9 7/8 inches (16th)
Bio: A three-star recruit from Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas, McKinley got offers from Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson, but chose Oregon over all the competition. He was a three-year starter who made Freshman All-American in 2019, leading the Pac-12 in interceptions with four. He played well in 2020’s abbreviated season, but really blew up lasy year — he was named Consensus All-American and First-Team All-Pac 12 by leading the FBS with six interceptions, and the team with 12 passes defensed.
Over four seasons with the Ducks, McKinley played 1,178 snaps at free safety, 450 in the box, 493 in the slot, 27 at cornerback, and 33 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: In 2021, McKinley allowed 17 catches on 29 targets for 209 yards, 80 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, six interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 64.4. He also had a missed tackle rate of 18.5%. All of those numbers are highly instructive, and show up on the tape.
Strengths: McKinley’s speed to the boundary shows up on this interception against Washington State – he’s the boundary side safety in two-high, and there aren’t a lot of deep throws that are going to escape his notice.
McKinley’s lateral movement skills are all over this pick against Arizona — first, when he crosses the field with a quickness, and then, when he closes to the ball.
Weaknesses: Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba gave a lot of defensive backs fits in 2021, and McKinley was one of them. McKinley isn’t always where he needs to be when defending slot targets — he can be a step slow. Given his athletic attributes, I’m thinking this is more a diagnostic issue than anything else.
McKinley’s size might have you thinking that you want other guys trying to match up with tight ends detached from the formation. This rep against Stanford’s Benjamin Yurosek, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 235 pounds (a small tight end/H-back at the NFL level) will amplify those concerns.
Conclusion: The NFL is a spacing and matchup league, and that’s good news for players like McKinley, who has the easy movement skills and speed to the ball to take away certain targets deep and in the slot. Size might limit his ability to become a true do-it-all guy, but the tape and the stats indicate the right kind of developmental curve for an off-ball defender.
NFL Comparison: Rodney McLeod. An undrafted free agent out of Virginia, McLeod signed with the then-St. Louis Rams in 2012, eventually becoming a valuable free/slot player, and taking that to multiple seasons with the Eagles. I could see McKinley providing similar value, as long as you’re not asking him to face up against 270-pound tight ends and 225-pound running backs.
Height: 6’0 1/2″ (40th) Weight: 204 (37th) 40-Yard Dash: N/A 10-Yard Split: N/A Bench Press: 15 reps (33rd) Vertical Jump: 35 inches (42nd) Broad Jump: 125 inches (78th) 3-Cone Drill: N/A 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 76 5/8 inches (59th) Arm Length: 31 5/8 inches (52nd) Hand Size: 10 1/4 inches (94th)
Bio: A four-star recruit out of Cypress Springs High School in Cypress, Texas, O’Neal chose the Aggies over a cavalcade of offers, including Oklahoma and Clemson. He was a starter in each of his last three seasons, developing a rep as a trash-talker on the field with the ability to back it up. O’Neal has overcome off-field issues through middle school and high school — he was arrested in his freshman year of high school for breaking into a car, and received 12 months probation.
Over four seasons with the Aggies, O’Neal played 1,091 snaps at free safety, 537 in the box, 283 in the slot, 10 at cornerback, and 24 at the defensive line.
Stat to Know: Among the 2022 draft prospects, only Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker allowed a lower opponent passer rating than O’Neal’s 47.9, which he pulled off by allowing 11 receptions on 23 targets for 153 yards, 38 yards after the catch, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Strengths: When O’Neal is sure of what he’s seeing, he shoots out of his stance, and he has impressive speed to the ball for his size.
That speed shows up against the run as well — O’Neal is more of a “gatherer” than a tackler, but he can certainly get to the ball on time from just about anywhere.
Weaknesses: O’Neal can get lost in the weeds at times because he’s still working to put his turns and transitions together. Slot coverage against tight ends could be a bit rough for a while.
And when you’re the last line of defense against the run, you can’t get bodied like this.
Conclusion: You can tell when a player is comfortable on the field, because everything looks easy, and it looks easy from the millisecond of the snap all the way through the play. I think that O’Neal is still thinking through some of the things he’s asked to do, and that’s where the lapses show up. But when he is totally comfortable with what he’s asked to do, he shows a ton of potential. He might be a star in Year 2 or 3 of his NFL career, with some developmental upside in the shorter term.
NFL Comparison: Glover Quin. The Texans took Quin out of New Mexico in the fourth round of the 2009 draft, and over time, Quin became a plus free safety when his transitions and nuances caught up to his athleticism. I could see a similar path for O’Neal, who has already proven to have the skills to get things done at the collegiate level.
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