2023 NFL Draft Rankings: Safeties
Josh Frey
|
The 2022 NFL Draft saw three safeties go in the first round with that trio being Kyle Hamilton, Daxton Hill, and Lewis Cine. This ended the streak of zero safeties being drafted in the first rounds of either 2020 or 2021, and it was the most safeties selected in a first round since 2018. Are we in store for more first round safeties, or will this spring bring a return of the drought for the position? Let’s take a look at the top safeties in the final edition of the 2023 NFL Draft rankings series.
If you need to catch up on the series, you can find the EDGE rushers, interior defensive linemen, linebackers, and cornerbacks by using the links.
1. JL Skinner (Boise State)
Boise State has had a player selected in every draft since 2010, but it’s been since Leighton Vander Esch in 2019 that a Bronco has gone in the first round. If teams get safety-happy again this spring, that could very well change as JL Skinner is a physical specimen at the position.
At 6’4 and about 220 pounds, Skinner has the size of a linebacker, but the athleticism and speed of a true safety. Even better, he has a desire to deliver big hits as the clip above shows. He can still improve some of his pass coverage skills, but he is a massive playmaker and might be a starter the second he steps onto an NFL field.
2. Antonio Johnson (Texas A&M)
Antonio Johnson is far from a finished product at this point in time, but he shows flashes of greatness at safety for Texas A&M. Think of him as a less-polished version of Kyle Hamilton. There are struggles in coverage at times, but he steps into the box and is a terrific run-stopper at 6’3 and 200 pounds.
Johnson is a mismatch nightmare for slot receivers, and if he can become more efficient with his coverage, the path towards him becoming a starter is set. He may not go in the first round due to his established skillset, but if teams are intrigued by his potential, there’s certainly a chance he sneaks in.
3. Brian Branch (Alabama)
If a safety gets taken in the first round of this April’s draft, it likely will be Brian Branch. In a secondary that also featured Jordan Battle and Eli Ricks, it was Branch who truly shined for the Crimson Tide in 2022.
The Alabama safety has terrific coverage skills, and his movements are fluid out of the free safety position. He also proved himself to be a terrific playmaker in the box, racking up an incredible 14 TFLs and 3 sacks in 2022. Johnson may get more hype during this process for his potential and size, but if a team wants a polished safety, that leans more Branch’s way.
4. Jordan Battle (Alabama)
Jordan Battle is the epitome of what you like to see in a strong safety prospect. He has a sturdy frame at 6’1 and 210 pounds, and he uses that frame to be a wrecker in run support and safety blitzes. Alabama often used him essentially as a WILL linebacker in their defensive scheme, and it makes sense that he’d continue to be used in that linebacker/safety hybrid role moving forward.
However, there’s a very glaring problem with his game that doesn’t appear in the players before him. Battle is an inconsistent tackler. For a player that doesn’t have the speed necessary for the free safety position, he needs to shore up his ability to wrap players up when he steps down into the box.
5. Jammie Robinson (Florida State)
Jammie Robinson is a “jack of all trades” at the safety position. Like Battle, he may be best suited in run support and playing in the box, but Robinson can also play as a slot corner and step back into either man or zone coverage.
He plays very quickly, and his speed is shocking for a player over 200 pounds. However, while he’s decent at just about everything, he doesn’t excel at anything, especially in coverage. He’s a prototypical Day Two pick for the safety position.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.