The 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and we've got you covered with rankings for every position group in this year's class.
Ohio State 's Caleb Downs is not only the best safety prospect in this year's draft, but quite possibly the best overall player, regardless of position. He should be a top-10 pick, and is likely to be joined in the first round by Toledo 's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Oregon 's Dillon Thieneman . It's a good year depth at the position, too, which should give NFL teams plenty of value to pick from outside of the first round.
2026 NFL DRAFT RANKINGS
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | Interior OL | Edge | Interior DL | LB | CB | S
Here's how we rank the top 25 safety prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft class:
| RANK |
PLAYER |
COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Caleb Downs |
|
| 2. |
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren |
Toledo |
| 3. |
Dillon Thieneman |
Oregon |
| 4. |
||
| 5. |
USC |
|
| 6. |
||
| 7. |
TCU |
|
| 8. |
||
| 9. |
||
| 10. |
Miami (FL) |
|
| 11. |
Kansas State |
|
| 12. |
USC |
|
| 13. |
||
| 14. |
||
| 15. |
||
| 16. |
Texas Tech |
|
| 17. |
||
| 18. |
||
| 19. |
Oklahoma |
|
| 20. |
Wydett Williams Jr. |
Ole Miss |
| 21. |
Arizona |
|
| 22. |
Ahmaad Moses |
SMU |
| 23. |
Indiana |
|
| 24. |
Jalen Stroman |
Notre Dame |
| 25. |
Miles Scott |
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
