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2026 NFL Draft Safety Rankings: CFN’s College Football Perspective
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- 2026 NFL Draft Safety Rankings: CFN’s College Football Perspective
For years, and years, and years,
I have screamed and yelled that great college safeties are undervalued.
You get a great one who can dominate, and it changes everything you can do with your defense. No, a top safety isn't as important as a top pass rusher, or an anchor of a defensive tackle who can get into the backfield, but the position isn't that far off.
Usually, you can get them on the cheap. Chicago's Kevin Byard
was selected in the third round by Tennessee in 2016. Jessie Bates
was a late second-rounder in 2018, and Jacksonville found a star in Antonio Johnson
from Texas A&M in the fifth round.
This year's crop of safeties should be the best in a long, long time, headlined by the guy who might be the best player in the draft in Caleb Downs
.
From the college football perspective, here's the CFN ranking of all the top safeties for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Sep 13, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) reacts during the first quarter against the Ohio Bobcats during the second half at Ohio Stadium. © Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
2026 NFL Draft: CFN's Safety Rankings, Key Sleeper, and Best Value
CFN 2026 Position Previews
QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
| OTs
| OGs
| Cs
Edge/DEs
| DTs
| LBs
| CBs
| Safeties
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Best Value Prospect
Robert Spears-Jennings, OklahomaYou don't want to fall for a good workout, but when an NFL-caliber safety rips off a 4.32 and can make plays like Spears-Jennings did over the last two years, you pay attention. He'll get lost in the shuffle on the way to a Day 3 slot, but he'll make the roster.
Top Sleeper Safety
Xavier Nwankpa
, Iowa
At best, Nwankpa will be a late Day 3 pick, but could be a key undrafted free agent. No matter where he goes, he might stick.
He's got great speed, and he makes lots of tackles, even if he's not always technically great. A special teams coach will take him, but he could find a role in a defensive rotation.
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Will Go Too Early
Kamari Ramsey
, USC
If it wasn't such a cop-out, the Will Go Too Early call would be None of the Above - the safeties will almost all bring great value this year. That goes for Ramsey, too - he's a bit of a tweener safety who doesn't necessarily have a set spot.
If he goes somewhere in the top 50, that's too early. Anywhere on Day 3 is more than fine.
Best of the Rest Safeties
(In alphabetical order, with the projected draft round in parentheses)
Dalton Johnson,Arizona (6); Kamari Ramsey,USC (3); Genesis Smith,Arizona (3); Michael Taffe,Texas (4); Jakobe Thomas,Miami (4)
Robert Spears-Jennings
CFN S Rank:10
College:Oklahoma
Projected Draft Round:4
Height/Weight:6-2, 205
2025 Stats:59 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBU, 1 FF
He'll get drafted on his 4.3 speed alone.
Very big, very fast, and with plenty of experience, he's got the tools to do a little bit of everything for a secondary. He'll be better against the run than the high-powered passing teams.
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Zakee Wheatley
CFN S Rank:9
College:Penn State
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-3, 203
2025 Stats:74 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU
Tall with a great frame and nice range, he's a tough hitter who holds up well. However, he's not an elite factor against the run, and he's nothing more than solid in pass coverage. He'll find a job somewhere in a secondary.
VJ Payne
CFN S Rank:8
College:Kansas State
Projected Draft Round:4
Height/Weight:6-3, 206
2025 Stats:59 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 IN, 3 PBU, 2 FF
Fantastic over the last three seasons, he's a physical presence who won't get pushed around by the stronger receivers. He'll make tacklers, but he won't be a dominant force - he'll be stronger as an intimidating pass defender.
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Treydan Stukes
CFN S Rank:7
College:Arizona
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-6, 190
2025 Stats:52 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 4 INT, 6 PBU
A little smaller than most of the top safeties in the draft, he makes up for it with 4.33 warp speed. After six years in college, he's more than ready to step in on Day One and be a beast in pass coverage.
AJ Haulcy
CFN S Rank:6
College:LSU
Projected Draft Round:2
Height/Weight:6-0, 215
2025 Stats:88 tackles, 3 INT, 4 PBU, 1 FF
An elite tackler and ball hawk for both Houston and LSU, he knows how to make plays. No, he's not a blazer, but he's feisty, is always around the ball, and has the potential to be an intimidating stat sheet filler.
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Bud Clark
CFN S Rank:5
College:TCU
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-1, 188
2025 Stats:56 tackles, 1 sack, 1.5 TFL, 2 INT, 7 PBU
After six years in college, he knows what he's doing. Great at attacking the ball when it's in the air, he has to be accounted for on every play. He can do everything right, but he doesn't quite have the elite tools needed to be a superstar.
Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Jalon Kilgore (24) during the second half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. © Butch Dill-Imagn Images
Jalon Kilgore
CFN S Rank:4
College:South Carolina
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-1, 210
2025 Stats:54 tackles, 2 INT, 10 PBU, 2 fumble recoveries
Someone will fall in love with this pick somewhere around the middle of the second round. It's all there - size, speed, and proven production. The only knock is that the other top safeties in this draft are just a little bit better.
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Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
CFN S Rank:3
College:Toledo
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-4, 201
2025 Stats:77 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2 INT, 5 PBU, 3 FF
The high-end wheels aren't there in a blazing class of safeties, but he's an elite all-around athlete, doesn't miss tackles, and plays at a whole other level in coverage - as long as he doesn't have to deal with any blazers.
Dillon Thieneman
CFN S Rank:2
College:Oregon
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-0, 201
2025 Stats:96 tackles, 1 sack, 3.5 TFL, 2 INT, 5 PBU
Tackles, tackles, tackles, tackles, TACKLES. He's not a thumper, and he won't scare anyone with his pop, but his 4.35 gets him to everything.
Great at Purdue for two years, wonderful last year at Oregon, get past the occasional whiff, and enjoy the massive amount of stops.
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Caleb Downs
CFN S Rank:1
College:Ohio State
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-0, 206
2025 Stats:68 tackles, 1 sack, 5 TFL, 2 INT, 2 PBU, 2 FF
You're going to hear a lot of stuff about how safeties aren't supposed to go early in the draft, and how you can find them anywhere, and how Downs might have to adjust this, or that, or … blow it all off.
Special right away as a freshman at Alabama, and fantastic over his two years at Ohio State, his brilliance is in the way he sees a play. He's always four steps ahead of everyone else.
CFN 2026 Position Previews
QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
| OTs
| OGs
| Cs
Edge/DEs
| DTs
| LBs
| CBs
| Safeties
Related: 2026 NFL Draft Linebacker Rankings: CFN's College Football Perspective
This story was originally published by College Football News on Apr 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL Draft section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
