2010 Safety Rankings

S

Here are the rankings of 117 draft eligible safeties as we head down the stretch of the college season. There are two very good players at the top followed by a number of underrated prospects. In time this group could provide almost a half-dozen starters at the next level.

Rank	Rnd	Name	Analysis
1	1st	Eric Berry Tennessee	Complete defensive back who physically stops the run while showing terrific ball skills in coverage. Can play over the slot receiver or man centerfield. Lacks classic size for a safety yet plays big.
2	1st	Taylor Mays USC	Aggressive safety best up the field in a straight line. Hard hitting, stays with the action and effective in coverage. Lacks great sideline-to-sideline range.
3	1-2	Earl Thomas Texas	Terrific young safety with a high upside. Shows great closing/recovery speed, flashes on the scene and possesses outstanding ball skills in coverage. Must brush up his instincts but a prospect to get excited about.
4	2nd	Kurt Coleman Ohio State	Complete defensive back who displays toughness in run defense as well as a lot of skill in coverage. Covers a lot of area on the field, fast to the flanks and possesses terrific ball skills. A lot to like about his game.
5	2nd	Morgan Burnett Georgia Tech	Cognizant defensive back who does a nice job anticipating the action. Quick up the field to defend the run or screen passes, wraps up tackling and brings ball carriers down on contact.
6	2nd	Chad Jones LSU	Dominant defender flying up draft boards. Has linebacker type size yet plays fast and fluid.
7	2-3	Reshad Jones Georgia	Fast, run defending safety with nice size. Aggressive and stops ball carriers dead in their tracks. Hesitant in pass coverage.
8	2-3	Nate Allen South Florida	Solid athlete who can go sideline to sideline. Not real aggressive against the run and does not make many plays on the ball in coverage.
9	3rd	Ahmad Black Florida	Resilient run defending safety best making plays up the field.
10	3rd	Deunta Williams North Carolina
11	3rd	Darian Stewart South Carolina	Forceful, run defending safety best up the field, in a straight line.
12	3rd	Darrell Stuckey Kansas	Hard hitting defensive back slightly overrated by NFL scouts. Effective against the run but one-dimensional and struggles in coverage and possesses marginal ball skills.
13	3-4	Kendrick Lewis Mississippi	Hard hitting safety who gets a lick on ball handlers. Fast up the field in run defense yet also displays good range to the flanks. Disciplined and offers potential.
14	3-4	Robert Johnson Utah	Terrific all-around safety hitting his stride. Physical against the run but also displays excellent ball skills.
15	3-4	T.J. Ward Oregon	Aggressive safety with good range in centerfield.
16	3-4	DeAndre McDaniel Clemson	Tough, run defending safety who flashes ability in coverage. Offers a decent amount of upside but must learn to be a bit more disciplined.
17	3-4	Davonte Shannon Buffalo	Physical safety who throws his body around the field making plays sideline-to-sideline. Good upside and someone to watch.
18	3-4	Major Wright Florida	Terrific safety with a complete game. Effectively diagnoses plays, displays terrific awareness and constantly around the action. Physical against the run and possesses good ball skills in coverage.
19	4th	Orlando Franklin Miami-Fl
20	4th	Cam Nelson Arizona	Physical safety that likes to mix it up and chases around the field trying to get involved in the action. Effective covering centerfield.
21	4th	Andre Sexton Oklahoma State	High flying safety always working to make positive plays. Occasionally lines up at outside linebacker. Effectively reads and diagnoses the action. Good upside at strong safety.
22	4th	Harry Coleman LSU	Works hard to make plays up the field against the run or screen passes/ Disciplined with centerfield assignments yet lacks top safety speed.
23	4-5	Jeron Johnson Boise State
24	4-5	Elijah Fields Pittsburgh	Kind sized safety that forces the action.
25	4-5	Nate Williams Washington	Good junior prospect with a nice feel for the position. Works well with cornerbacks, displays a sense of timing and has a physical nature to his game.
26	4-5	Kam Chancellor Virginia Tech	King-sized safety best in a straight line. Overrated by many. More of a loping runner who lacks quickness. Inefficient, takes poor angles to the action and lacks speed to the flanks. Singularly a strong safety or possibly an outside linebacker.
27	5th	Jaiquawn Jarrett Temple	Solid free safety prospect who will offer potential in a system which allows him to roam in centerfield.
28	5th	Quinton Carter Oklahoma
29	5th	Chris Culliver South Carolina
30	5th	Terrell Skinner Maryland	Hard hitting defensive back that makes plays sideline-to-sideline.
31	5-6	Stevie Brown Michigan	Heady defensive back who always puts himself in a position to make positive plays. Plays smart football, fights hard to get off blocks and makes plays on the ball. Marginal size/speed numbers will push him into the later round but a definite prospect for the next level.
32	5-6	Duke Ihenacho San Jose State	Fast, explosive defensive back with a nice game.
33	5-6	Barry Church Toledo	Hybrid outside linebacker/strong safety whose been very productive on the college level. Plays big and looks imposing on the field. Ball skills leave a lot to be desired.
34	5-6	Josh Pinkard USC	Tough defensive back best facing the action. Aggressive against the run. Could move to safety.
35	6th	Rickey Thenarse Nebraska	Aggressive safety who lays it on the line and sacrifices his body to make the play. Marginal ball skills and limited to a strong safety position or a zone system.
36	6th	Kendi Davis-Clark Michigan State	Aggressive, forceful defender best making plays up the field. Display skill in zone coverage and good route recognition.
37	6th	Larry Asante Nebraska	Big, hard hitting centerfielder with solid fundamentals but a lot of hesitation in his game. Better up the field in the box.
38	6th	Jordan Lake Baylor	Instinctive safety best up the field in run defense. Always puts himself in a position to make plays on the ball and a solid, open-field, wrap up tackler. Mid-round pick who could start at the next level.
39	6-7	Bryan Evans Georgia	Heads up defensive back with solid instincts. Makes plays sideline to sideline and effective in the open field. Inefficient yet an underrated player to this point.
40	6-7	Courtney Herndon Kansas State	Physical safety who displays solid sideline-to-sideline range. A nice combination of awareness and speed.
41	6-7	Mario Armstrong Western Michigan	Physical safety who flies around the ball and works hard to get involved in the action.
42	6-7	Justin Thornton Kansas	Physical, aggressive safety who lays it on the line. Sized well, willingly defends the run and has a burst. Lacks the deep speed yet an underrated strong safety prospect.
43	7th	Wes Davis Boston College
44	7th	Justin Woodall Alabama	Nice sized safety best in the box or up the field.
45	7-FA	Aaron Webster Cincinnati	Solid senior prospect really shooting up draft boards. Best up the field and flashes ball skills.
46	7-FA	Chris Carney Kansas State	Solid centerfielder who does a good job with coverage assignments.
47	7-FA	Devin Newsome San Jose State
48	FA	Danny McCray LSU	Instinctive safety with marginal speed. Shows a good head for the ball and adequate instincts yet possesses a marginal closing burst.
49	FA	Bo McNally Stanford	Physical safety always looking to get involved. Late arriving on the scene in pass coverage but a possible zone safety.
50	FA	Anderson Russell Ohio State	String safety type best up the field in a straight line. Struggles in man coverage and shows marginal ball skills.
51	FA	Austin Thomas Indiana	Solid between the numbers safety. Effective facing the action, quick up the field defending running plays and works very hard to make plays on the ball.
52	FA	Steven Jackson Ohio	Adequately sized safety that's shown consistent improvement the past two seasons. Could regain an extra year of eligibility if he gets his grades in order.
53	FA	Nick Polk Indiana
54	FA	Brad Phillips Northwestern
55	FA	Dejaun Newton Buffalo	Aggressive safety who displays an excellent head for the ball. Always looking to mix it up a very good up the field.
56	FA	Ryan Hamilton Vanderbilt	Overrated defensive back. Does not always take proper angles and not very aggressive.
57	FA	Brett Johnson California	Potential zone safety who plays the run tough.
58	FA	Marcel Bowman Boston College	Nice sized safety that effectively reads and diagnoses the action. More of a loping defender and his game lacks true quickness and speed.
59	FA	Quinton Andrews North Alabama	Former Mountaineer who is now enrolled at North Alabama. Big, strong safety who plays large and moves well about the field. Lacks a feel in coverage and makes few plays against the ball.
60	FA	Zac Etheridge Auburn	Solid run defending safety coming off a poor sophomore campaign.
61	FA	Ryan Hamilton Vanderbilt
62	FA	Ali Sharriff Alabama	Box safety with limited range.
63	FA	Jamie Robinson Florida State
64	FA	Antonio Baker Louisiana Tech	Run defending safety best in the box.
65	FA	Jonathan Amaya Nevada	Fluid centerfielder with some potential as a dime back.
66	FA	Justin Winters Buffalo
67	FA	Aaron Ware UCLA
68	FA	Javon Walker North Carolina State
69	FA	Lucien Antoine Oklahoma State
70	FA	Braxton Amy UTEP	Well rounded safety who displayed a lot of potential as a sophomore before being sidelined in '09 with a knee injury.
71	FA	Ryan Hill Miami-Fl
72	FA	Shane Carter Wisconsin	Nice sized safety that does a solid job recognizing assignments.
73	FA	Virdell Larkins Idaho
74	FA	Myron Rolle Florida State	Athletic safety with great brains off the field yet limited instincts on it.
75	FA	Aairon Savage Auburn
76	FA	Eddie Hicks Southern Mississippi
77	FA	Cody Grimm Virginia Tech	High revving defender best in the box or up the field.
78	FA	Van Eskridge East Carolina	Imposing looking safety with marginal football skills.
79	FA	Christop Maragos Wisconsin
80	FA	Brian Lainhart Kent State	Physical safety best defending the run.
81	FA	Quentin Scott Northern Iowa
82	FA	Xavier Hicks Washington State
83	FA	Matt O'Hanlon Nebraska	Hard working safety with marginal physical skills and upside potential.
84	FA	Jeromy Miles Massachusetts
85	FA	Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith UTEP
86	FA	Brendan Smith Northwestern
87	FA	Marshall Jones USC
88	FA	Robert Vaughn Connecticut	Tough, run defending safety with marginal size/speed numbers.
89	FA	Torri Williams Purdue
90	FA	Marcus Ezeff California
91	FA	Lattarius Thomas Eastern Michigan
92	FA	Shann Schillinger Montana
93	FA	Jason Wells Washington
94	FA	Dorian Porch Virginia Tech
95	FA	Klint Kubiak Colorado State
96	FA	Dominique Harris Temple	Hard hitting safety who aggressively lays his shoulders into ball carriers. Displays solid overall awareness. Terrific size and an imposing looking prospect yet a has never consistently played in a high level.
97	FA	Richard Raglin Louisville	Marginally athletic free safety who must make it on special teams.
98	FA	Jeremiah Weatherspoon Florida International	King sized safety best making plays in the box against the run. Has enough size to be considered at outside linebacker in a one-gap system.
99	FA	Terrell Whitehead Norfolk State
100	FA	Martin Corniffe Howard
101	FA	James Lockett Tulsa
102	FA	Dorian Munroe Florida
103	FA	Stefoin Francois LSU
104	FA	Moses Harris Fresno State
105	FA	Greg James La-Monroe	One time highly thought of safety who never elevated his game.
106	FA	Tervaris Johnson Miami-Fl
107	FA	Thaddeus Turner Ohio
108	FA	David Bryant Northern Illinois	Nice sized safety who makes a lot of plays on the field. Constantly around the action in run defense. Must improve his ball skills.
109	FA	Marvin Haynes Fresno State
110	FA	Luke Bonus Hofstra
111	FA	Markee Hamlin South Carolina State
112	FA	Shiloh Keo Idaho
113	FA	Jahmal Brown Bowling Green	Adequately sized safety that's been a durable defender for BGSU.
114	FA	Alex Knipp Ball State	Aggressive, hard working safety with limited size and upside. Potential ninth defensive back/special teams prospect.
115	FA	Clement Johnson North Carolina State
116	FA	Carl Harris Alcorn State
117	FA	Don McClesky Indiana State

Updated 1/31

Rank	Rnd	Name	Pos	Year
1	1st	Ndamukong Suh Nebraska	DT	5Sr
2	1st	Eric Berry Tennessee	S	3Jr
3	1st	Gerald McCoy Oklahoma	DT	4Jr
4	1st	Russell Okung Oklahoma State	T	4Sr
5	1st	Joe Haden Florida	CB	3Jr
6	1st	Dez Bryant Oklahoma State	WR	3Jr
7	1st	Anthony Davis Rutgers	T	3Jr
8	1st	Jason Pierre-Paul South Florida	DE	3Jr
9	1st	Damian Williams USC	WR	4Jr
10	1st	Brian Price UCLA	DT	3Jr
11	1st	Derrick Morgan Georgia Tech	DE	3Jr
12	1st	Sam Bradford Oklahoma	QB	4Jr
13	1st	Taylor Mays USC	S	4Sr
14	1st	Bruce Campbell Maryland	T	3Jr
15	1st	Rolando McClain Alabama	ILB	3Jr
16	1st	Earl Thomas Texas	S	3So
17	1st	Jared Odrick Penn State	DT	4Sr
18	1st	Sergio Kindle Texas	OLB	4Sr
19	1-2	Bryan Bulaga Iowa	T	3Jr
20	1-2	Demaryius Thomas Georgia Tech	WR	4Jr
21	1-2	Charles Brown USC	T	5Sr
22	1st	Jerry Hughes TCU	OLB	4Sr
23	1-2	Brandon Graham Michigan	DE	4Sr
24	1st	Ricky Sapp Clemson	DE	4Sr
25	1st	Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame	QB	4Jr

Draft Insider is Featured On

SI.com

PhiladelphiaEagles.com

Sportsnet New York

Fox Sports Radio

This site is an independently operated source of news and information and is in no way affiliated with the National Football League (NFL) or the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or any other league. All information listed within this site is copyright of TFY Draft Preview and its' associates. Any reproduction, republication or redistribution of this site's content without express consent is strictly prohibited and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.

S

Position Rankings