Over the last five drafts (2016 through 2020), 10 players designated as safeties were selected in the first round: Keanu Neal, Karl Joseph, Jabrill Peppers, Malik Hooker, Jamal Adams, Terrell Edmunds, Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Johnathan Abram, and Darnell Savage. The interesting thing about these players — and about the safety position in today’s NFL — is how different they are, and how divergent their on-field responsibilities are as a result.
There have been true deep-third defenders like Hooker, multi-position guys who become elite free safeties based on need (Fitzpatrick when he was traded from the Dolphins to the Steelers), box guys who can blitz and provide less in coverage (Adams), and “jokers” who define their defenses from the line to the box to the deep third (James, Savage).
What is true for safeties in the NFL is what’s true for most defensive players — if you’re not a total game-changer at one position, you’d better be able to do multiple things well, or you’ll quickly see your opportunities diminish. The safety class of 2021 has a couple of true deep coverage guys, and quite a few multi-position players who can work well in different defenses in different ways. It will be up to their defensive coordinators and secondary coaches to determine what those roles will be, but there’s more versatility at the safety position than ever before — which perfectly mirrors and forwards the NFL’s new paradigm.
Note: The percentiles in parentheses listed next to pro day data are compared to all historical athletic testing (combine and pro day) at the respective position of the player. Kudos to Pro Football Focus, and their Pro Day Schedule and Results Tracker, for this.
