- Malaki Starks is the most versatile: The Georgia star is the top safety in the draft because he can win from any alignment.
- Nick Emmanwori is the best athlete: His jaw-dropping combine performance has the South Carolina safety as a projected first-round pick.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
With just a month to go before the 2025 NFL Draft, we continue wrapping up our preview of the class with prospect superlatives.
Here are the top safeties in the class in various categories.
Best Athlete: Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Emmanwori isn’t just the most athletic safety in this draft; he’s one of the most athletic safety prospects we’ve ever seen. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he has nearly a linebacker’s build. That size doesn’t stop him from flying around the field, though.
Emmanwori hit a top speed of 23 miles per hour last year, according to our player tracking data, the fourth-fastest of any safety in America. He backed that speed up with a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, placing him in the 96th percentile of all safeties. Emmanwori is also incredibly explosive as his vertical jump (43 inches) and broad jump (11-feet-6-inches) were each in the 98th percentile.
Best Tackler: Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
A partially torn ACL held Winston to playing just two games in his junior year, but his tape in 2023 was first-round caliber. A major reason for that was how incredibly efficient he was as a tackler. On 89 career attempts, Winston only missed two tackles. That 2.2% career missed tackle rate is in the 99th percentile of all safeties since 2022.
Best Ball Skills: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Watts is the easy choice here as he’s the best ballhawk in the class. His seven interceptions in 2023 led all players in the nation which helped him win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the best defensive player in college football. The following year, he tied for second among all FBS defenders with six picks. He has great hands and speed for the position and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Best Cover Player at Free Safety: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Watts has been able to create so many turnovers for the Fighting Irish because of how effective he was at roaming in centerfield for their defense. Notre Dame ran Cover-1 at the highest rate in college football (51.5%) because of how much it trusted Watts to make the right play. On six targets at free safety, he had double the amount of interceptions (four) as he allowed catches (two).
Best Cover Player in the Box: Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Emmanwori’s size and elite athletic traits make him the best box safety in the class. His 90.2 coverage grade in the box this past season led all safeties in America. Emmanwori’s three interceptions when lined up in the box led all Power Four safeties as well.
Best Cover Player in the Slot: Malachi Moore, Alabama
Moore has essentially been a hybrid between a slot corner and a true safety throughout his entire five years with the Crimson Tide. This past season, his 87.7 coverage grade in the slot led all safeties in the Power Four. Moore’s 62.0 passer rating allowed from that alignment was a top-15 mark in the nation as well.
Most Versatile: Malaki Starks, Georgia
Starks has been the wire-to-wire top safety prospect in the 2025 draft ever since the first game of his true freshman season against Oregon, when he made a jaw-dropping interception off of Bo Nix.
A TRUE FRESHMAN @StarksMalaki!#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/zg3DFkovcX
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 3, 2022
His smooth movement skills allow him to win as a deep free safety. Starks also has the athletic traits to cover players from the slot while being physical enough to play in the box. He can do anything for a defense as a true chess piece.
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