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NFL Draft 2016 Rankings: Top 5 safeties

By Patrick Schmidt

Sep 12, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Vonn Bell (11) picks up a fumble and runs it in for a touchdown in the second half of the game against the Hawaii Warriors at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State beat Hawaii 38-0. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Vonn Bell (11) picks up a fumble and runs it in for a touchdown in the second half of the game against the Hawaii Warriors at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State beat Hawaii 38-0. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ranking the top five safeties in the 2016 NFL Draft, but are any of them worthy of being a first round pick?

The NFL combine is one week away as the nation’s top draft prospects flock to Indianapolis to go get measured, weighed, times, poked, prodded and evaluated in the strangest job interview you’ll ever see.

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It serves as an opportunity for unheralded players from small schools like Miles Killebrew from Southern Utah or even Darien Thompson from Boise State who didn’t get much attention during the season compared to their Power Five brethren.

Those safeties are two of the top five players at that position on my board entering the combine and they have a chance to improve their stock with strong workouts and good interviews. All the safeties in the draft will be asked to cover receivers and tight ends like a cornerback and make plays in the box and provide run support like a linebacker.

It’s a tough job to do to be sure and teams looking to find the next Eric Berry or Earl Thomas may be out of luck, but there is still some attractive options on the back end, even if there isn’t a lock yet to be a first round pick.

Here’s the top five safeties entering the NFL combine.

I think Vonn Bell has the best chance of being a first round pick and ultimately I think he will be because he is as close to the total package you want in a safety. He’s not Earl Thomas or Eric Berry, but he’s a player who can control the middle of the field and has great ball skills that could see him get a handful of interceptions each year.

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Joseph did it all for West Virginia before a knee injury in early October ended his season. When healthy, he was a dominant performer who had a shot to be the first safety off the board. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore but should still be a top 45-50 pick.

Cash is a throwback to the old school safeties who would play in the box and serve as a fourth linebacker. He is the best tackler at the position but have some concerns about his pass coverage.

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