2017 NFL draft safety rankings: Jamal Adams leads stacked position

NFL defenses are using safeties to fight back against offenses that create mismatches with a spread out attack. Instead of having a linebacker who can’t cover or a cornerback who can’t stop the run on the field, teams are relying more on safeties to even the playing field.

It just so happens to be at a time when the safety class in the NFL draft is as good as ever. Jamal Adams of LSU and Malik Hooker of Ohio State are the top players in the group, and both rate as top-five overall talents. Their draft placement could match their ratings, too.

Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers is just as talented, but to some degree he’s a prospect without a position. The class has a high-rising talent in Connecticut’s Obi Melifonwu who just might crash the first round.

Small school name to know: Lorenzo Jerome was an unknown coming into the season playing at Saint Francis, but he’s built momentum leading up to the draft. He participated in both the NFLPA game and the Senior Bowl and was able to keep up thanks to his impressive ball skills. With so many teams looking for coverage safeties, Jerome will have a market on Day 3 of the draft.

When the New York Giants traded up to start the second round of the 2015 draft to take Landon Collins, they were doing so to get a complete safety. Adams is the same type of player, but he probably won’t need a year to acquaint himself to the NFL like Collins did. Out of the box, Adams is pretty much the perfect combination of size, tackling ability, and the talent to play the run and pass equally well.

At LSU, Adams showed the ability to play the underneath pass area and he can work in man coverage out of the slot. When he can line up a shot, Adams can pop a ball carrier, but he’s still a sound tackler. Good luck finding a flaw in Adams, who should be able to step into a starting lineup immediately.

You’ve heard the comparisons plenty. Ed Reed. A bigger Earl Thomas. Those type of comparisons don’t get tossed around lightly for a safety, but Hooker has earned them. Although he started just a season at Ohio State, he put together a full highlight reel with 74 tackles and seven interceptions in 2016.

The Buckeyes often put Hooker deep as the high coverage safety where he could rely on his instincts and ability to close quickly on the ball. He has excellent hands and timing for a safety, and at 6’1 and 206 pounds he has ample size. Teams wanting to run big nickel packages with three safeties will love Hooker. It is concerning he started just a season in college, and his tackling leaves something to be desired at times, but his coverage ability is special. Before long, people will be searching for the next Malik Hooker.

At Michigan, Peppers was a football nomad, traversing from position to position at the whim of the Wolverines’ coaching staff. He may have won the Paul Hornung Award for his versatility in 2016, but being pushed around from safety to cornerback to running back to wide receiver to return man and finally to Sam linebacker may have been detrimental to Peppers’ development as a prospect.

No matter, he’s still an athletic marvel who has speed and agility. He used that speed to close on the play and charge through ball carriers. He’ll absolutely need to get better taking on and shedding blocks. Because of his relative inexperience (he played just two seasons), he lacks some instincts, especially if he’s used as a man cover corner. But his drive and athleticism make you feel comfortable projecting his development. As a pro he should be a better version of Patrick Chung or Micah Hyde.

What teams hope Peppers becomes Baker is right now. He’s got range for days in the deep secondary and has the speed and quickness to cover a lot of ground. Baker was often lined up in single high coverage at Washington and is an excellent help coverage safety if a corner gets beat. On screens and sweeps Baker is quick to find the ball and get to it. He’s a little on the small side (5’9 5/8 and 195 pounds), and sometimes that will show up in his tackling. He’ll try to use his speed to hit and take down instead of slowing down a step and securing a tackle. Will NFL tight ends give him problems?

To many football fans, Melifonwu is a product of the offseason Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine process. To the NFL, that’s not the case. Don’t forget, Melifonwu started four seasons at Connecticut (which put safety Byron Jones into the first round a couple years ago), and he had 351 career tackles. Melifonwu has great size at 6’4 and 224 pounds, and a high level of athleticism to go with it.

Like Hooker, Melifonwu could be attractive to teams looking to create mismatches by running big nickel formations that rely on three safeties. Some teams may actually look at him as a cornerback.

Lost among the bigger names is Jones, one of the draft’s more dependable safeties. A three-year starter in college, Jones has the size and speed you want from a safety. He played two seasons of strong safety before shifting to free as a junior. He’s comfortable playing near the line of scrimmage and may be only scratching the surface of his skill as a coverage player. His range is good, but his tackling technique needs some work.

Williams is another safety who would put high in the middle of the defense for his coverage ability. For Utah, it paid off as Williams had five interceptions in each of the past two seasons. He moves around effortlessly in zone coverage and rarely gave up a play over the top. He isn’t that great of a tackler, but the effort is there against the run.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a safety who will just flat out hit someone. That’s Evans. Does he whiff occasionally or does his tackle technique suffer because he goes high? Sure, but when he connects on a devastating blow, it can set the tone for the defense. Evans is a safety capable of dropping in coverage and coming up to stop the run. With so many safeties who seem more like specialty players, he offers more of an all-around game. He’s also an effective kick returner.

Best of the rest:

9. Eddie Jackson, S, Alabama

10. Marcus Maye, S, Florida

11. Tedric Thompson, S, Colorado

12. Xavier Woods, S, Louisiana Tech

13. Josh Harvey-Clemons, S, Louisville

14. Lorenzo Jerome, S, Saint Francis

15 Rayshawn Jenkins, S, Miami

17. Delano Hill, S, Michigan

18. Jadar Johnson, S, Clemson

19. Nathan Gerry, S, Nebraska

20. Montae Nicholson, S, Michigan State