2023 NFL Draft Strong Safety Rankings

John Vogel October 27, 2022 in 2023 Rankings - 9 Minutes

1. Christopher Smith, Georgia

HT: 5111
WT: 190
Year: Super Senior
High School: Hapeville Charter (Atlanta, GA)
Rating: 4-star (0.8991)
Christopher Smith has all of the top traits that NFL teams are looking for: Football IQ and instincts, incredible range, and he is a good tackler. His size may become an issue of some debate, but the man has every tool that NFL teams want in a safety. His speed and athletic prowess are great too, and he looks like he could be the next Georgia Bulldog to smash the NFL Combine this March.

Pros:

Very solid athlete. Has excellent speed.
Excellent lateral quickness.
Crazy change of direction ability.
Very solid tackler. Doesn’t have the cleanest wrap-up, but is very effective in bringing ball carriers down.
Works downhill well. Typically takes excellent pursuit angles.
Very solid zone coverage player.
Excellent space defender. Very consistent in the open field.
Usually has excellent instincts. Typically in great position to make a big play. Rarely found out of position.
Ridiculously fast at recognizing plays.

Cons:

Average upper body strength. Part of the weakness in his wrap up technique comes from his lack of upper body strength.
Does have the tendency to jump a little too early and break off his assignment.
Entered 2022 with just 16 career starts – still has a lot of football to see.
Size isn’t as good as some of the other prospects in the class.

2. Brandon Joseph, Notre Dame

HT: 6005
WT: 195
Year: Super Junior
High School: College Station (College Station, TX)
Rating: 3-star (0.8540)
Brandon Joseph emerged as a sophomore at Northwestern before transferring to Notre Dame during his senior year. He is a very strong safety prospect who is very smart, very heady, and has good instincts for the most part. His study habits are reportedly great – a true student of the game.

Pros:

Good, not great, speed.
For the position group, he has good power.
Strong tackler, especially in space. Works downhill well and shows good tackling form and wrap-up. He doesn’t shy away from bigger targets, either. Delivers a good hit.
He works well through traffic in and outside of the box to get a good tackle angle. Very solid pursuit defender.
Reads and reacts quickly. Reads and diagnoses quickly. Moves into position efficiently.
Very strong space defender.

Cons:

Lacks upper body strength to be a more effective tackler, won’t stop runners cold in their tracks.
Can be early to the ball and draw pass interference penalties. Late to react at times, and doesn’t see the play as well as he could.
Instincts are up and down. Flashes high-level IQ plays and other times is badly out of place.

3. Jordan Battle, Alabama

HT: 6002
WT: 206
Year: Super Junior
High School: St Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Rating: 4-star (0.9780)
While Jordan Battle better projects as a strong safety in the NFL, he spent most of his time at free safety in 2022. He’s capable of playing both positions, making him an intriguing prospect at the next level. His instincts have flashed very well, but he’s far from being a finished product. I think that there’s a lot of upside left in his game.

Pros:

Ridiculous speed. Great for the backend.
Very solid lateral quickness.
Solid, smooth hips. Can change direction very quickly.
Strong zone coverage instincts. Has the ability to be effective in deep coverage and underneath. Very physical at the catch point. Very effective deep coverage player.
Good, physical man coverage ability. Has to shore up his technique when engaging a receiver from a disguised deep coverage.

Cons:

He lacks the upper body strength to control his tackles.
Has tackling ability, but I’d like to see him play through the ball carrier more stronger. Good strong hands to corral the runner. Powerful at the point of contact. Has become a vicious tackler over the 2022 offseason.
Still learning to take proper pursuit angles and not miss tackles as often. Tends to under-pursue still. Very solid range, and made some tackles that saved big plays in 2021.
He is still learning how to play with instincts and stay true to his assignment.

4. Jason Taylor II, Oklahoma State

HT: 5112
WT: 215
Year: Super Redshirt Junior
High School: Carl Albert (Oklahoma City, OK)
Rating: 3-star (0.8606)
Jason Taylor II (no relation to the all-pro defensive end) is a rangy strong safety who can play both strong and free. He made my all-underrated team this year, receiving no real attention this offseason from anyone else in the media.

Pros:

Good back end speed.
Changes direction very well.
Good wrap-up tackler technique.
Typically takes good pursuit angles.
Has solid ball skills in zone coverage.
Flashes impressive instincts.
Usually found in the right position to make a play.
Good quick play recognition.

Cons:

Lacks upper body strength to control tackles.
Doesn’t control the tackle as well as I’d like, lacks upper body strength to do that. Will slide right off of the ball carrier from time to time.
Struggles to work effectively through traffic.
Not reactive enough to be solid in man coverage.
Has the tools to be very effective as a defender in space, isn’t consistent now.
Lacks intensity at times.

5. Jalen Catalon, Arkansas

HT: 5095
WT: 199
Year: Super Redshirt Sophomore
High School: Mansfield Legacy (Mansfield, TX)
Rating: 4-star (0.9001)
Jalen Catalon is a bit undersized for the position, but he’s put some incredible tape on the market for teams to see. The last two seasons for Catalon have ended in injury; in 2021 ending in week six, and this year ending in the opening game. There is a very good chance that Catalon decides to stay in Arkansas as a result for the 2023 season, but based on what we’ve seen on tape already, he’s among the best elligible. The only reason he isn’t higher on this list is because of the uncertainty after injuries.

Pros:

Excellent athlete. Will need to ensure he is still okay once he’s recovered from his surgery.
Changes direction well. Flashes excellent ability, uses that as a way to distract and misdirect quarterbacks pre-snap with where he will be.
Pursuit is normally good in space.
Good deep coverage. Was typically not tested on his side of the field.
Solid man coverage ability – contests the catch point with intensity.
Very instinctual. Has a good feel for the game overall.
Very quick to react to plays, reading and diagnosing very quickly. Oftentimes knew the play before the snap. When he didn’t, still reacted well but made a lot of his big plays off of his film study.

Cons:

Doesn’t show great tackling form, would rather initiate contact. Vicious contact regardless. Does not wrap up, aims to take down the ball carrier with a dive at his legs or a good hit out of bounds.
In traffic, Catalon does not find the proper pursuit angles and does not work through congestion well.
Struggles in space to be consistent due to a lack of wrap up.
Has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. Has played 7 games over the last two seasons, both ending in injury.

6. Sydney Brown, Illinois

HT: 5106
WT: 205
Year: Super Senior
High School: St. Stephens (Bradenton, FL)
Rating: 3-star (0.8294)
Sydney Brown is the brother of Illinois running back Chase Brown and heralds from a very athletic family. His role in the Illinois defense has certainly evolved over his five years as a starter. In 2022, Brown spent most of the season in the box, playing almost more of a linebacker role. Brown has a ton of attractive tools for NFL teams to be attracted to.

Pros:

Good speed. Should test well in this area.
Good lateral quickness.
Very explosive defender.
Works down into the box well. Strong wrap up when he tries.
Played both deep and underneath zone coverage effectively. Stays true to his assignment very well, not typically found cheating up.
Really does well to be physical and contest the catch point, even when he’s in less-than-advantageous situations (size mismatches, bad positioning, etc). Might be too physical, still creating contact well beyond the five yard limit downfield.
Good space defender when he can get on the ball carrier. Needs to shore up his pursuit technique.
Does a good job staying in his position.

Cons:

Doesn’t have a great upper body.
Doesn’t always try to wrap up. Struggles to secure tackles routinely, gave up some huge plays throughout 2021.
Typically pursuit angles are good. Can over-pursue at times and miss tackles.
Not a great blitzer. Doesn’t time the snap nor the gap well.

7. DeMarcco Hellams, Alabama

HT: 6010
WT: 208
Year: Super Junior
High School: DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD)
Rating: 4-star (0.9603)
DeMarcco Hellams has been a mostly reliable safety in the Alabama defense over the last couple of years. He became a starter at the end of the 2020 covid season, starting the last two games (playoff wins over Notre Dame and Ohio State) after earning himself a more significant role as the season progressed. His draft stock took a hit against Tennessee in the 2022 season when several inconsistencies in his game resulted in the Volunteers’ high-flying offense exposing his weaknesses.

Pros:

Very solid and agile athlete. Moves very well and with fluidity.
Changes direction with little restraint and ease.
Decent tackler. Wraps up decently well and uses his body weight to bring people down. Would like to see more overall control of the tackle.
Played all across the formation and offers good versatility.

Cons:

Might be a step slow for the next level.
Lacks upper body strength to control tackles against bigger bodies.
Pursuit angles outside of the box are not great.
He is susceptible in deep coverage and tends to not play with enough depth. Plays in underneath coverage very well.
Struggles to turn and locate the ball in coverage. An absolute liability in man coverage. Cannot contain players to save his life.
Struggles to corral receivers in space.
Struggles to react on time to prevent big plays.