College Football Recruiting 2013: Ranking the Top 10 Safeties

Safeties can sometimes go undervalued and unappreciated, but you need them if your team is going anywhere—especially defensively. An instinctive ball hawking safety that can lurk around a back end is deadly to an offense.

Then, you also need a guy that can help support the run and be an extra defender in the box. This 2013 class has a little bit of both and more.

Here is an early look at the top 10 safeties.

10. Jeremy Cutrer

Cutrer is similar to Eddie Williams, in the sense of both are tall and long framed center fielder types with excellent ball skills.

Cutrer can lurk around, read routes and play well in space with range. He's 6'3", 175-pounds and from Louisiana, to which he's a verbal to LSU already.

9. Trevell Dixon

We stay along the Bayou with Dixon, as he's a 6'1", 195-pounder. Dixon plays a bit of QB for his high school team right now, but he's built to be a safety in college. He's athletic, speedy and a good overall player.

Committed to Nebraska. 

8. Ty Slanina

Salnina can play QB, WR or DB for a team. He stands 6'1", 185-pounds, is from Texas and can flat out fly in between the lines. I say let him develop on the back end and be a tough and speedy safety in college.

Baylor, Houston, Texas Tech and Texas A&M have interest.

7. Hatari Byrd

Byrd is a big time safety prospect out of Central California. He stands 6'2", 200-pounds and is a solid athlete on the back end. Byrd will be in the 215-pound range in college and can factor vs. the run and pass.

He likes Arizona and has an offer from Arizona State. 

6. Cameron Burrows

I'm also listing Burrows on the CB board for now. It's early in our rankings and the 6'2", 200-pound DB can play all four positions for a back end. So he's on both boards until further notice.

Committed to Ohio State. 

5. Tray Matthews

Matthews is a 6'1", 190-pound safety prospect from Georgia. He seems to be a better strong safety in my opinion, as he closes hard vs. the run, tackles well and finds the ball carrier quickly in traffic. 

Committed to Georgia. 

4. Dymonte Thomas

Thomas is a top tier prospect out of the state of Ohio that stands 6'1", 185-pounds. I think he'll be in the 200 range before he gets to college, and he can play FS or SS thanks to his cover ability, speed and size.

Committed to Michigan. 

3. Nick Washington

Washington is a versatile secondary defender that can play both CB or S. He's 5'11", 170-pounds, hails from Florida and is very instinctive. Washington can play in a zone or man scheme and has solid vision and ball skills.

Miami, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State and South Carolina have offered

2. Su'A Cravens

Cravens is a SoCal native that stands 6'1", 200-pounds. He's a thickly built player, with great athleticism, speed, change of direction, range and vision on the back end.

USC, Florida, Michigan, Cal, Stanford, Notre Dame and Oklahoma have offered among others.

1. Antonio Conner

Conner is the top safety prospect on the board right now and could be a five-star recruit. He's from Mississippi and stands 6'1", 205-pounds.

Conner is an excellent athlete, closes down hard on ball carriers, has great speed, instincts, can ball hawk and cover well in space and in man coverage.

Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami, Tennessee, Oregon and LSU are just a few to name.