Kyle Hamilton, Brian Branch, McKinney and Top NFL Safety Rankings by Coaches, Execs

Coming off back-to-back All-Pro seasons, Baltimore Ravens star Kyle Hamilton is the gold standard for NFL safeties entering 2025.

In a poll of coaches, scouts and executives around the league conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Hamilton finished ahead of Brian Branch, Xavier McKinney and Jessie Bates III as the No. 1 safety in the NFL heading into this season.

ESPN Top 10 Safeties

1. Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
2. Brian Branch, Detroit Lions
3. Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers
4. Jessie Bates III, Atlanta Falcons
5. Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions
6. Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
7. Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals
9. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins
10. Julian Love, Seattle Seahawks

It speaks to how volatile the safety spot can be that there is a wide gulf between the highest and lowest votes each player on the list received in the survey.

For example, Hamilton was ranked as low as ninth on at least one ballot. McKinney, Derwin James Jr. and Budda Baker were the only other players who appeared on every ballot.

Hamilton didn't have the eye-popping stats last season that he did in 2024, but his combination of production and versatility makes him one of the most difficult defensive players to game plan for.

Per NFL.com, the Ravens allowed the fewest expected points added against the pass and second-fewest passing yards on target of 10-plus air yards over the final eight games of the 2024 regular season after Hamilton began playing a majority of his snaps at deep safety.

Hamilton is also a terrific pass-rusher when the Ravens move him down in the box.

"All-around best player: Size instincts, production, blitz ability," one NFL personnel director told Fowler about Hamilton.

Branch built on the promise he showed as a rookie in 2023 by turning into one of the best coverage safeties in the NFL last season. Fowler noted the 23-year-old ranked second in the league with a 21.1 percent ball-hawking rate.

"The one knock on him coming out [of Alabama] was coverage, but he proved all of that wrong," a scout told Fowler.

According to Fowler, McKinney received the second-most first-place votes behind Hamilton. The Alabama alum cashed in on a four-year, $67 million contract with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in March 2024.

The change in team and defensive scheme did nothing to hinder McKinney's performance. He had nearly as many interceptions in 2024 (eight) as he did in the previous four years combined (nine).

McKinney ranked fourth among all safeties with 11 passes defensed last season. Fowler noted he had the best ball-hawking rate in the NFL (36.7 percent) among players targeted at least 30 times.

One year after finishing No. 1 on this list, Antoine Winfield Jr. tumbled down to seventh largely due to injuries. The 26-year-old only played nine games last season, finishing without an interception and tying his career-low with two sacks.

If there is a player in the top 10 who could be expected to make a leap up these rankings in 2026, Winfield stands out because of his reputation and age. He's not at a point when his skill set should be in decline.