2011 NFL Draft: Ranking the Top 10 Safeties
With the 2011 NFL Draft fast approaching, teams and fans are looking for help across the board. With rare exceptions (like Eric Berry last year), safety is a relatively low-profile position in the draft, but one that can pay big dividends for the teams that find the right players.
Read on for a look at the best safeties available in this year’s draft.
10. Shiloh Keo, Idaho
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He doesn’t have much in the way of speed (4.72 in the 40), but Shiloh Keo had a superlative combine that highlighted his hustle and quickness. A tremendously hard worker, Keo needs to get more consistent with his fundamentals.
His experience returning punts will also make him a more attractive pick.
Expect Keo to land somewhere in the fifth or sixth round.
9. Jermale Hines, Ohio State
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A classic one-dimensional strong safety, Hines is an aggressive run-stopper who lacks polish in coverage.
He’ll need work against the pass before he can contribute at the NFL level, but will likely get a chance from a team that values his toughness and hard hitting.
Hines will probably last well into Round 5.
8. Ahmad Black, Florida
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Ahmad Black has a lot to prove as a safety, because his 5’9”, 184-lb build doesn’t look the part.
He’s a terrific tackler (107 tackles last year), but his limitations in covering bigger receivers, along with disappointing 4.74 speed at the combine, will hurt his draft position.
Black will probably wind up lasting until Round 5.
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7. Jaiquawn Jarrett, Temple
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Jaiquawn Jarrett is a very instinctive safety, but he lacks the timing and hands to match. His 6’0”, 198-lb build won’t do him any favors in run support, though he does play tough.
Jarrett will probably be available into the fourth round.
6. Tyler Sash, Iowa
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Tyler Sash’s primary value is as a traditional strong safety, a hard hitter who will make big plays in run support. He does have some ball skills (six interceptions in 2009), but his 4.63 speed and lack of agility limits his value in coverage.
If some team decides he’s a good fit for their system, he could make it into the third round.
5. DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson
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DeAndre McDaniel may not be the best at any one area, but he brings all the tools a strong safety ought to have. He’s more effective in zone coverage than in man, so he may be limited in which teams want him.
Unfortunately for McDaniel, the bigger questions for his draft stock come from a 2008 arrest for assault and battery. With similarly talented players available who aren’t facing such red flags, McDaniel is likely to slip to the third round.
4. Deunta Williams, North Carolina
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A fine cover man with a nose for the ball (six INTs and eight passes defensed last year), Deunta Williams will likely be a playmaker at the next level. His lack of physicality may turn some teams away, but the bigger concern is his recovery from a broken leg suffered in the Music City Bowl.
Assuming that teams are convinced the injury is healing well, expect Williams to be off the board early in Round 3.
3. Robert Sands, West Virginia
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A three-year starter at West Virginia, Robert Sands is one of the faster safeties on the board at 4.53. He reads plays well and plays tough in run support, but lacks the agility of a prototypical safety.
Sands has a shot to go as high as the second round in April, but more likely will fall to the third.
2. Quinton Carter, Oklahoma
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A big hitter with solid ball skills, Quinton Carter had four interceptions in his All-American senior year.
He isn’t a man-to-man specialist, so he might wind up as a strong safety in the pros. If he does, he’ll need to add weight to his 6’0”, 208 lb frame.
Carter is a good bet to go in the second round.
1. Rahim Moore, UCLA
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The only safety in the draft with a shot to go in the first round, Rahim Moore is a classic center fielder.
As a sophomore in 2009, he grabbed a ridiculous 10 interceptions. While his production dipped last year, that nose for the ball will ensure he’s the top safety drafted.
He’s not a liability in run support, but isn’t going to be a major factor as a hitter.
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