Safety Rankings 2023 NFL Draft

SAFETY PROSPECT RANKING 2023 NFL DRAFT

Our two top-ranked safeties in the 2023 draft class are both Alabama players in the form of Jordan Battle and Brian Branch. Battle is a traditional safety with excellent measurables (6-1 and 206lbs) combined with good speed (4.46 in the forty) and with very good career production. He however surprised us by not declaring as a junior for the 2022 draft where he would have likely been selected higher than this year due to a drop in performance as a senior.

Branch would likely have been regarded a bit of a tweener a few years ago but now with the nickel back (safety/corner) developing into a full-time pro role, he will be in much demand. He's put up amazing production as a slot corner over the past couple of years and in addition, to being great in coverage he's an elite run defender who rarely misses a tackle.

Antonio Johnson from Texas rounds out the best of the class. He's more of a strong safety box player, who hits hard and always wraps up, he, however, needs some work in coverage, especially in deep zone.

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LAST UPDATED: 03/25/2023

Player Rankings - Safety

# Player Pos Team Weight Height 40YD AVG POS RANK AVG OVR RANK Rating Summary
1

Brian
Branch

S
Alabama   Mascot
Alabama Mascot
190lbs 6-0 4.58 3 17.1
88.8
Brian Branch is a quality pro prospect who can play all over the defensive backfield. He possesses good quickness combined with di...
2

Antonio
Johnson

S
Texas A&M   Mascot
Texas A&M Mascot
198lbs 6-2 4.52 7 34.3
87.1
Antonio Johnson is a quality pro prospect who has excellent overall athletic ability, good speed, and tackles like a linebacker. ...
3

Jordan
Battle

S
Alabama   Mascot
Alabama Mascot
209lbs 6-1 4.55 12 63.3
85.9
Battle has great natural ability with ideal size for a strong safety, is a natural leader, and has proved super smart while leadin...
4

Sydney
Brown

S
Illinois   Mascot
Illinois Mascot
211lbs 5-10 4.47 25 92.7
85.6
Understands zone concepts and is aware of his surroundings. Reliable tackler who reacts quickly when Brown sees it. Can get up un...
5

Julius
Brents

S
Kansas State   Mascot
Kansas State Mascot
198lbs 6-3 4.53 17 72.5
85.0
Brents has the straight-line speed to recover. His ball skills are tremendous, with good hands and the potential to take it to the...
6

Jammie
Robinson

S
Florida State   Mascot
Florida State Mascot
191lbs 5-11 4.59 23 85.2
85.0
Jammie Robinson a super experienced and productive college safety, who has consistently been productive at multiple positions in t...
7

Christopher
Smith

S
Georgia   Mascot
Georgia Mascot
192lbs 5-11 4.62 21 81.9
85.0
Has good football awareness to read and react quickly and stay balanced and patient in space. His ball skills are very good. Smit...
8

JL
Skinner

S
Boise State   Mascot
Boise State Mascot
209lbs 6-4 4.55 20 74.6
84.9
Does a good job getting his head around in time when playing with his back to the line of scrimmage. Has the ability to cover quic...
9

Brandon
Joseph

S
Notre Dame   Mascot
Notre Dame Mascot
202lbs 6-0 4.62 33 129.3
84.6
Brandon Joseph is a solid prospect who does everything pretty well but nothing at an elite level and is a kind of low-ceiling high...
10

Ronnie
Hickman

S
Ohio State   Mascot
Ohio State Mascot
203lbs 6-0 4.45 36 146
83.5
Has the fluid athleticism and speed to cover tight ends and maybe even some big slot receivers. Hickman has the ball skills to cre...
11

Ji'Ayir
Brown

S
Penn State   Mascot
Penn State Mascot
203lbs 5-11 4.65 28 104.1
81.7
Brown's combine perform was seriously disappointing. We expected him to put up a mid-4.4 time but he ran a pedestrian 4.65
12

Jartavius
Martin

S
Illinois   Mascot
Illinois Mascot
194lbs 5-11 4.46 32 128.6
81.3
In the run game, he’s aggressive coming downhill and a sure tackler. Good strength to tackle. Plays with high energy and is a tou...

2023 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Safety

We've compared players post combine 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.

For a much improved viewing experience (with more players) please view on a larger screen.

2023 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Safety

We've compared players 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.