2026 NFL Draft - Top Safeties
Most Recent Update: 6/20/2025 7:00 PM EST
Position/Conference Rankings
| Rank | O/A | Chng | Player/School | Ht/Wt | Elig. | BIO |
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Safeties Drafted by Round
| Round | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | Avg |
| RD1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.9 |
| RD2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3.1 |
| RD3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2.9 |
| RD4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3.3 |
| RD5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3.7 |
| RD6 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3.5 |
| RD7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.6 |
| Total | 22 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 20.0 |
Glossary of Terms
Safety Position
Safety Position
Strong Safety (SS)
A safety that often plays closer to the line of scrimmage and is more often responsible for covering backs/tight ends and defending the run, though is often interchangeable with the Free Safety depending on offensive formation/motion.
Free Safety (FS)
A safety that often plays the deeper portion of the field, with more deep zone coverage responsibilities, though is often interchangeable with the strong safety depending on offensive formation/motion.
Monster/Monsterback
When a strong safety drops down into the box as an extra linebacker in a hybrid role.
Moneybacker/Money LB
Popularized by Deone Buchannon and the Arizona Cardinals, similar to a monster backer but often stays on the field with both safeties present, creating a 3-safety alignment.
"Rock-n-Roll"
A term used when safeties are interchangeable and will move up or down between the strong and free positions based on formations/offensive shifts
Cover 0
All defensive backs are either blitzing or in man coverage (no help over the top).
Cover 1
All defensive backs are in man coverage except for the free safety who is responsible for the deep middle of the field.
Cover 2
Each safety is in charge of half of the deep portion of the field, CBs can be in man or zone coverage.
Tampa 2
Similar to cover 2, made famous by Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay, but with a twist; the middle linebacker drops into a deeper zone than usual, creating a hybrid cover 2/cover 3 look.
Cover 3
Zone coverage in which two CBs cover one third of the field (each on the outside) while the FS mans the middle third
Quarters
Sometimes called cover 4, is similar to cover 3 except each CB has an outside quarter and each safety has an inside quarter.
Nickel
A formation in which 5 defensive backs are in the field (one in the slot).
Dime
A formation in which 6 defensive backs are in the field (two in the slot).
