2024 NFL Draft Big Board: Generational talents lead final draft big board plus rankings by position
By John Blair
2024 NFL Draft safety rankings
ACC: Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest: While I only have a seventh-round grade on Malik Mustapha, he should be able to make an impact on special teams. One of the reasons for this is the aggressiveness he plays with which consistently sees him make the big hit.
Big 10: Tyler Nubin, Minnesota: Nubin is an all-around safety and the top player on my board at this position. In the passing game, he shows good ball skills having picked off five passes this season. In the run game, he is a physical defender who is unafraid to come down and make the big stop.
Big 12: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech: While Dadrion Taylor-Demerson will likely get drafted I don’t have a draftable grade on him on my board. This is due to a lack of play strength, and that he gets out of position too often for my liking.
Pac 12: Cole Bishop, Utah: Cole Bishop has a good size speed combination coming in at 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds and running the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds. He also has good production on the field having been named second-team All-PAC 12.
SEC: Tykee Smith, Georgia: Another safety who should make an impact on special teams next season yet will be a late draft pick is Georgia’s Tykee Smith. Smith plays with the aggression to excel at covering kicks, and last season he led the Bulldogs in tackles.
Non-Power Five: Jay Stanley, Southern Miss: A player who will most likely go undrafted is Southern Miss’s Jay Stanly, who is rated as Dane Brugler 139th best safety in the class. Despite this low ranking, I could see Stanly making a team due to his instincts that saw him record 61 tackles this year, and his ball skills that have allowed him to get his hands on the ball eight times over the past two seasons.
Overall Rankings
1. Tyler Nubin, Minnesota (second round)
2. Cole Bishop, Utah (second round)
3. Kamren Kinchens, Miami (third round)
4. Javon Bullard, Georgia (fourth round)
5. Calen Bullock, USC (fifth round)
6. Evan Williams, Oregon (fifth round)
7. Tykee Smith, Georgia (fifth round)
8. Jaylin Simpson, Auburn (fifth round)
9. Beau Brade, Maryland (fifth round)
10. Patrick McMorris, California (sixth round)
11. Josh Proctor, Ohio State (sixth round)
12. Jaden Hicks, Washington State (sixth round)
13. Kitan Oladapo, Oregon State (sixth round)
14. Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest (seventh round)
15. Jay Stanley, Southern Miss (seventh round)