Steelers Now
We are now single-digit days away from the start of the 2025 NFL Draft and with that in mind, it’s time to rank the safety prospects in this class.
The running back and interior defensive line classes have dominated the conversation this cycle but this group deserves a love, too. Even though none of these players earned a true first-round grade in my eyes, six of them are currently in the top-100 on my big board which will be released next week. Day two on draft weekend should be viewed as the sweet spot and regardless of which archetype of defensive back you’re searching for, there’s a player to choose from.
Very quietly, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been doing plenty of homework at this position over the past several months. South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori has been a player that they’ve been closely connected with, whether at the NFL Combine, his pro day and having him in for a pre-draft visit. It will be fascinating to see the lengths that they will go to address this need given the fact that they aren’t flush with draft capital at the moment. That being said, it’s a fun group to get to know!
1) Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
Tone-setter on the back end that plays with insane urgency when rolling down into the box and deconstructs blocks en route to the ball carrier. Winston has excellent burst, patrols the flats with intensity and he’s always under control as a tackler with a 97th-percentile wingspan give him a vast radius. An ACL injury cut short what would have likely been his breakout campaign but some team is going to nab a high-floor linchpin with room to grow.
2) Malaki Starks, Georgia
Versatile safety that was tasked with playing a bevy of different roles in the Georgia defense, which highlighted his smooth movement skills and ability to play both run/pass at a high level. If you want a clear picture of Starks jaw-dropping body control, just pop on his interception reel and while not nearly as splashy, he’s also a reliable tackler. The big flaw in his game is that too many splash plays have popped at his discretion but a simplified workload early on could do wonders for him.
3) Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Certified freak show with springs in his cleat, legitimate sideline-to-sideline speed and length that coaches dream of. It’s easy to imagine Emmanwori being a tight end eraser or potential solution for when opposing offenses rotate bigger bodies into the slot but he can also get smaller ball carriers to the ground in space as well. With that being said, he needs to play with much more urgency to be more of a constant force on a down to down basis.
4) Andrew Mukuba, Texas
Hyper-aware safety who excels in zone coverage because of plus spatial awareness and natural instincts for route combinations developing in real time. Mukuba plays with a ultra-quick trigger and...
