My Favourite Day-3 Safeties

Welcome to the final instalment of my favourite day three players and we’re finishing with safety. I love this safety class; it has some serious depth, not just role players but guys who I believe can become solid NFL starters. I will also include players I have listed as slot defenders. As always, a player needs an average consensus rank of 110+ to be considered a day three guy.

My Top 10:

1. Caleb Downs - Ohio State

2. Dillon Thieneman – Oregon

3. AJ Haulcy – LSU

4. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

5. Keionte Scott – Miami

6. Treydon Stukes – Arizona

7. Genesis Smith – Arizona

8. Kamari Ramsey – USC

9. Bud Clark – TCU

10. Jalon Kilgore – South Carolina

Jadon Canady – Oregon – Average Consensus Rank: 159

Straight off the bat with one of my Ducks. Canady was a three-star high school recruit where he also ran track, he committed to Tulane where he started as a freshman. He spent two years there before transferring to Ole Miss, where he was for his next two years, redshirting one due to injury. The Rebels even tried him at outside cornerback at one point and the 5’10 ½“, 181 lbs Canady struggled out there. He transferred to the Ducks this year, and, at the time, I was underwhelmed, he proceeded to show me just how little I know. He played in all 15 games in 2025, starting 13, making 39 total tackles, 1 TFL, 6 PBU’s and 2 interceptions. Canady was also a stand-out at the Shrine Bowl.

Canady is best suited as a slot defender although he does have some free safety versatility. His agility means he can change direction on a dime which allows him to cover the shiftier slot receivers in man coverage, he can get boxed out by bigger receivers and tight ends. I love his instincts in zone, you can tell he’s experienced and has been well coached, he just has a feeling of where to be at any given time. Most players of his size struggle against the run, and while it is not going to be Canady’s calling card in the NFL, he certainly doesn’t shirk his responsibilities. He flies to the line of scrimmage to set an edge, he is happy to take on pulling tight ends and offensive linemen, it doesn’t always end well for him, but man does he throw himself into the run game.

Canady’s consensus rank currently puts him in the fifth round, although I have seen some analysts have him in the third. I’ll split the difference; I have a mid-fourth round grade on the redshirt senior. I see no reason why Canady wouldn’t have a long and productive career in the slot.

Jalen Huskey – Maryland – Average Consensus Rank: 204

Huskey was the most impressive play from the Shrine Bowl Practices in my opinion, I noted his number on numerous occasions, his ability to stay in phase with tight ends, running backs and wide receivers in the one-on-ones, which favour the offensive player, was really impressive. The senior was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, he enrolled at Bowling Green where he played his first two seasons before transferring to Maryland. He didn’t play much as a freshman at Bowling Green but since then he has been really productive; 176 total tackles, 5 TFL’s, 10 PBU’s and 11 interceptions which he returned for 157 yards. In 2025 he was selected as a team captain and went on to be named Maryland’s defensive player of the year, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honours.

At 6’1 ¼” and 196 lbs he is built like a modern safety, and with 10’ ¼“ hands it’s easy to see where the ball production comes from. Huskey is a versatile player who is adept both in the slot and as a deep field safety. He sifts through traffic well when making a play in the run game, if he does get blocked, he fights for all he’s worth, until the whistle blows, to get off that block. He can cover, tight ends, receivers or running backs in man coverage; I watched him blanket Omar Cooper Jr on numerous reps against Indiana, now, Cooper Jr did end up getting 86 yards and a touchdown in that game, but none were on Huskey. When playing in a deep zone, he seems to have a good understanding of route concepts and what his assignment is. So why isn’t he higher on boards? Well, he possibly lacks top-end speed, there are times when he has to take conservative pursuit angles to get to the ball carrier. Then there’s the tackling, it’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a bit inconsistent, I’d like him to be stronger at the tackle, there were multiple occasions where he fell off a ball carrier, or got dragged for extra yards, maybe 5-10 more lbs on his frame will help with this.

Huskey wears no.22 to honour his late sister, who sadly passed away on 22/02/2022. I LOVE this guy, he is currently my no.113 overall player with a mid-late fourth round grade, significantly higher than consensus which currently has him as a sixth-round pick. I would be ecstatic if he ended up in Honolulu Blue.

Louis Moore – Indiana - Average Consensus Rank: 218.5

A six-year player, Moore started at Navarro Community College where he played both safety and wide receiver, after two years he transferred up to Indiana, played there for two years, went to Miami for a year before returning to Bloomington for his last year. In 2025, Moore was a stand-out for the Hoosier defence, helping them become National Champions. He made 88 total tackles, 2.5 TFL’s, 4 PBU’s and 6 Interceptions, he was named Second-Team All-American.

In my opinion, Moore is best suited to the ‘robber’ type role over the middle of the field, his football intelligence is off the chart, he reads and diagnoses route concepts so quickly allowing him to identify where he needs to be. He needs to be a quick processor, because athletically, he is average at best. Moore is decent against the run, he certainly likes sticking his nose into the pile, but he can get stuck on tight-end and wide receiver blocks. He can also take some poor angles when pursuing, this may be down to his athleticism because I can’t imagine it’s down to his reading of the game. Once he does get to the ball carrier, he is a great form tackler, very pleasing for a former rugby player like me.

Moore is graded as a mid-late fourth-rounder for me, I think coaches will love his intelligence and he will quickly become a coach on the field for a defensive coordinator. Moore will be a 25-year-old rookie having played the extra years in college, but that does not bother me at this point in the draft.  

VJ Payne – Kansas State – Average Consensus Rank:129.5

The best ability is availability, and Payne has certainly been available, starting 41 consecutive games to end his four-year Kansas State career. Overall he appeared in 52 games, totalling 207 tackles, 10.5 TFL’s , 10 PBU’s and 4 interceptions. Payne, who has only recently turned 22, was a linebacker coming out of high school.

At 6’3 ¼”, 206 lbs, with nearly 34’’ arms and 80 ¾” wingspan, Payne has rare size for the position, but he’s not just a bruiser, he moves really well too. At the combine, he ran a 4.40s forty and jumped 10’7” in the broad jump. Clearly, Payne is a good linear athlete but he maybe lacks the agility and change of direction to hang with the shiftier receivers that he may be asked to cover. His hips are slightly tight when flipping but he soon shows off that 4.4 speed to recover and get in phase, especially on vertical routes, he often shuts down tight ends in man coverage. In zone, it’s a slightly different story, he can be a second late to diagnose the route concept, as I’ve mentioned he has the speed to recover, but improving his game awareness will increase his ball production. In the run game, Payne uses his length well, he is very hard for a tight end to block and is even challenging for offensive linemen, but again, he can be a touch slow to recognise where the run is going.

Payne is a very intriguing prospect who will have a lot of defensive coordinators licking their lips at the thought of having him in their backfield. I have a late fourth-round grade on Payne who has the athletic ability to be a star in the league.

Bishop Fitzgerald – USC – Average Consensus Rank: 210

A former JUCO star at Coffeyville Community College, Fitzgerald transferred to NC State in 2023 where he stayed for two years before moving across the country to the Trojans. He has been productive since making the move up from JUCO, over the last three years he has 148 tackles, 10 TFL’s, a sack, 14 PBU’s and 10 interceptions which were returned for 133 yards and a touchdown. In 2025 he was a First-Team All-American.  

Fitzgerald is an average athlete, he ran a 4.55s forty at the combine, which is just below average, and jumped 33” on the vertical which 14^th percentile. Despite this, I like a lot of what he offers. In the passing game, I really like his back pedal, it's smooth and efficient which allows him to transition out of it in a heartbeat, he triggers quickly on any route in front of him. It’s his football IQ that lets him do this, he reads the quarterback like a veteran and is extremely decisive. This decisiveness borders on guessing at times and there are occasions where he’s wrong and gets caught out. I’m not a fan of his tackling technique, it’s a bit all over the place, sometimes, he’s high, sometimes, he’s diving at ankles, and sometimes, he doesn’t use his arms, all very coachable though. Run defence isn’t his strong suit, but it’s not a liability either, he’s not adept at taking on blocks, but he does read and diagnose the run well.

He has a name that suggests he is part of the British aristocracy, if he had played for Duke, the puns would’ve written themselves. Fitzgerald’s best fit is in a cover-2 or cover-4 heavy scheme where he is only responsible for a fraction of the field. His lack of range precludes him from being a single-high safety in my opinion. I graded Fitzgerald as a late fourth-round talent.

Michael Taaffe – Texas – Average Consensus Rank: 182

Taaffe, a redshirt senior, is a fifth-generation Longhorn and grew up supporting the university. He was a zero-star cornerback coming out of high school, he committed to Rice, before getting the opportunity to walk on for his beloved Longhorns. He redshirted his freshman year, in the four years since he’s amassed 222 total tackles, 9.5 TFL’s, 3 sacks and 7 interceptions. Taaffe measured just under 6’ 190 lbs with sub-30" arms at the combine where he ran a decent 4.50s forty.

Taafe was a leader of the Texas defence over the last couple of years, he clearly knew the scheme inside-out and could often be seen communicating with his teammates before the snap. He diagnoses and fits the run well; he is feisty when taking on blocks despite his slightly lighter, shorter frame. Taffe is a good tackler, especially in-and-around the line of scrimmage. In the pass game, he shows good instincts in zone coverage, he knows where he needs to be and he reads the quarterback's eyes to get into a position to make a play on the ball. In man coverage he does get grabby at the top of routes, probably because he lacks the athleticism to flip his hips and stay in phase with a receiver, this lack of athleticism limits his range as a deep safety.

Taaffe will be a coach's best friend; he will do whatever is asked of him, but his lack of elite athleticism probably restricts his ceiling to that of a backup safety and core special teamer. I have a late fourth-round grade on Taaffe.

Cole Wisniewski – Texas Tech – Average Consensus Rank:231.5

A multi-sport athlete in high school, he was a member of the basketball and track programs as well as football where he played quarterback and safety. He has played six seasons of college football, so he has bags of experience. He committed to play at the FCS level for North Dakota State, he played there for five years before transferring to the Red Raiders. In his single year at the FBS level, he recorded 78 total tackles, 6 TFL’s, a sack, 6 PBU’s and 2 forced fumbles.

Wisniewski is built like a linebacker, nearly 6’3 ½” and 214 lbs, but even at this size he shows some really good hip fluidity and movement skills in coverage. You can tell he played a lot of football, after 61 games, he’s seen it all, nothing catches him out, he diagnoses well, and with his size and length, he gets himself into positions to make plays on the ball. As you might expect, he’s great against the run, he’s easily physical enough to take on tight ends who are trying to block him, and his physicality and tenaciousness make it difficult for offensive linemen at times. Because of this he is able to set an edge, shoot a gap or hold the point of attack versus the run.

Wisniewski is going to be a Swiss army knife for the team that drafts him, he will be able to fill numerous roles on a defence which will allow the defensive coordinator to play around with personnel packages and disguise coverage schemes. I graded Wisniewski as an early fifth-round talent, I expect him to play early in his rookie year due to his versatility.

Ahmaad Moses – SMU – Average Consensus Rank: 307

A former three-star high school recruit, Moses has been an ever-present for SMU since he enrolled at the university in 2022. He has appeared in 54 games for the Mustangs during his four-year college career. It was in his junior season that his playing time, and therefore production, increased. Over the last two years, he has made 177 total tackles, 11.5 TFL’s, a sack, 9 PBU’s and 8 interceptions which he returned for a total of 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Five of these interceptions came in 2025, which was 7^th in the FBS and helped Moses earn First-Team All-ACC honours.

With all this production, you’d think that he’d be higher on draft boards, right? Well, I agree, I think he should be slightly higher than no.307, I have him no.237 overall but he does have some obvious flaws in his game. To start, he’s only just over 5’9” and although he weighed in at the combine at 196 lbs, I think he played lighter than that, the only testing he competed in was the vertical jump in which he reached a very good 38”. His lack of size is most often noticed at the catch point, receivers can go up and over him to make the catch far too easily, in fact there are many occasions that Moses doesn’t even try to make a play on the ball, he’d rather just jump into the receiver to try to disrupt the catch. Other than that, I really like Moses' play in the pass game, he reads the quarterback well and has a sudden change of direction to trigger on anything in the short game. This trigger translates to the run game too; Moses is lightning quick to drop down from his safety position to fill run lanes, and he nearly always diagnoses the correct run fit as well, which is important for him because if any offensive player can get their hands on him, then Moses is out of the play.

I graded Moses as a mid-fifth round player, he has tremendous upside if used appropriately. Despite his consensus ranking, I firmly believe he will get drafted, teams tend to love defensive backs with ball production as good as Moses’.

Devan Boykin – Indiana – Average Consensus Rank: 341

Our second Hoosier and another highly experienced player, appearing in 60 games over his six-year career. The former three-star recruit spent 5 years at NC State before transferring to Indiana after missing all of 2024 through injury. During the Hoosiers’ Natty-winning campaign, he produced 59 total tackles, 6 TFLs, a sack, 5 PBU’s and 2 interceptions, he also returned a fumble for a touchdown. Boykin is a slightly older prospect; he will play his rookie season as a 24-year-old.

Boykin is best as a slot defender in my opinion; he is strong in both phases of the game. He is 5’10” 195 lbs and is strongly built which helps him in run defence, he is more than happy to stick his nose in to set an edge, take on a blocker or tackle the ball carrier. In the pass game shows some really nice movement skills which allow him to mirror opposing players and stay in phase in man coverage. When playing zone, Boykin seems to have a good understanding of route concepts and is able to diagnose quickly, unsurprising for a player who shone on the exceptionally well-drilled Hoosier defence. Boykin reportedly ran a 4.38s forty at Indiana’s pro-day, I didn’t see this sort of speed on film, but maybe, because he was nearly always in the right spot, he didn’t need to show it. Other than his age, which shouldn’t matter at this point in the draft, I can only find one real weakness in his game; at times he plays a little bit out of control, which can lead to the odd missed tackle or him overrunning a play, but that’s fixable with some good coaching.

I don’t really know why people are so low on Boykin, maybe I’m the one missing something, I have him graded as a late fifth-round prospect, but judging by other rankings, he could be available as a UDFA. I think Boykin is a great fit for the Lions on day three, he certainly plays with grit and most importantly, is assignment-sound which this coaching staff values highly.

Robert Spears-Jennings – Oklahoma – Average Consensus Rank: 224.5

A former four-star recruit, he was ranked as the no.10 safety in the nation, and no.10 overall player in the state of Oklahoma coming out of high school. Over his four years as a Sooner, he managed 178 total tackles, 8 TFL’s, 2.5 sacks, 4 PBU’s, 2 picks and 5 forced fumbles. Spears-Jennings has prototypical size for a modern NFL safety; he is just under 6’2” and 205 lbs with 32 ½” arms and 10 ¼” hands.  

Let's start with the good for Spears-Jennings; he is a tremendous athlete; he was no.82 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, last summer he squatted 510 lbs, benched 330 and hit 21.6mph on the GPS, he can go from a standing start to 12.8mph in one second. This speed and explosiveness were on show at the combine, he ran a 4.32s forty, which was 2^nd amongst his position. Spears-Jennings is great at flying down and fitting the run, his tackles have great stopping power, if he hits you, you stay hit. This is also the case in the pass game; receivers are wary of making contested catches over the middle of the field because they know that no.3 will be homing in on them like a missile. So now, the not-so-good; he really struggles in man coverage, he lacks the instincts and lateral agility to stay in phase consistently. In zone coverage, he doesn’t get great depth on his drops which can allow the receiver to get in behind him. Additionally, he is tight-hipped, so it takes that much longer for him to turn and run. In the tun game game he does occasionally take some poor pursuit angles and can over-pursue at times resulting in missed assignments.

Spear-Jennings needs some coaching, but he has the size and athleticism that NFL teams covet at the position. In his rookie year, I expect him to play almost exclusively on special teams, he could be a great asset on kick-off and punt coverage. I have a late fifth-round grade on Spears-Jenning, who, if paired with the right coaches, could become a star in the league.

There are plenty of others I could have talked about in this deep safety class. But that wraps up my favourite day-3 players series. The draft is right around the corner so it’s time for my final mock drafts, I will do a 7-round Lions mock that will drop this week, then a complete 1^st round mock that will come out the week after. As always, I’m happy to answer any questions, or highlight any other players, just leave a comment below.