Safety (SAF) Draft History

154 SAFs drafted in the NFL Draft

Since 1980, NFL teams have drafted 2,125 safeties and defensive backs in the NFL Draft, 196 of them in the first round. 19 of those picks are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Kenny Easley (1981), Ronnie Lott (1981), Darrell Green (1983), Rod Woodson (1987), Eric Allen (1988) and Deion Sanders (1989), plus 13 more. By career Approximate Value, the most productive pick was Rod Woodson (DB, Purdue), taken in round 1 of the 1987 draft. The biggest value pick was John Lynch, a round-3 selection in 1993 who made 9 Pro Bowls. Of the picks made through 2025, 208 (10%) made at least one Pro Bowl and 86% appeared in at least one NFL game. The most common school was Ohio St., with 46 picks.

Figures cover the 1980–2026 drafts. Source: nflverse.

All SAF Draft Picks

YearRdPick TeamPlayerPosCollege
2025 1 27 BAL Malaki Starks SAF Georgia
2025 2 35 SEA Nick Emmanwori SAF South Carolina
2025 2 64 PHI Andrew Mukuba SAF Texas, Clemson
2025 3 82 TEN Kevin Winston Jr. SAF Penn State
2025 3 93 NO Jonas Sanker SAF Virginia
2025 3 96 ATL Xavier Watts SAF Notre Dame
2025 4 106 NE Craig Woodson SAF California
2025 4 118 ATL Billy Bowman Jr. SAF Oklahoma
2025 4 122 CAR Lathan Ransom SAF Ohio State
2025 4 130 NYJ Malachi Moore SAF Alabama
2025 5 155 MIA Dante Trader Jr. SAF Maryland
2025 5 160 SF Marques Sigle SAF Kansas State, North Dakota State
2025 6 187 HOU Jaylen Reed SAF Penn State
2025 6 200 JAX Rayuan Lane III SAF Navy
2025 6 214 LAC R.J. Mickens SAF Clemson
2025 7 225 ARI Kitan Crawford SAF Nevada, Texas
2025 7 230 DET Dan Jackson SAF Georgia
2025 7 232 IND Hunter Wohler SAF Wisconsin
2024 2 47 NYG Tyler Nubin SAF Minnesota
2024 2 58 GB Javon Bullard SAF Georgia
2024 2 60 BUF Cole Bishop SAF Utah
2024 3 78 HOU Calen Bullock SAF USC
2024 3 89 TB Tykee Smith SAF Georgia, West Virginia
2024 3 99 LA Kamren Kinchens SAF Miami
2024 4 104 ARI Dadrion Taylor-Demerson SAF Texas Tech
2024 4 111 GB Evan Williams SAF Oregon, Fresno State
2024 4 124 SF Malik Mustapha SAF Wake Forest
2024 4 133 KC Jaden Hicks SAF Washington State
2024 5 161 WAS Dominique Hampton SAF Washington
2024 5 169 GB Kitan Oladapo SAF Oregon State
2024 6 198 MIA Patrick McMorris SAF California, San Diego State
2024 7 224 CIN Daijahn Anthony SAF Mississippi, Liberty
2024 7 250 BAL Sanoussi Kane SAF Purdue
2024 7 257 NYJ Jaylen Key SAF Alabama, UAB
2023 2 45 DET Brian Branch SAF Alabama
2023 2 47 WAS Quan Martin SAF Illinois
2023 3 66 PHI Sydney Brown SAF Illinois
2023 3 87 SF Ji'Ayir Brown SAF Penn State, Lackawanna JC
2023 3 95 CIN Jordan Battle SAF Alabama
2023 4 134 MIN Jay Ward SAF LSU
2023 5 145 CAR Jammie Robinson SAF Florida State
2023 5 146 NO Jordan Howden SAF Minnesota
2023 5 158 IND Daniel Scott SAF California
2023 5 160 JAX Antonio Johnson SAF Texas A&M
2023 6 183 DEN JL Skinner SAF Boise State
2023 6 198 SEA Jerrick Reed II SAF New Mexico, Northwest Mississippi CC
2023 6 208 JAX Erick Hallett SAF Pittsburgh
2023 7 224 ATL DeMarcco Hellams SAF Alabama
2023 7 234 LA Jason Taylor II SAF Oklahoma State
2023 7 248 HOU Brandon Hill SAF Pittsburgh
2023 7 254 NYG Gervarrius Owens SAF Houston, Northeast Oklahoma
2023 7 258 CHI Kendall Williamson SAF Stanford
2022 1 14 BAL Kyle Hamilton SAF Notre Dame
2022 1 32 MIN Lewis Cine SAF Georgia
2022 2 37 HOU Jalen Pitre SAF Baylor
2022 2 48 CHI Jaquan Brisker SAF Penn State, Lackawanna JC
2022 2 62 KC Bryan Cook SAF Cincinnati, Howard
2022 3 79 LAC JT Woods SAF Baylor
2022 3 96 IND Nick Cross SAF Maryland
2022 3 97 DET Kerby Joseph SAF Illinois
2022 4 109 SEA Coby Bryant SAF Cincinnati
2022 4 113 WAS Percy Butler SAF Louisiana-Lafayette
2022 4 114 NYG Dane Belton SAF Iowa
2022 5 152 DEN Delarrin Turner-Yell SAF Oklahoma
2022 5 166 CIN Tycen Anderson SAF Toledo
2022 6 204 TEN Theo Jackson SAF Tennessee
2022 6 211 LA Quentin Lake SAF UCLA
2022 7 228 GB Tariq Carpenter SAF Georgia Tech
2022 7 253 LA Russ Yeast SAF Kansas State
2022 7 254 CHI Elijah Hicks SAF California
2021 2 36 MIA Jevon Holland SAF Oregon
2021 2 40 ATL Richie Grant SAF UCF
2021 2 43 LV Tre'von Moehrig SAF TCU
2021 3 65 JAX Andre Cisco SAF Syracuse
2021 3 101 DET Ifeatu Melifonwu SAF Syracuse
2021 4 125 MIN Camryn Bynum SAF California
2021 4 143 LV Tyree Gillespie SAF Missouri
2021 5 152 DEN Caden Sterns SAF Texas
2021 5 163 WAS Darrick Forrest SAF Cincinnati
2021 5 164 DEN Jamar Johnson SAF Indiana
2021 5 165 IND Shawn Davis SAF Florida
2021 5 169 CLE Richard LeCounte SAF Georgia
2021 5 175 NYJ Jason Pinnock SAF Pittsburgh
2021 5 180 SF Talanoa Hufanga SAF USC
2021 6 188 NE Joshuah Bledsoe SAF Missouri
2021 6 212 BUF Damar Hamlin SAF Pittsburgh
2021 6 215 TEN Brady Breeze SAF Oregon
2021 7 241 LAC Mark Webb SAF Georgia
2021 7 243 ARI James Wiggins SAF Cincinnati
2020 2 36 NYG Xavier McKinney SAF Alabama
2020 2 37 NE Kyle Dugger SAF Lenoir Rhyne
2020 2 44 CLE Grant Delpit SAF LSU
2020 2 45 TB Antoine Winfield Jr. SAF Minnesota
2020 2 64 CAR Jeremy Chinn SAF Southern Illinois
2020 3 68 NYJ Ashtyn Davis SAF California
2020 3 85 IND Julian Blackmon SAF Utah
2020 3 104 LA Terrell Burgess SAF Utah
2020 4 127 PHI K'Von Wallace SAF Clemson
2020 4 134 ATL Jaylinn Hawkins SAF California
2020 5 152 CAR Kenny Robinson SAF West Virginia
2020 6 186 LAC Alohi Gilman SAF Notre Dame
2020 6 198 PIT Antoine Brooks Jr. SAF Maryland
2020 6 199 LA Jordan Fuller SAF Ohio State
2020 6 205 MIN Josh Metellus SAF Michigan
2020 7 216 WAS Kam Curl SAF Arkansas
2020 7 219 BAL Geno Stone SAF Iowa
2020 7 249 MIN Brian Cole SAF Mississippi State, East Mississippi JC
2019 1 21 GB Darnell Savage SAF Maryland
2019 2 61 LA Taylor Rapp SAF Washington
2019 2 63 KC Juan Thornhill SAF Virginia
2019 3 81 DET Will Harris SAF Boston College
2019 3 99 TB Mike Edwards SAF Kentucky
2019 4 105 NO C.J. Gardner-Johnson SAF Florida
2019 4 108 NYG Julian Love SAF Notre Dame
2019 4 116 TEN Amani Hooker SAF Iowa
2019 5 1 ARI Jalen Thompson SAF Washington State
2019 5 139 ARI Deionte Thompson SAF Alabama
2019 6 177 NO Saquan Hampton SAF Rutgers
2019 6 191 MIN Marcus Epps SAF Wyoming
2019 6 213 DAL Donovan Wilson SAF Texas A&M
2019 7 243 LA Nick Scott SAF Penn State
2018 2 53 TB M.J. Stewart SAF North Carolina
2018 2 58 ATL Isaiah Oliver SAF Colorado
2018 6 190 BAL DeShon Elliott SAF Texas
2017 3 95 SEA Lano Hill SAF Michigan
2017 4 113 LAC Rayshawn Jenkins SAF Miami
2016 4 111 DET Miles Killebrew SAF Southern Utah State
2016 4 124 CHI Deon Bush SAF Miami
2014 1 30 SF Jimmie Ward SAF Northern Illinois
2014 6 187 NYG Bennett Jackson SAF Notre Dame
2014 7 256 HOU Lonnie Ballentine SAF Memphis
2007 5 150 JAX Josh Gattis SAF Wake Forest
2006 6 192 SF Marcus Hudson SAF N.C. State
2004 5 158 LA Jason Shivers SAF Arizona State
2000 4 126 GB Gary Berry SAF Ohio State
1999 3 91 NE Tony George SAF Florida
1999 7 216 BAL Anthony Poindexter SAF Virginia
1996 7 221 TB Reggie Rusk SAF Kentucky, City College (SF)
1993 3 77 PHI Mike Reid SAF N.C. State
1993 6 161 LAC Eric Castle SAF Oregon
1991 4 93 TB Tony Covington SAF Virginia
1990 2 52 DEN Alton Montgomery SAF Houston, Northwest Mississippi CC
1990 9 221 DAL Kenneth Gant SAF Albany State (GA)
1988 10 257 NYJ John Booty SAF TCU, Cisco Junior College
1985 6 166 NYJ Rich Miano SAF Hawaii
1984 2 32 ATL Scott Case SAF Oklahoma, Northeast Oklahoma
1982 9 233 MIN Bryan Howard SAF Tennessee State
1981 1 8 SF Ronnie Lott SAF USC
1977 7 177 KC Chris Golub SAF Kansas
1976 5 133 MIN Steve Wagner SAF Wisconsin
1976 6 179 WAS Tommy Marvaso SAF Cincinnati
1976 8 218 GB Jim Burrow SAF Nebraska
1976 9 243 NE Doug Beaudoin SAF Minnesota
1975 5 130 PIT Brent Sexton SAF Elon