Top 10 Safety Prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft
Last Updated: August 31, 2026 | Source: Consensus rankings from 9 outletsThe 2026 safety class is led by KJ Bolden, Tae Johnson, Brauntae Johnson. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 prospects at the position, with scouting reports, measurables, and projected draft range.
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1. KJ Bolden — Georgia
Consensus Rank: #17 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6'0", 185-195 lbs lbsKJ Bolden has stepped into the role vacated by first-round pick Malaki Starks and looks like the next in Georgia's pipeline of NFL-ready safeties. A consensus five-star recruit out of Buford (GA) and one of the top safeties in the 2024 class, Bolden flipped from Florida State to Georgia on signing day and immediately contributed as a true freshman. Scouts call him a rangy playmaker with elite closing speed and takeaway instincts, and he grades among the best returning safeties in the country entering 2026 after his 13 coverage stops tied for fifth nationally at the position.
Strengths: Elite range and closing speed from deep middle, gets hash-to-sideline without wasted motion ... Disciplined zone eyes, reads QB shoulders and triggers before ball is out ... Three-level versatility, has aligned at free safety, in the box, and in the slot at Georgia without dropping off Concerns: Frame still lean through lower body ... needs functional weight to handle NFL tight ends in the middle NFL Comparison: Malaki Starks (Georgia lineage, three-level versatility, range from deep middle) Full scouting report for KJ Bolden →---
2. Tae Johnson —
Notre Dame
Consensus Rank: #18 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6'2", 200 lbs, 4.5s 40Tae Johnson is a redshirt sophomore safety at Notre Dame and one of the most popular early names in the 2027 draft class. He arrived from Fort Wayne North Side in Indiana as a consensus four-star recruit and a two-sport star, catching 139 passes for 2,286 yards and 41 touchdowns at receiver while scoring over 1,100 points on the basketball court. A broken fifth metatarsal ended his 2024 freshman season after three games, and he used the recovery to convert from cornerback to safety full-time, learning the position behind All-American Xavier Watts.
Strengths: Outstanding blend of length and range at safety ... Former receiver background produces elite ball skills and takeaways (4 INTs in 2025) ... Wins at the catch point with strong hands and basketball high-point ability Concerns: Inconsistent pursuit angles in the run game that pull him out of position ... Lacks bulk in his upper and lower body with a high-cut frame that needs good weight NFL Comparison: Reggie Nelson (pro comparison) Full scouting report for Tae Johnson →---
3. Brauntae Johnson — Notre Dame
Consensus Rank: #23 overall | Projection: Round 1 Full scouting report for Brauntae Johnson →---
4. Koi Perich — Oregon
Consensus Rank: #51 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6'1", 200 lbsKoi Perich enters his junior year as one of the most coveted defensive backs in the 2027 NFL Draft cycle after transferring from Minnesota to Oregon, where he steps directly into the role vacated by 2026 first-round Duck Dillon Thieneman. The Esko, Minnesota native was a consensus top-200 recruit in the 2024 class, then promptly grabbed five interceptions as a true freshman, earned Freshman All-American honors and posted a grade that trailed only Xavier Watts among FBS safeties. Scouts rank him among the top prospects on early 2027 boards with first-round, top-15 potential, and he was regarded as the top defensive back in the transfer portal.
Strengths: A consensus top-15 prospect for 2027 with first-round potential ... Five interceptions and a grade that ranked seventh nationally among safeties as a true freshman ... Elite ballhawk range in the deep middle with quick recognition and closing speed Concerns: Coverage consistency needs to tighten ... lets QBR rise to 74.7 when targeted NFL Comparison: Brian Branch (Lions), undersized do-it-all safety/nickel hybrid with ballhawking instincts Full scouting report for Koi Perich →---
5. Jackson Bennee —
Utah
Consensus Rank: #58 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6'1", 192 lbsJackson Bennee is a coverage-first safety who turned a redshirt-sophomore breakout at Utah into one of the most intriguing early names in the 2027 class. After logging just six tackles as a backup in 2024, he stepped into a full-time role in 2025 and immediately looked like a ballhawk, piling up four interceptions, five pass breakups and 103 interception-return yards with a pick-six. He grades as one of the top safeties in the early 2027 class, one better tackling campaign away from significant first-round hype.
Strengths: Elite coverage production, allowing just one deep completion across all of 2025 ... Genuine ballhawk with four interceptions and five pass breakups in his breakout season ... True positional versatility, with real snaps in the slot, in the box and as a deep safety Concerns: Tackling is the glaring flaw, with a 23.3% missed-tackle rate in 2025 that is the main thing capping his stock ... Needs to add weight to a roughly 190-to-192-pound frame to hold up against NFL receivers, tight ends and backs (Walter Football) NFL Comparison: Jalen Pitre (reasoning: versatile slot/box safety with loud ball production but real missed-tackle volatility to clean up) Full scouting report for Jackson Bennee →---
6. Ty Benefield — LSU
Consensus Rank: #74 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'2", 205 lbsTy Benefield is a long, downhill safety who spent three seasons carving out a reputation at Boise State before transferring to LSU as the No. 2 safety in the portal. He is a 32-game starter with over 600 snaps of experience split across the slot, the box, and deep safety, and that positional flexibility is the backbone of his value.
Strengths: Positional versatility with 600-plus snaps across slot, box, and deep safety ... downhill run defender who provides consistent run support ... reliable open-field tackler who turns big plays into short gains Concerns: Not a super physical or violent hitter despite the size ... lacks one truly elite standout trait NFL Comparison: AJ Haulcy (SI, framed as Benefield's direct replacement at LSU with a similar versatile skill set and even stronger man coverage) Full scouting report for Ty Benefield →---
7. Bray Hubbard — Alabama
Consensus Rank: #75 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'2", 213 lbsA converted high school quarterback out of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Bray Hubbard projects as an instinctive, downhill safety whose quarterback past shows up in how he reads the field. He grades as a high-level backup with starter upside and third-round value, landing as a top-90 overall prospect and one of the top handful of safeties in the class, with a pro comp to Kitan Oladapo. His coverage tape is strong, with a low QBR allowed when targeted, evidence of the playmaking that produced seven career interceptions and eight pass breakups.
Strengths: Elite ball skills and route recognition, seven career interceptions and eight pass breakups ... outstanding career coverage grades with a low QBR allowed when targeted ... quarterback background drives field vision and pre-snap diagnosis Concerns: Average-at-best NFL athleticism per scouts ... lacks ideal deep speed and backward range to play single-high free safety NFL Comparison: Kitan Oladapo: an instinctive box/zone safety with size over top-end speed Full scouting report for Bray Hubbard →---
8. Jelani McDonald — Texas
Consensus Rank: #75 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'2", 199 lbsJelani McDonald hits like the quarterback he used to be. A two-way quarterback and defensive back at Connally in Waco, he was the District 11-4A Offensive MVP after rushing for 852 yards and passing for 707 as a senior, and he committed to Texas at the All-American Bowl as a four-star. He appeared in 12 games as a freshman in 2023, worked into the secondary in 2024 with four starts, 33 tackles and an interception, then took over as a full-time safety in 2025 and started all 13 games.
Strengths: Best-in-class tackling, charged with only five misses on heavy volume ... run support is excellent, a downhill force near the line ... top-end speed with the range to close on throws Concerns: Smoother in zone than mirroring in man coverage ... interception total is solid rather than elite for the snaps he played NFL Comparison: Kamren Kinchens box-and-slot chess piece Full scouting report for Jelani McDonald →---
9. Zach Lutmer — Iowa
Consensus Rank: #81 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'0", 205 lbsZach Lutmer is a small-town Iowa story who turned into the most versatile piece in the Hawkeyes' secondary. He was the Class 2A Player of the Year at Central Lyon in Rock Rapids, a quarterback who set school records for total yards and points and ran for more than 1,600 yards as a sophomore, and he signed with Iowa as a three-star defensive back. He played two games and redshirted in 2023, then appeared in all 13 as a redshirt freshman in 2024 with 14 tackles and an interception.
Strengths: Genuine three-way nickel who covers, blitzes and fits the run from an inside alignment ... 32 run stops and 5.5 tackles for loss, elite disruption for a defensive back ... three interceptions in his first year starting, including a pick-six, among the Big Ten leaders Concerns: Unreliable finisher who missed 15 tackles in 2025 and lunges in space ... tested by speed when asked to play outside in man rather than from the slot NFL Comparison: Jalen Pitre blitzing, run-fitting nickel who lives in the box Full scouting report for Zach Lutmer →---
10. Corey Myrick —
Clemson
Consensus Rank: #96 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'3", 200 lbsCorey Myrick went from barely playing to a Power Four commitment in a single season. A three-star out of Colerain High in Cincinnati, he began at Marshall and appeared in eight games as a freshman in 2024 with three tackles. The transfer to Southern Miss changed everything.
Strengths: Blankets receivers and allows little after the catch in the deep field ... good timed speed and 75-inch length for the back end ... 91 tackles in 2025 across deep and box alignments, among the best marks in his conference Concerns: Missed 11 tackles, a finishing detail that has to be cleaned up ... production came at the Group of Five level rather than against power competition NFL Comparison: Kerby Joseph rangy deep-field defender with length Full scouting report for Corey Myrick →---