Patriots Draft Preview 2025: Safeties

It's the final full week before the 2025 NFL Draft, and with that our positional preview series is starting to wrap up. Our penultimate post takes a look at this year's safety class.

Safety is an underrated need for the Patriots in 2025. While Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers are both set to return in 2025, both are box safeties. Since Devin McCourty's retirement after the 2022 season, the team has lacked a true deep safety. Dugger and Peppers have played back there at times, but both are at their best playing near the line of scrimmage. The team has also rotated cornerbacks in that spot.

The Patriots added one potential deep safety in free agency last month in Marcus Epps. Still, Epps is 29 years old, coming off of a torn ACL, and signed to just a one-year contract. Adding a more long-term option at the position would make sense.

Plus, safeties tend to be some of the best special teams players. With so much turnover on the roster, the Patriots may be looking to add more players who can be a factor in the kicking game. This class has multiple such players on Day 3.

This is a relatively thin safety class, with just six players projected to go in the top 100. There isn't much depth either, so teams could get aggressive at the position.

Which players in this class stand out the most as future Patriots? Let's take a look, and get familiar with some of the other top safeties in this class.

Two safeties in this class have a chance to go in the first round - Malaki Starks from Georgia and Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina. Both project to be mid-to-late first round picks, who could fall into the early second round.

Starks was a five-star prospect coming out of high school and immediately played a starting role for the Bulldogs. Over the last three years he was named an All-American twice, in 2023 and 2024. Most of his snaps were spent at deep safety but he also played over 500 career snaps in the box and as a slot corner.

If the Patriots truly want to get aggressive in adding a deep safety to their defense, Starks is the best such player in the draft. If he falls into the 20s they could have a chance to move up and get him, but they may have bigger priorities on draft night.

Emmanwori was one of the biggest standouts at the Combine, with his workout drawing comparisons to players like D.K. Metcalf. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds Emmanwori ran a 4.38 second 40 with a 43-inch vertical and an 11-foot-6 broad jump, while putting up 20 reps on the bench.

While Emmanwori brings a tremendous physical skillset to the NFL his technique and instincts are still improving . Right now his burst and physicality are his best traits, which projects him to play as a box safety at the next level.

It may make more sense for the Patriots to grab a potential starting free safety on Day 2. If that's the plan, they'll have multiple options.

In the second round, Xavier Watts from Notre Dame is a logical fit. A converted receiver, he's started at safety the last two years and was a team captain and a first-team All-American both seasons.

Watts does a great job reading the quarterback, and tracking and making plays on the ball - important skills for a 'center fielder' defender. He's also a capable run defender. That resulted in him pulling down 13 interceptions over 27 games the last two years. His athleticism will be tested more at the next level, but his instincts and urgency should help bridge the cap, especially if he's playing mostly on obvious passing downs.

Two more deep safeties are expected to go in the third round - Andrew Mukuba from Texas and Billy Bowman Jr. from Oklahoma. Of the two, Mukuba appears to have more upside. He broke out at a true freshman at Clemson in 2021, and started there for three years before transfering to Texas last year.

Like Watts, Mukuma has a great nose for the football when playing on the back end. His instincts allow him to cover more range than his athleticism suggests, and he also has some experience playing in the slot.

Mukuba's size (5-foot-11, 186 pounds) will probably restrict him to just a free safety role, because he's not going to be as much of a factor defending the run. Still, for a Patriots team that needs help on the back end, he's a fit.

Bowman is also undersized at 5-foot-10, 192 pounds. However he plays with a ton of physicality, and doesn't shy away from contact. He also has the athleticism to cover ground on the back end. The biggest question about his game are his tackling skills.

Bowman's quickness and cover skills could also allow him to play some snaps as a slot cornerback in the NFL - a position where the Patriots also need depth. He should also be able to play on special teams.

Kevin Winston Jr. from Penn State is the top box safety projected to go on Day 2. He's a former team captain with NFL athleticism, but is relatively inexperienced, having started just one year in 2023 after missing all but three games last season with an injury.

Malachi Moore from Alabama is the top free safety expected to go on Day 3. He started there for the Tide last year, after being the starting slot cornerback the year before (he was also a team captain both years).

Moore projects to be able to play both spots in the NFL at 5-foot-11, 196 pounds, which would add to his value with the Patriots. He's another highly-instinctive player who can stay with receivers in the route, and has the quickness to make adjustments if needed. He should also be able to play on special teams.

With versatility being important on Day 3, Lathan Ransom from Ohio State is another good player to know. Ransom is bigger at 6-foot, 206 pounds and while most of his experience is playing deep he's also gotten significant time playing in the box and in the slot.

Ransom is at his best in man coverage, and is a good option against tight ends. He also makes plays in the run game, and has a knack for forcing turnovers. On special teams, he played a regular role all four years at Ohio State and blocked a couple of punts.

For box safeties, Jonas Sanker from Virginia is the top player to know early on Day 3. Sanker was a three year starter for the Cavaliers, who plays with good energy and physicality.

Keeping an eye on potential deep safeties, we'll start off the final group with Dante Trader Jr. from Maryland. Not only was Trader a three-year starter for the Terrapins at safety, he was also a former top-10 lacrosse recruit in the country coming out of high school stared for Maryland's lacrosse team in 2023. That should show the kind of athleticism he's working with.

On the football field Trader is instinctive in coverage, both playing on the back end and in the slot. He still needs to develop the technique to match that instinct, but should be able to play as a special teams player early on and would ideally grow into a rotational role on defense.

R.J. Mickens from Clemson is another potential project, who started for three years at Clemson playing deep safety and in the slot. That experience shows in the way he reads the field in coverage and plays the run, but his athleticism is a question (but a 4.49-second 40 at the Combine should help his case). Still, with his football IQ he should at least be able to find a role on special teams.

The majority of the other Day 3 safeties project as box safeties at the next level. That includes Sebastian Castro from Iowa, Hunter Wohler from Wisconsin, Dan Jackson from Georgia, and De'Rickey Wright from Vanderbilt.