Safeties blitz from depth and off the slot, and the pass rush grade scores those snaps for pressures, hits and sacks. It is a small sample for most, and a real trait for a few. Tyrann Mathieu (LSU) and Kenny Vaccaro (Texas) were both used as blitzers regularly in college.
Below, draft-eligible safeties are ranked by pass rush grade, with tackling, run defense, coverage grades and overall rating alongside.
| RANK | Player | Pos | Team | TACKLING | RUN DEFENSE | ZONE | MAN/PRESS | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
S |
|
57 | 62 | 65 | 60 |
65.2
|
|
2 |
|
S |
|
78 | 74 | 78 | 78 |
86.2
|
|
3 |
|
S |
|
49 | 65 | 56 | 61 |
79.1
|
|
4 |
|
S |
|
53 | 60 | 52 | 52 |
67.1
|
|
5 |
|
S |
|
78 | 85 | 79 | 87 |
85.8
|
|
6 |
|
S |
|
62 | 57 | 60 | 57 |
72.5
|
|
7 |
|
S |
|
73 | 75 | 61 | 65 |
77.7
|
|
8 |
|
S |
|
73 | 73 | 65 | 60 |
78.9
|
|
9 |
|
S |
|
66 | 60 | 65 | 73 |
73.4
|
|
10 |
|
S |
|
81 | 79 | 56 | 60 |
77.1
|
|
11 |
|
S |
|
41 | 74 | 57 | 57 |
71.3
|
|
12 |
|
S |
|
82 | 74 | 79 | 73 |
81.3
|
|
13 |
|
S |
|
77 | 88 | 78 | 74 |
85.9
|
|
14 |
|
S |
|
70 | 82 | 81 | 83 |
85.7
|
|
15 |
|
S |
|
56 | 68 | 78 | 83 |
81.0
|
|
16 |
|
S |
|
72 | 70 | 74 | 76 |
83.8
|
|
17 |
|
S |
|
61 | 75 | 79 | 75 |
83.5
|
|
18 |
|
S |
|
54 | 71 | 68 | 62 |
81.0
|
|
19 |
|
S |
|
81 | 92 | 80 | 73 |
84.2
|
|
20 |
|
S |
|
88 | 83 | 87 | 83 |
86.9
|