Midseason NFL Draft outlook: Safeties

The college football season continues to churn on, so there’s no better time to take an early look at the top five players position-by-position who are eligible for the NFL Draft as well as two other players to watch.

Today, we move on to the safeties spot.

NFL Draft outlook: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receiver | Tight End | Offensive line | Defensive end | Defensive tackle | Linebackers | Cornerbacks

Recruiting: In May before his senior season, Peppers committed to Michigan over Penn State and others. At one point, Stanford was the front-runner, but the Wolverines were his childhood favorite.

Stats: Peppers is second on the team with 38 tackles (10 for loss) with 2.5 sacks. The former five-star also has six quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. He also has 249 punt return yards and a touchdown and he’s rushed for two scores.

Farrell’s take: Peppers' move to a hybrid linebacker/safety role this upcoming season came as a bit of a surprise, but it has been nothing short of genius. Su’a Cravens' draft stock was hurt by being a tweener of sorts, but he dropped down to linebacker full-time whereas Peppers plays everywhere. From the first time I saw Peppers as a freshman corner at Bosco to his dominant years at Paramus Catholic, this kid was always special and always a leader.

Recruiting: Adams committed to LSU over Florida at the Under Armour All-America Game. Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M and others were also involved. At the time, Adams’ godfather, Joker Phillips, was on the Gators’ coaching staff, but the four-star still chose to play at LSU.

Stats: Adams is second on the Tigers with 45 tackles (two for loss) with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The former four-star has also recorded two pass deflections and a quarterback hurry.

Farrell’s take: The safety position is becoming more and more important in the NFL and Adams is a whirling dervish at the position. He’s not that long, but he is filled out, an aggressive tackler and is always around the football. This kid was always high energy and had great leadership skills out of high school and that has continued in college. He has excellent anticipation in the run game, which will also make him highly coveted. Whoever drafts him will draft a defensive leader similar to Peppers.

Recruiting: Seeking more offers out of high school, Evans went to junior college and landed offers from Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia, Nebraska, Ole Miss and Baylor. About a month after receiving an offer from the Aggies, he committed.

Stats: Evans leads the Aggies with 48 tackles including three for loss. He has also picked off three passes, has six pass breakups and he’s blocked a kick.

Farrell’s Take: A high three-star out of JUCO, Evans had the experience and size to make an early impact in college and he has done so. Evans picked up football late and didn't have the offers he wanted coming out of high school. He went the JUCO route and earned his way to the SEC. He was all over the field as a sure-tackler who could make plays on the ball and was often in the right place at the right time in the junior college ranks. That knack for play-making has followed him to the SEC and he’s around the ball a lot.

Recruiting: In the summer before his senior season, Hooker committed to Ohio State over Michigan, Pitt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Penn State, his five other finalists.

Stats: Hooker is fourth on the Buckeyes with 29 stops including two for loss. He has four interceptions with 117 return yards and six pass deflections.

Farrell’s take: Hooker was a mid-level three-star prospect who slid under the radar a bit his senior year and turned into a steal for Ohio State. He was always athletic, but only played two years of high school football and was therefore a bit raw at his position. Hooker developed into a ball hawk in coverage, and we missed on this one compared to the competition. He was honestly a better basketball player than a football player in high school, that’s how elite he was at both and he’s taken that athleticism and turned himself into a rising NFL safety.

Recruiting: Jackson did not play in his junior year of high school because of academics so his recruitment didn’t take off until September of his senior year. Around that time, Florida State offered and he made a snap decision to commit. He backed off that pledge shortly thereafter and LSU and Alabama became contenders. He ended up signing with the Crimson Tide.

Stats: Jackson has registered 21 tackles (2.5 for loss) with an interception and two pass deflections.

Farrell’s take: Jackson was a wide receiver prospect for us out of high school. His ball skills were a big plus as one of the top 50 wideouts in 2013, but his size was a drawback. Jackson's turn at cornerback for the Crimson Tide didn’t go that well, but as a safety he uses all those skills we liked. He’s gotten so much stronger without adding a ton of size. Jackson has proven to be an aggressive tackler as well, which is big for NFL scouts at safety.

Recruiting: A long-time Florida lean, Maye committed to then-coach Will Muschamp in the summer before his senior season. Florida State and Alabama rounded out his top three but Maye said at the time he knew he’d pick the Gators for a couple months.

Stats: Maye is third on the team with 35 tackles with 1.5 for loss and a sack so far this season. The former four-star also has an interception and four pass deflections.

Farrell’s take: Maye was a big kid and always a willing hitter who could easily handler bigger players, shed blocks and make tackles close to the line of scrimmage. His length allowed him to be effective in coverage and he could have grown into a linebacker if needed. In fact, he played linebacker at the Under Armour All-America Game when they needed an extra player at the position and he led everyone in tackles. This kid always loved to hit and he’s Florida’s 2016 version of Keanu Neal, a second-round pick who is starting for the Atlanta Falcons.

Recruiting: The night before National Signing Day, Baker picked Washington over UCLA. He had previously been committed to Oregon.

Stats: Baker is third on Washington with 29 tackles (2.5 for loss) along with an interception and a forced fumble.

Farrell’s take: I loved Baker out of high school for many reasons. The first was his fearlessness and willingness to simply smack bigger guys as an undersized safety. He could have played wide receiver as well and planned to do so at Oregon, so the ball skills were there. This was a kid who would destroy you on the field in any conference or scheme. Size will still be a question mark he needs to answer to NFL scouts, but his film backs up his ability to play bigger.