The NFL Draft is months away, but as college football hits its stride for 2017, we take a look this week and next week at the top prospects at each position. Today we finish with the safeties.

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Recruiting: During a junior day visit to Florida State when James was just a freshman, he committed to the Seminoles. He called FSU his dream school and Karlos and Vince Williams are his cousins. Auburn, Clemson, Miami, Ohio State and others had also offered.

Stats: In three games, James has totaled 18 tackles including 1.5 for loss and 0.5 sacks. The former five-star also has two pass breakups.

Farrell’s take: I’ve said it before and I will say it again — James is the most athletic and dynamic safety I have ever scouted. And, after an average start, he came on and became a dominant defensive back as expected his freshman year. His sophomore season was a washout due to injury, but watch for him to return with a vengeance. He can blitz, he can tackle in space and support the run and he can cover a ton of ground in the passing game. And this is only the beginning as he will be an absolute star in college and beyond. If Jamal Adams went top six, James should go top four or higher.

Recruiting: Fitzpatrick committed to Alabama in the spring before his senior season but leading up to Signing Day there was a rumor he was torn between the Crimson Tide and Florida State. Shortly before Signing Day, Fitzpatrick announced he was sticking with Alabama.

Stats: Fitzpatrick is tied for the team lead with three other players with 23 tackles. The former five-star also has a sack, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and a blocked kick. Alabama allows only 8.6 points per outing.

Farrell’s take: I've watched Fitzpatrick since he was a freshman in high school. He has always been a five-star talent, but scouting him so much might have led to expectations that were too high. It's why we moved him from cornerback to safety in the end because he struggled in solo coverage against elite wide receivers. So much for that, huh? Fitzpatrick's instant impact as a freshman on the Alabama defense was amazing and he took it to the next level last season. Now he’s one of the top players in all of college football but we are projecting him to safety all over again? When will we learn? The NFL will love his ability to play corner, safety and come off the edge as a blitzer.

Recruiting: Allen first considered waiting a few months to make a decision but decided to commit to Penn State in the spring before his junior season when it was made clear to him the Nittany Lions were short on scholarships. Plenty of ACC, Big Ten and other top programs were involved.

Stats: Allen is second on the team with 30 tackles including four for loss and a sack. He also has an interception, two forced fumbles, a safety and four pass deflections.

Farrell’s take: Allen was a hard-hitting defender who had the size to grow into a linebacker if needed. He was solid in coverage, but his calling card was his willingness to hit and come up in run support. He was a mid three-star prospect we saw either being a big, physical strong safety or a weakside linebacker. He has lived up to his ranking and then some and now has the NFL’s attention because he can do so much with his size and length.

Recruiting: After a junior day visit to College Station, Watts committed to Texas A&M over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Michigan and many others.

Stats: Watts leads the Aggies with 37 tackles including five for loss. He also leads the team with three interceptions and Watts has forced and recovered a fumble.

Farrell’s take: Watts was an undersized safety prospect who was in the Rivals250 because he was simply fearless in the run game and was solid in coverage and had excellent hips. This could be a bit of a reach because of his lack of size, but he’s a tackling machine who is always around the ball and is very active. Some bigger safeties will be on other lists and his size could knock him down in the minds of scouts, but there’s something about this kid I really like.

Recruiting: In February of his junior season, the top-rated safety and five-star prospect chose Virginia over nine other finalists – North Carolina, NC State, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, West Virginia and Miami.

Stats: The former five-star is second on the Cavaliers with 43 tackles, including one for loss. Only linebacker Micah Kiser, who has 45 tackles and five sacks, has more stops.

Farrell’s take: I always liked Blanding a lot as a hard-hitting safety, but the more I saw him in high school I became enamored with his ball skills, smooth coverage ability and underrated offensive potential. We projected him as a safety, but he reminded me of Keenan Allen (San Diego Chargers) a bit, a kid who could play offense if he wanted. Unlike Allen, Blanding stayed on defense and was my “can’t miss” prospect of the class of 2014, at least among the big names. He hasn’t disappointed, although he is under the radar at Virginia. If Blanding were at Alabama or Ohio State, everyone would be talking top 15 pick, but he will be a late first round or early second round steal.

Recruiting: An early North Carolina commitment, Harrison decommitted and pledged to Alabama in July leading up to his senior season. He visited Georgia numerous times and the Bulldogs were a legitimate contender but the four-star stuck with the Crimson Tide.

Stats: Along with three other players, Harrison is tied for the team lead in tackles with 23 including three for loss and two sacks. He also has two interceptions for Alabama, which allows just 8.6 points per game.

Farrell’s take: Harrison was a tall and filled-out safety prospect who could also play corner and had very good ball skills. He wasn’t a burner, which is what held him back from being a Rivals100 prospect, but he had good hips, excellent instincts and he could catch anything. When Nick Saban covets you as a defensive back, and he wanted Harrison, then you know you’re likely looking at a playmaker, and Harrison was perhaps a bit undervalued.

Recruiting: Whitehead committed to Pitt in October of his senior season but Penn State, Ohio State and West Virginia continued to pursue him. Despite rumors late in the process including a coaching change, Whitehead stuck with the Panthers.

Stats: Whitehead served a three-game suspension for a violation of team rules and has only played in two games so far this season. He has 10 tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.

Farrell’s take: Whitehead was well-regarded coming out of high school as a two-way guy who projected as a cornerback, but his ability to play offensively in college was a bit unexpected. His true focus is on defense of course and he has great athleticism and good length with solid instincts and could be a guy who rises on this list if he can overcome the suspension in the minds of scouts.