Post-NFL Combine stock report: Safety

Rivals.com continues its series looking at each position for the upcoming NFL Draft. Today, we move to safeties with the top five and then two others to watch.

POST-COMBINE STOCK REPORT: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB

MOCK DRAFT 2.0: Farrell | Gorney

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 in his recruitment.

Stats: Adams was third on the team this season with 76 tackles (7.5 for loss) along with an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Stock report: Steady

Farrell’s take: Adams didn’t disappoint at the combine, and everyone knows he brings things to the table you just can’t test like leadership and toughness. 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.

Recruiting: Hooker chose Ohio State over Michigan, Pitt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Penn State in the summer before his senior season. Prior to his commitment, Hooker had only visited Columbus once.

Stats: Hooker was third on the Buckeyes with 74 tackles (5.5 for loss) along with a team-high seven interceptions.

Stock report: Steady

Farrell’s take: Hooker didn’t participate at the combine as he’s coming off surgery, so he didn’t help or hurt himself. He 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 a bit raw at his position. He was a better basketball player than a football player in high school, and he’s taken that athleticism and turned himself into guaranteed first-round draft pick.

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

Stats: Peppers was third on the Wolverines with 72 tackles (16 for loss) and four sacks. He also had an interception and a forced fumble. Peppers was used on offense and special teams as well.

Stock report: Up

Farrell’s take: Peppers worked out with the linebackers and defensive backs, and his testing was off the charts for the former. 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, and his combine showing only helped him despite the positional questions.

Recruiting: Two days after taking his first visit to UConn and one day after landing his offer, Melifonwu committed to the Huskies. Boston College, Temple, Rhode Island, Fordham and Holy Cross were also showing interest.

Stats: Melifonwu led the Huskies with 118 tackles and he also had four of the team’s seven interceptions. The combine star added seven pass deflections and a fumble recovery.

Stock report: Up

Farrell’s take: You know a kid is off the radar a bit when his profile pic on Rivals.com is clearly from the prom, but Melifonwu’s film was good enough to warrant a three-star ranking despite the lack of in-person evaluation. He played everything in high school and was raw but a great athlete. He showcased that for UConn at their camp, earning his only offer and committing quickly. His performance at the combine was amazing and has pushed him near first round discussion for many.

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

Stats: Baker led the Huskies with 71 tackles (10 for loss) with three sacks. He also had two interceptions and a forced fumble.

Stock report: Steady

Farrell’s take: Baker didn’t measure that well at the combine, but that was expected and hasn’t hurt him much. 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. His film backs up his ability to play bigger.

Recruiting: Williams was rated as a three-star wide receiver out of high school and picked Utah in December of his senior season over Boise State, Nevada and San Diego State. He had visited Utah in early December on an official visit.

Stats: Williams finished third on the Utes with 64 tackles, and he had a team-high five interceptions. He also forced two fumbles and added two fumble recoveries.

Stock report: Up

Farrell’s take: Williams had a terrific combine and pushed himself further up the board for many teams. He was a skinny wide receiver out of high school who was fast but didn’t look overly physical or durable and had only one Power Five offer. He was a guy who just didn’t stand out that much on in-person evals, and now he’s emerged as a big-time NFL prospect.

Recruiting: King was committed to Central Michigan and Ball State before finally flipping to Iowa about a week before National Signing Day. Neither Michigan nor Michigan State offered the three-star.

Stats: King finished with 58 tackles, three interceptions, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble this season. He also contributed on special teams. He had 29 interceptions during his high school career, a state record.

Stock report: Down

Farrell’s take: King didn’t test all that well, although it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and he didn’t run the 40. King wasn’t tested as much this past season as teams learned to avoid his side of the field. He was not heavily recruited out of high school and was essentially ignored by in-state powers Michigan and Michigan State, much to their dismay now. King was always a guy who was around the ball with double-digit interceptions consistently in high school, but we questioned his speed as scouts do. King's instincts continue to be off the charts and make up for that lack of blazing quickness but now many are considering him a safety prospect because of it. He breaks on the ball like a sub-4.4 guy even though that's not his straight-ahead speed.