NFL Draft: Top five safeties as NFL Draft nears
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team
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The NFL Draft is next week. With the NFL Combine and pro days in the rear-view mirror, here is our ranked list of top safeties heading into the draft.
Recruiting: Gardner-Johnson committed to Florida in March of his junior year, but Alabama continued to pursue him throughout his recruitment. Georgia, Notre Dame and Penn State also kept after Gardner-Johnson after his commitment to the Gators.
Buzz: Gardner-Johnson posted impressive numbers at the combine especially with a 4.48-second 40-yard dash. What could make him attractive to many NFL teams, possibly even late in the first round, is his versatility as a safety who can play in the box or in many different coverages. In his three seasons with the Gators, Gardner-Johnson had 161 tackles and nine interceptions.
Farrell’s take: Gardner-Johnson was an elite corner out of high school with great skills who liked to take chances. He was a sure tackler, closed well on the ball and was physical. It was no surprise to see him develop and begin to excel later in his college career. I remember how cocky he was in camp settings and wanted to be challenged by the best, so I knew he had the right attitude to be an elite player. We projected him as a corner but he has grown into an excellent safety.
Recruiting: In the spring of his junior season, Rapp committed to Washington while visiting campus. Stanford was getting much more involved and Oregon was also in the mix when Rapp made his decision.
Buzz: Rapp was highly productive at Washington and exceeded ranking expectations coming out of high school as he could be a fringe first-round selection. But he missed the Rose Bowl with a groin injury, didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the combine and then ran a pedestrian 4.74 40 at his pro day. Rapp totaled 168 tackles and seven picks in three seasons with the Huskies.
Farrell’s take: Rapp was a mid-level three-star who was a bit undersized coming out of high school but had good coverage skills. He wasn’t heavily recruited, mainly because of the size issue and the fact that he played in the state of Washington. Now he’s a ball hawk who is always around the football and could land at the end of round one.
