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7. Ar’Darius Washington, TCU
At 5"8, Ar'Darius Washington might be on the short side for a safety in the NFL, but what he lacks in height, he more than makes up for in physicality and a natural ability to read plays as they unfold.
Of Washington, the DraftNetwork writes:
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"He (Washington) has often been able to save the day as the last line of defense. While not afforded opportunities to play it often except in the red zone, he’s shown to be adequate in man coverage, as he has the smoothness and athleticism to cover slot options. He's got ball skills galore and he attacks the ball out of the air. He's highly competitive at the catch point and many of his turnover opportunities have come from coverage awareness or following the eyes of throwers to take him to intended throwing locations."
8. Talanoa Hufanga, USC
Talanoa Hufanga has drawn comparisons with fellow Polynesian and legendary NFL first-ballot Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu, and it's not just the shared cultural heritage that has people talking:
Like Polamalu at the Steelers, Hufanga plays strong safety and isn't scared of putting the shoulder in on tackles.
Unfortunately, a recurring shoulder injury marred Hufanga's first two seasons with the Trojans. He did manage to stay healthy last season, though, and was voted Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 10.3 tackles per game and registering four picks to boot.
There are some concerns over Hufanga's shoulder injury and perceived lack of pace at the elite level. Regardless, on the off-chance he turns out to be 2/3 the player Polamalu was, he is surely worth a punt come the second-and third-round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
9. Shawn Davis, Florida
Judging by the clip above, Shawn Davis clearly has an eye for the spectacular, but there's much more to him than incredible one-handed picks. Davis is touted as having a high football IQ; something that had his coaches referring to him as 'the quarterback of the secondary."
Perhaps it was this in-game intelligence the coaches speak of that enabled Davis to tally up to five interceptions over the course of the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Florida Gators, and that's despite battling several injuries.
If he can keep himself fit, Davis projects himself as a solid, dependable NFL safety with a potentially very high ceiling.
10. Tyree Gillespie, Missouri
Tyree Gillespie primarily operated as a deep safety during his career with the Missouri Tigers.
Gillespie is a solid tackler who plays his best football closer to the line of scrimmage, teeing up running backs for big hits when they break across the first line of defense.
Scouting reports suggest Gillespie does have a few issues with his reaction speed and positional awareness in deep coverage, though, which would help explain his low yield on the stat sheets: 0 interceptions and just 12 PDs over four years in Missouri.
