2017 Top 10 NFL Safeties

1. Eric Weddle

Stats:

Int: 4,Tak: 89,PD: 13

Weddle was the best overall safety in the game in 2016. His numbers were not quite as sexy as Landon Collins but the impact was a little better. He was the only safety to receive a grade of 90 or better by pro football focus in both run and pass defense. There was a belief that given his decline in play, which was in large part due to injury, in his last season in San Diego and his age that he was on the decline. However, he put those concerns to rest in his first season in Baltimore that seemed to revitalize him. The Ravens have loned for this kind of elite safety play sense Ed Reed exited his prime and they got it big time in 2016. There is no safety with better play recognition ability than Weddle. He is a clear student of the game that has simply figured the game out on a mental level in a way that others have not. He is only 5’11, 195 and not the most athletic guy yet he still finds away to be elite and it is in large part because of his sharp instincts.

2. Earl Thomas

Stats:

Int: 2,Tak: 48,PD: 10

Earl Thomas was lost down the stretch to injury and that was all the proof you really needed of just how good this guy is. The Seahawks pass defense was significantly worse without Thomas on the field. The reason why is because Thomas is the best center fielder in the game. He is the prototype single high safety that can completely shut down the middle of the field and even maneuver to either half when needed. He is very Ed Reed like in terms of his zone coverage skills. He can read QBs like a book and often find himself in position to make a play that just seems highly unlikely he could make given where he started the play from. He is well on his way to being a hall of fame safety one day.

3. Landon Collins

Stats:

Int: 5,Tak: 125,PD: 13

Landon Collins broke out in year two and was a flat out sensation. Collins was the most disruptive safety in the NFL by far in 2016. He put up linebacker caliber tackling numbers and was just a flat out dominant strong safety defending the run. A lot of it was due to necessity given the Giants average linebacking corps but never the less Collins took advantage. He was just all over the place chasing down ball carriers on the edge or mixing it up inside and tackling them in the box. However, Collins was more than just a thumper as he was good in coverage as well, racking up an impressive five interceptions and not giving up a lot of big plays.  His coverage ability was where he struggled as a rookie and his dramatic improvement in that area was the biggest reason he is now viewed as an elite safety.

4. Harrison Smith

Stats:

Int: 0,Tak: 91,PD: 2

Harrison “Hitman” Smith lived up to his name yet again with another fabulous season defending the run. He accumulated nearly 100 tackles and was one of only seven safeties to receive a grade of 90 or higher for run defense by pro football focus. Outside of Weddle no safety in the league has better instincts than this guy. He simply puts himself in position to make plays that other players who may be more athletic cannot make. Smith however struggled some in coverage by his lofty standards set in past years and I believe a lot of it had to do with an ankle injury he played some games through and ultimately ended up being sidelined for near the end of the season.

5. Eric Berry

Stats:

Int: 4,Tak: 77,PD: 9

Berry was named comeback player of the year in 2015 after beating cancer and returning to the field playing safety at the highest level. That level of play only continued in 2016 as Berry proved he is here to stay among the elite at his position. Berry is one of the most athletic safeties in the game with cornerback caliber speed and quickness and he utilizes them both in coverage and against the run. In coverage Berry can match up with just about anybody on the field given his athletic prowess which is why he is one of the best safeties in the league at playing man to man coverage. He is also very good against the run due to his elite pursuit skills. He takes great angles and is a reliable tackler when he arrives at ball carries.

6. Kam Chancellor

Stats:

Int: 2,Tak: 85,PD: 8

Kam has earned his reputation as the most physical and menacing safety in the game with consistent play within the box throughout his career and 2016 was no exception. I cannot quite go to top five on a list of safties that counts both free and strong because of Chancellor’s lack of versatility to play at a high level outside the box but there is no denying he is the best at what he has been asked to do by the Seahawks and is very important to their defensive scheme. As a run defender he is as good as it gets at the safety position. He comes into the box and has linebacker caliber effectiveness defending the run. In coverage he is excellent in his role. If ever asked to play deep or cover receivers man to man on a consistent basis Chancellor most likely would not be very successful but the Seahawks do not ask him to do that. His job is to cover underneath in their various cover three schemes often in the flat or hook/curl areas. One of the reasons he works best in this role is because he is an intimidator. There just simply are not very many 6’3, 225 pound defensive backs walking around so naturally when receivers see this guy it makes them a bit hesitant to go across the middle. Even when he is a little off in coverage if he can just make a hit on the receiver as they are catching the ball and jar it loose for an incompletion.

7. Tyrann Mathieu

Stats:

Int: 1,Tak: 35,PD: 4

It had to be a frustrating year for the honey badger last season. After establishing himself as the best and most versatile defensive back in football in 2015 he was lost near the very end of that season to a torn ACL. He was technically ready to play by the start of the 2016 season but clearly was not fully recovered and was forced to play in a knee brace throughout the year. And if that was not bad enough he ended up suffering a shoulder injury in the middle of the 2016 season that he missed games because of and ultimately tried to play through in others before going on IR for a second consecutive December. On ability alone there is no doubt he is not only the best safety in the league but best overall defensive back as he can play both corner and safety at an elite level. There just is not another safety in the league with his versatility which is tailor made for the current pass happy NFL era. However, Mathieu has yet to make it through an entire season without getting hurt since entering the league in 2013 and if he cannot be more durable than he has he will continue to slide down the ranks among safeties and ultimately have a shorter career than expected.

8. Devin McCourty

Stats:

Int: 1,Tak: 83,PD: 7

McCourty has pretty much been the best all-around cover guy at his position since he moved from corner to safety a few years ago. He and the Honey Badger are probably the only safeties in the entire league you can legitimately trust to line up face to face at the line of scrimmage against quality receivers and really hold their own. His ability to cover man to man has really come in handy for the Patriots who love to play a lot of man coverage and will sometimes utilize him in cover one schemes that allow him to come down and cover as if he were a cornerback. It is a luxury that hardly any other NFL team can stake claim to. It is because of these skills in concert with his excellent zone cover skills that earned him the highest coverage grade among safeties in 2016 according to pro-football focus. More than just a cover guy McCourty does his part in the run game as well. He really does a good job defending the run for a converted cornerback. He may not be a major thumper but he is a sound tackler with good pursuit skills and he gets the job done.

9. Reshad Jones

Stats:

Int: 1,Tak: 51,PD: 4

Jones season was cut short as he only managed to play in six games in 2016 but there is no denying he is one of the best safeties in the game when on the field. Coming into the season he was more known for his fantastic work defending the run and though he was good in that regard in 2016 he actually graded out better in coverage than vs the run last season according to pro football focus. The question is whether or not that level of play in coverage was sustainable for an entire season or not. If Jones can play a full season at the level he played at for a limited time in 2016 he may be able to take claim to a top five spot on this list.

10. Tony Jefferson

Stats:

Int: 0,Tak: 96,PD: 5

Tony Jefferson signed a four year deal worth $34 million and $19 million guaranteed to form one of the best safety duos in the league in Baltimore and it was well deserved. He was a flat out force against the run which is why he earned the second highest run defense grade among safeties by pro football focus and the best of any of the safeties on this list. To say that Jefferson flies around kind of seems like an understatement. With teams playing more nickel defenses the ability of safeties to come down and have an impact vs the run is even more important and this guy gets the job done. He was one of the best at his position at shedding blocks which is something a lot of safeties are not good at and simply do not want to be bothered with trying to do. His coverage ability still is a work in progress. He was above average in coverage which is not a bad thing but it is the one aspect of his game truly holding him back from being an elite overall player at this point in his career. He lacks speed and quickness even by safety standards to be effective when covering without being completely technically sound in coverage and he simply has not mastered those skills yet.