The 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl is about to start, showcasing some of the top talent in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The safety position has been undervalued and underappreciated in recent years, but truly elite ones are challenging to find. Luckily, the Senior Bowl showcases some top-tier talent at the position this week, with plenty of names in consideration for a Day 2 pick.
Senior Bowl Safety Rankings
Some of the top safeties in the 2024 NFL Draft will be on display in Mobile, Alabama, for the 75th anniversary of the Senior Bowl. The game will take place on Feb. 3, but there is a week of practice to observe first.
Which safeties will rocket up boards at the 2024 Senior Bowl?
1) Kamren Kinchens, Miami (FL)
Potentially the top safety in the 2024 NFL Draft, Kamren Kinchens is a playmaking, ball-hawking safety who should light up the Senior Bowl this week.
Kinchens is a player who checks all the boxes for a deep-lying safety. He can locate the football, and his athletic range means he can go sideline to sideline. His intense toughness gives him an edge, and that rare range paired with his high-end motor means that no ball going his way is off limits.
The aggressive nature can go too far sometimes. He can overshoot angles and fail to wrap up tacklers with enough power, which means, right now, you don’t want to trust him in man coverage.
However, Kinchens is a player to bank on as a zone player who can pick off quarterbacks while developing his skills.
2) Beau Brade, Maryland
Athletic, versatile, instinctive, and physical, Beau Brade is a walking advertisement for the safety position. He is an extremely well-rounded prospect who can start immediately at the next level.
When coming downhill, Brade displays his toughness and physicality while also showing his strength to wrap up tackles. Then, when in coverage, the Maryland safety shows incredible instincts. His anticipation and awareness to read and react and his physicality and athleticism to nullify the play are very exciting.
A true three-down safety who you can trust to stay high in the secondary, Brade could go a lot earlier than some recognize.
3) Javon Bullard, Georgia
Javon Bullard will be able to show off his athleticism at the 2024 Senior Bowl, where he will display his smooth movement and sharp agility in practice drills. On tape, Bullard’s football IQ immediately jumps out. He recognizes everything and has the athleticism to react quickly to developing situations.
MORE: Top QBs at the 2024 Senior Bowl
At 5’11” and 195 pounds, Bullard has concerning size measurables that could limit his ceiling come April. However, his instincts and awareness will improve an NFL team in 2024.
4) Tykee Smith, Georgia
The key to Tykee Smith’s game is versatility. Originally a cornerback, he has transitioned to safety since transferring to Georgia, allowing him to show off his physicality and intelligence.
Smith will translate as more of a man coverage defender in the NFL, where a team can utilize his versatility to match him all over the field. Given space, he shows enough athleticism when tracking the ball. He can backpedal and flip his hips smoothly while having the anticipation to accelerate in an instant when needed.
The biggest downside, however, is his size. At 5’10” and 205 pounds, offenses may be able to create mismatches from the slot, and the lack of arm length narrows his catch radius.
5) Cole Bishop, Utah
At 6’2” and 207 pounds, Cole Bishop hits all the size measurables for a starting NFL safety. That build allows him to be positionally and schematically versatile at the next level.
While he has the physical build to stand up in the NFL, he also has the brain. Bishop consistently shows he has the translatable intelligence, recognition, and football IQ to play both man and zone.
Bishop, however, isn’t the smoothest of athletes, and his coverage ability can be clunky. His hip flips and tracking can be far too stiff when facing savvy receivers, and that lack of fluidity means he loses his man in 1-on-1 situations.
It is a big week for Bishop in 1-on-1 drills, and if he can show he can stick with faster receivers in coverage, he will boost his draft position for April’s marquee event.
Other Safeties To Watch at the Senior Bowl
- Jaden Hicks, Washington State
- James Williams, Miami (FL)
- Sione Vaki, Utah
- Kitan Oladapo, Oregon State
- Josh Proctor, Ohio State
- Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest
- Evan Williams, Oregon
All the 2024 NFL Draft resources you need — the draft order, the top QBs, the Top 100 prospects, and the full 2024 Big Board — right at your fingertips at Pro Football Network!