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# Big Board: Ranking Top Safety Targets for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/big-board-seattle-seahawks-safety-2026-nfl-draft/
- Published: 2026-04-19T00:03:07.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:35:49.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Video, Seahawks, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Treydan Stukes, AJ Haulcy, Jalon Kilgore, Keionte Scott, Bud Clark, VJ Payne, Kamari Ramsey, Genesis Smith, 2026 NFL Draft

With the deadline come and gone for teams to bring prospects into town for official visits, it’s full steam ahead for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league heading towards the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

By virtue of losing former starter Coby Bryant to the Bears in free agency, safety would appear to be an area of significant need for the Seahawks. However, Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori will both return as core starters and dependable reserve Ty Okada performed admirably in 11 starts last season, showing he’s more than ready for an expanded role. The team also brought back veteran D’Anthony Bell and added ex-Colts starter Rodney Thomas in free agency for depth purposes and special teams value, but even with those moves, it’s still possible Seattle could be in the market for a safety if the right player falls to them.

Which versatile defensive backs with safety backgrounds stand out as the best of the best for Seattle to potentially choose from? Less than 10 days away from the draft, here are my final rankings for safeties projected to be drafted in the top 100 picks, including overall rankings in parenthesis:

### Final Big Board - Safeties

1. (7) **Caleb Downs, Ohio State** \- A master of disruption playing all over the field for the Buckeyes, Downs did it all as a three-time All-American selection, excelling in the box as a strong safety, shining in the slot as a matchup nickel, and playing his share of snaps in the deep third as well. He doesn’t have as much ball production as would be expected, a result of not being great at targeting passes in flight while also at times being tentative attacking throwing lanes, but he’s capable of generating turnovers with his always-hot motor and he regularly changed games with his propensity for blowing up runs in the backfield. He should be a safe top-10 selection.
2. (16) **Dillion Thieneman, Oregon** \- Instinctive and assertive as a run defender and in coverage at three different positions, Thieneman made the most of his lone season with the Ducks after starting his career at Purdue, emerging as a weapon who produced as a high-volume tackler, blitzer, and matchup slot/safety combo in coverage. He has elite athletic juice, including 4.35 speed, paired with the attitude and physicality to hold his own in the box, though his relentless aggression has led to a fair number of missed tackles. Concerns about change of direction could limit his slot reps in the NFL, but he should be a stud multi-faceted safety for years to come.
3. (37) **Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo** \- A 6-3 mercenary for hire in the box, McNeil-Warren isn’t quite on par with current Seahawks star Nick Emmanwori athleticism-wise and has some rigidity with movements in coverage, but he offers similarly tantalizing versatility playing in the box or as a deep safety with rare size and physical tools to move around the formation as a chess piece. Along with having solid ball production for the Rockets (five picks, 11 pass breakups), he’s also a dangerous blitzing threat who matches up well against tight ends given his rare length and has the attitude to mix it up in the trenches that few other safeties possess.
4. (45) **AJ Haulcy, LSU** \- Bringing a well-built 215-pound frame to the field, Haulcy has a vintage style, as he loves to dish out the punishment to receivers who dare trying to make a catch over the middle and though his fundamentals can slip away from him outside of the box in pursuit, he more than happily will throw his helmet into the ring to make big hits in the run game and can play some snaps up around the line of scrimmage. He has a knack for undercutting throws and excels at not only breaking up passes, but picking them off like a receiver. Average athletic traits may limit him to two-high usage, but his impactful traits could earn him a Day 1 selection.
5. (55) **Treydan Stukes, Arizona** \- Rebounding from a torn ACL with a phenomenal super senior season for the Wildcats, Stukes didn’t allow any touchdowns while picking off four passes and producing six pass breakups as a hybrid slot cornerback/safety, showcasing elite instincts and ball skills. Set to turn 25 as a rookie, he has a narrow lower body and a lengthy durability history to go with it, including a torn ACL in 2024, along with being an inconsistent tackler who at times relies on diving at ball carriers rather than wrapping up, but offers legit 4.3 wheels and the type of ball production that will entice teams in the need for a cover safety with slot flexibility.
6. (58) **Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina** \- Possessing good size at 200-plus pounds with 4.4 speed, Kilgore is versatile playmaker who has prior experience at both safety positions as well as playing in the slot, offering quality ball skills with eight picks in three years against SEC competition. Though he has been prone to miss an arm tackle attempt from time to time, he loves to mix it up against the run and has enough athletic juice to be able to handle smaller receivers out of the slot as well as playing single and two-high safety looks. Finding his position at the next level will be key, but he has plenty of systematic flexibility to fit in with most teams.
7. (67) **Keionte Scott, Miami** \- Though under 200 pounds, Scott resembles a much bigger linebacker in the spirit of his play, as he relishes the chances to dish out some licks on running backs and craves the opportunity to blitz quarterbacks, excelling in both aspects of his game. He isn’t a ball hawk and has struggled when put in a position where he can’t play downhill to maximize his aggressive tendencies, which casts questions about his viability as a deep safety option. But he has enough quickness to perform his duties in coverage as a two-way slot and his pass rushing chops add another dimension that teams will covet.
8. (74) **Genesis Smith, Arizona** \- Far more effective on the back end when he can bait signal callers into bad decisions and break on routes to make plays on the football rather than playing up in the box, where shoddy tackling has been his biggest detriment at the college level, Smith likely will be earmarked for the vast majority of his reps as a single or two-deep safety to allow him to roam center field as a magnet. But even if he doesn’t check off the versatility box quite like other top safeties in this class, his elite penchant for creating turnovers will appeal to many teams and should allow him to carve out a long career in the league.
9. (78) **Kamari Ramsey, USC** \- Ramsey has durability concerns coming into the league after missing multiple games in three seasons at the college level and his play can be borderline frustrating at times with missed tackles and inconsistent ball tracking in coverage continuing to crop up on his film. But he has shown the ability to play both safety spots as well as the nickel role and possesses enough size, athleticism, and football smarts to suggest he can do that in the NFL as well. With more seasoning and development under the right coaching staff to clean up his fixable issues, he has a chance to be a better pro player than college.
10. (82) **Bud Clark, TCU** \- Durability loomed as a major obstacle for Clark with the Horned Frogs, but once he got healthy, he created persistent havoc as a ball-hawking maestro with freelancing capabilities to undercut passing lanes for interceptions and pass breakups in bunches. His aggressiveness and assertiveness in coverage can occasionally get him in trouble against double moves and if he misreads a route, but his ball savvy wins far more times than not. His tackling improved significantly over his final two years at TCU, though a prospective team will have to be prepared for some whiffs from time to time from the slender defender.
11. (98) **VJ Payne, Kansas State** \- Payne underwent growing pains in the first two seasons in coverage and dealt with some inconsistency in that department, allowing close to a 65% completion rate and leaving plenty of tackles on the field in that span, but he improved leaps and bounds in his third season with the Wildcats. Coming into the NFL much more polished than he was just two short years ago after cutting his missed tackle rate down to 10% and allowing a 47% completion rate as a junior, there’s still much upside left to tap into with a fantastic athletic toolbox and unrefined football skills that could yield a long-term starter with immense versatility.

Check out our other Top-100 Big Board rankings: [Running Back](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/big-board-seattle-seahawks-2026-nfl-draft-running-backs) | [EDGE](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/big-board-seattle-seahawks-edge-2026-nfl-draft) | [Guard](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/big-board-seattle-seahawks-guard-2026-nfl-draft) | [Cornerback](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/big-board-seattle-seahawks-2026-nfl-draft-cornerbacks)