Analysis: Identifying Best Safety Fits for Seahawks’ 2026 Draft Picks
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Louisiana State Tigers defensive back A.J. Haulcy (13) returns an interception against Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images [/caption]
Despite watching Coby Bryant flee the nest to sign a big money contract with the Chicago Bears, the Seattle Seahawks should still be in fine shape at the safety spot both in terms of talent and depth rolling into the 2026 season.
Even without Bryant, the Seahawks have former Pro Bowler Julian Love returning under contract for two more years as well as budding star Nick Emmanwori, who emerged as a key catalyst in Mike Macdonald’s defense playing everywhere from the slot to defensive end. In addition, Ty Okada performed admirably in 11 starts subbing in for Love and Bryant, earning himself an opportunity to play significant snaps moving forward as the team’s third safety. In free agency, the team further bolstered depth by signing former Colts starter Rodney Thomas and bringing back veteran D’Anthony Bell.
Still, given Macdonald’s propensity for deploying nickel and dime packages with five or more defensive backs and often utilizing three or more safeties on the field at the same time, Seattle may be inclined to look for additional reinforcements with the 2026 NFL Draft featuring a rock solid class at the position. This includes in the first round, where as many as three or four safeties could hear their names called on April 23 in Pittsburgh.
Looking at this year’s latest crop of safeties, which players stand out as the best potential fits to succeed Bryant and further reinforce the Seahawks’ secondary for 2026 and beyond with each of their four selections?
Round 1, Pick 32 - A.J. Haulcy, LSU
After one season at New Mexico, Haulcy decided to step up to Power 4 competition by transferring to Houston, enjoying a breakout junior season with five interceptions for the Cougars before finishing his career in Baton Rouge. Bringing a well-built 6-0, 215-pound frame to the field, he has a vintage style to his game, as he loves to dish out the punishment to receivers who dare trying to make a catch over the middle in his presence 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 as well and can play some snaps up around the line of scrimmage if called upon. Leading to excellent ball production at three schools, he has a knack for undercutting throws and excels at not only breaking up passes, but picking them off with receiver-like hands. He ran in the low 4.5s at the NFL combine and may not be quite fleet of foot enough to be a deep safety away from two-deep sets, but he would be an intriguing fit to pair with Emmanwori and Julian Love in Seattle’s talented safety room and has the impactful traits to justify a late first round investment.
Also in Consideration: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
A 6-3 mercenary for hire in the box, McNeil-Warren isn’t quite on par with Emmanwori athleticism-wise, but he offers similarly tantalizing versatility playing in the box or as a deep safety with rare size and physical tools. 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 and has the attitude to mix it up in the trenches that few other safeties possess.
Round 2, Pick 64 - Jalen Kilgore, South Carolina
Jumping into a starting role as a freshman while playing over 100 snaps at three different positions for the Gamecocks, Kilgore recorded 78 tackles, a pick, and four pass breakups. By his junior season, he became South Carolina’s ringleader on the back end, intercepting two passes while limiting opponents to a 52% completion rate when targeting him, earning Second-Team All-SEC honors for a second straight year. Possessing good size at 200-plus pounds with 4.4 speed, he’s a 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 as a tackler 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 and may depend on the system he lands in, but his schematic flexibility and past ties to Nick Emmanwori would make him a fun Day 2 possibility to plug into Mike Macdonald’s defense in Seattle.
Also in Consideration: Treydan Stukes, Arizona; Kamari Ramsey, USC
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. He has a narrow lower body and a lengthy durability history to go with it, but offers legit 4.3 wheels and elite ball skills that will entice teams in the need for a cover safety with slot flexibility. Similarly, Ramsey has durability concerns of his own missing multiple games in multiple seasons in college and his play can be borderline frustrating at times with missed tackles and inconsistent ball tracking in coverage, but he has shown the ability to play both safety spots as well as the nickel role and possesses enough size and athleticism to suggest he can do that in the NFL as well.
Round 3, Pick 96 - Bud Clark, TCU
Durability loomed as a major obstacle for Clark in his first few seasons on campus with the Horned Frogs, as he missed most of the 2021 season and the first three games of the following campaign. But once he got healthy, he created persistant havoc as a ball-hawking maestro with freelancing capabilities to undercut passing lanes for interceptions and pass breakups in bunches. Over his final four seasons on campus, he intercepted a whopping 15 passes, returning two of them for touchdowns, and registered 20 additional pass breakups. 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 where he dives at ball carriers more than actually trying to wrap them up. If not for a lean frame and the fact he will be 25 years old as a rookie, he’d likely be higher on the draft board, presenting great value to Seattle as an immediate playmaker at free safety late on Day 2 who has many of the same traits as the departed Coby Bryant.
Also in Consideration: Zakee Wheatley, Penn State; Louis Moore, Indiana; Dalton Johnson, Arizona
Tall and lanky, Wheatley continues to grow into his 6-3 frame and his development as a player has matched with more confidence and decisiveness in coverage last season for the Nittany Lions. He has been hit and miss in terms of ball production and tackling can be an adventure for him at times with questionable pursuit angles, but teams that trust their coaching staff to continue developing him could find a late Day 2 gem who still has plenty of time to blossom. A star on the back end for the national champion Hoosiers, Moore wins with his elite football savvy and ability to find the football, turning those traits into six interceptions and five pass breakups. His speed and change of direction will be tested by NFL athleticism on the back end, but for teams that value football IQ and instincts from their center fielder, he will be a solid option in the late Day 2/early Day 3 range. A missile who seeks heat flying up to make plays in run support, Johnson has the mentally teams covet from a combo safety and when he’s right in coverage, he will get his hands on the football plenty as well, as he picked off four passes as a senior. Athletic limitations may put a cap on his ceiling, though, especially dealing with NFL speed as a deep safety.
Round 6, Pick 188 - VJ Payne, Kansas State
A three-year starter for the Wildcats, 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 while only surrendering two touchdown passes. Missed tackles also were a bit of an issue at times, but he made dramatic improvements in all facets as a senior in 2025 for the Wildcats, cutting his missed tackle rate down to 10% while allowing a 47% completion rate and a 57.4 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. A far different player than the raw one who initially arrived in Manhattan, that growth paved the way for a combine invite and he blew away the competition in Indianapolis, running a 4.40 40-yard dash at 6-3, 200 pounds. He comes into the NFL much more polished than he was only two years ago for Kansas State, and yet, there’s still much upside left to tap into with a fantastic athletic toolbox and unrefined football skills. There’s much still to unpack, as he could develop into a quality blitzing weapon in time. The Seahawks may not be looking for another safety who resides mostly in the box, but at the same time, Macdonald has never been averse to having multiple players who can jump into that role in his versatile scheme, keeping him in the mix as a fun Day 3 possibility.
Also in Consideration: Bishop Fitzgerald, USC; Genesis Smith, Arizona; Deshon Singleton, Nebraska
Another diagnostic machine on the back end, Fitzgerald racked up 10 picks and 12 pass breakups between three seasons at North Carolian State and USC, demonstrating proficiency at reading quarterbacks and plucking passes out of passing lanes. However, he has been vulnerable to allowing chunk plays in coverage and his pursuit angles can be a real problem defending the run, two big flaws coupled with average athleticism that have him bookmarked for mid-Day 3. In many ways, Smith mirrors Fitzgerald’s play, being 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 trying to pitch in against the run, where shoddy tackling and gap fits plagued him. Built with a similar 6-3 frame to Payne, Singleton lacks the speed and burst of his draft counterpart but does have matchup value covering tight ends and can play the run effectively, which likely will limit him to sub-package work in the box and special teams, at least early on.
