Lions draft: A safety prospect for every round of the 2025 NFL Draft

[ASFN Admin]

Next up in the series spotlighting a draft prospect for each position for the Detroit Lions: the safeties. It's a position Lions GM Brad Holmes has landed two outstanding starters but little else over his four-year tenure.

Wide receivers

EDGEs

Offensive tackles

The Lions aren't going to draft a wideout in each round, of course. The goal here is to show which types of talents are fits for the Lions in each round of the draft to help identify talents, and also the relative value that projects to be available for Detroit in those rounds. As an example, here's one from 2022 identifying Malcolm Rodriguez as a sixth-round LB for the Lions.

Detroit doesn't currently have a pick in the fifth round, but trades happen all the time, so it's included here. Prospects for the first three rounds here are skewed toward where the Lions will currently select in each round: No. 28, 60 and 102 overall, respectively. The approximate draft round projections are as of April 1st.

State of the position​

Detroit is set for 2025 with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. The duo is arguably the best 1-2 safety tandem in the league. Branch is a versatile playmaker all over the formation. Joseph led the NFL in interceptions in 2024 and is one of the premier back-end rovers.

After that, the depth chart falls off a cliff. Oft-injured Ifeatu Melifonwu left in free agency, which leaves a pair of 2024 undrafted rookies, Morice Norris and Loren Strickland. Third-year Erick Hallett was signed to a reserve contract after finishing the season on the Lions' practice squad as well; he's yet to be active for a game in his two seasons. That's the depth behind Joseph and Branch.

Also, Joseph is entering the final season of his rookie contract. He is expected to land a very lucrative new contract--hopefully in Detroit. But for now, he is a potential free agent next offseason. Branch is one year behind on that contract cycle, and he, too, will figure to require a hefty contract to stay in Detroit.

First round: Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina​

Before getting to Emmanwori...Georgia's Malaki Starks would represent the best player available regardless of position if he were somehow to fall to the Lions at No. 28. He's a top-5 overall talent for me personally, and even though he's pretty redundant with Branch, it would be hard to look past Starks' All-Pro potential.

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Perhaps the biggest star from the NFL Scouting Combine, Emmanwori is bigger than some linebacker prospects in this draft class at 6-foot-3 and a playing weight well over 220 pounds. In terms of relative athletic score (RAS), Emmanwori is the best athlete ever to hit the NFL at safety. Stylistically, he's a very good fit in Melifonwu's old role of box safety and downhill attack dog. He can be much more than that, however.

Positives

• Incredible athlete with elite height/weight/speed/strength attributes
• Has playmaking instincts (6 INTs, 2 pick-sixes in 2023-2024)
• Very sure tackler in the box and an aggressive, downhill run defender
• Fairly instinctive in high-coverage
• Quick eyes and explosive reactionary quickness
• Brings the pain to receivers after the catch
• Showed improved all-around field vision and sense as his final year progressed
• Clean bill of health, never missed a game due to injury

Negatives

• Doesn't anticipate blocks in the run game
• Can be leggy and tight-hipped out of breaks
• His football geometry sometimes needs calibrating
• Some concern that he's a safety/LB tweener, a la Isaiah Simmons (or Miles Killebrew for Lions fans)

Second round: Andrew Mukuba, Texas​

Recently profiled here, Mukuba has a lot to offer the Lions in a coverage-oriented role. He's projected all over the map, so the No. 60 is probably a good mean draft position to land a player of his talents if the Lions are interested.

What I like:

• Very smooth and fluid athlete in space, with greasy hips and fast feet
• Great, innate coverage instincts from both the high safety role and in the slot
• Quick feet and almost instantaneous reactionary quickness
• Outstanding recognition of the ball in the air and ability to make a play on the ball
• Very willing downhill attacker in run support
• Stands out for his vocal support and encouragement of his teammates

Negatives:

• Very slightly built with sloping shoulders and skinny legs
• Lacks strength and can get pushed around when venturing in the box
• Short arms and small hands do get noticeable in coverage
• Credited with as many as 11 dropped interception opportunities in college — even with his five INTs in 2024
• Has some struggles with field vision and awareness when playing in the slot at Clemson

Third round: Kevin Winston, Penn State​

Winston is a largely unknown commodity after playing just three games in 2024 before suffering a knee injury. He's a one-year starter beyond that, albeit one who showed a great deal of promise and propensity for impact plays.

What I like:

• Outstanding open-field tackler
• Fast to close to the ball or point of attack
• Large for a safety at almost 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and he hits like a linebacker
• Has shown he can blanket tight ends in coverage
• Very willing in run support in the box and attacking stretch runs
• Good reactions in coverage to plays in front of him
• Was a team captain despite limited on-field experience

Negatives:

• Lots of false steps and fits/starts in coverage
• Chases the cheese on play fakes and misdirections more than he should
• Can be clunky changing direction
• Needs work on coverage awareness of what's not in his direct sight line
• Much better with the play in front of him than to his periphery or over the top
• Very inexperienced; played under 700 college snaps
• Minimal special teams experience after his first year

Fourth round: Malachi Moore, Alabama​

Moore is one of the more popular middle-round projections to Detroit--and just about every other team, too. The Alabama product played with both Terrion Arnold and Brian Branch, even starting over Branch back in 2020 in the Crimson Tide's "star" position, akin to the role Branch played in Detroit in 2024.

What I like:

• Experienced in playing every role asked of a safety in the NFL
• 2-time team captain on loaded Alabama defenses
• Has natural coverage instincts from a high-safety or split-safety role
• Very high football IQ shows in his pre-snap reads and anticipation of routes and short passes
• Gets off blocks well and avoids giving blockers anything to grab onto quite well
• Great special teams player and prides himself in being great on kickoff and punt teams

Negatives:

• Measured smaller (5-11/196) than expected with very short arms (29.5 inches)
• One-speed athlete who doesn't have great top-end speed or instant acceleration
• Has a tendency to dive at feet instead of wrapping as a tackler; career missed tackle rate of almost 15 percent
• Overestimates his own speed in help coverage situations
• Doesn't have the lateral quickness or clean footwork to play in the slot in the NFL more than on an emergency basis

Fifth round: Jonas Sanker, S, Virginia​

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Sanker is a player who could very well bump up into the bottom of the third and nobody would blink an eye. Lions fans who wanted Will Harris to be a better football player will find a lot to like in Sanker, though some of the same deficiencies as well.

What I like:

• Well-built athlete at 6-feet and 206 pounds
• Very productive and aggressive tackler; over 200 tackles in the last two seasons
• Very impressive 2-step burst to the ball
• Considerable special teams experience
• Plays to his leverage in coverage quite well, and has the hips and ankles to stay in phase with TEs and RBs
• Played impactfully against running QBs

Negatives:

• Has a weird propensity to initiate a tackle from too far away and miss the tackle
• Doesn't consistently get off blocks well in the run game
• Will get caught staring at the QB and losing track of his coverage mark; even happened in 1-on-1s during Senior Bowl practices
• Quicker slot receivers and RBs can lose him in space in coverage

Sixth round: Marques Sigle, Kansas State​

A two-year starter at Kansas State, Sigle began his career playing three seasons at North Dakota State, where new Lions TE coach Tyler Roehl was the offensive coordinator. Despite five years in college, Sigle doesn't turn 23 until July.

What I like:

• Coverage-oriented safety who started his college career playing outside CB at NDSU
• Explosive athletic testing at the combine that shows up on the field
• Aggressive at taking on and defeating blocks in the run game
• Good body control and quick-hit speed in space
• Has played extensively in the slot but also has considerable experience as a box safety
• Good closing burst and ball awareness in coverage
• Good football culture fit for the Lions specifically

Negatives:

• Plays the game of a bigger man than his 5-11/199-pound frame allows at times
• Not very instinctive in man coverage
• Goes for the kill shot when the better play is to make the sure tackle
• Can be late to read and react in coverage
• Missed tackle rate over 15 percent
• Wasn't effective on special teams other than blocking a field goal

Seventh round: Craig Woodson, California​

It was hard not to like Woodson when watching Cal's defense and paying a lot of attention to CB Nohl Williams, a middle-round cornerback who the Lions figure to fancy. Woodson isn't as high-end but merits draft consideration.

What I like

• Has considerable experience playing high safety, box safety and in the slot
• Good ball skills and aggressively goes after the ball
• Was a very effective blitzer earlier in his college career
• Sure tackler in the box and on off-tackle runs
• Doesn't stay blocked for long
• Fast feet and good fluidity in coverage

Negatives:

• The 4.45 40 time from the combine does not show on game tape
• Lacks a chase gear and can lose the race to the edge in the run game
• More of a read-and-react coverage guy than an anticipatory instincts guy
• Loses his landmarks in zone coverage, notably when playing high safety
• Already 24 years old and appears maxed out physically

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions draft: A safety prospect for every round of the 2025 NFL Draft

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