2025 NFL Draft Guide: Get to know the safeties

Welcome to our 2025 NFL Draft Guide rollout!

Today, we’ll be focusing on safeties in our “get to know the prospects” series.

The full 1010XL 2025 NFL Draft Guide — complete with a big board and roundtable questions by our radio hosts — will be released in a PDF for free in late March.

Malaki Starks, Georgia

Consensus positional ranking: 1

Prospect bio: Starks was a five-star recruit out of Jefferson High School and committed to Georgia. As a true freshman, he led the defense in total snaps played and finished second in tackles to earn freshman All-American honors as he helped the Bulldogs win the national championship. Starks was recognized as a consensus All-American as a sophomore and a first-team All-American as a junior, and he earned first-team All-SEC honors both seasons. 

2024 stats: 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, 77 combined tackles

Player comp: Kevin Byard

Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina

Consensus positional ranking: 2

Prospect bio: Emmanwori was a three-star recruit out of Irmo High School and committed to South Carolina. He recorded a team-high 78 tackles in his first season to earn a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. Emmanwori became a bigger playmaker as a sophomore, and he earned first-team All-SEC and All-American honors as a junior. 

2024 stats: 4 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 88 combined tackles

Player comp: Jeremy Chinn

Xavier Watts, Notre Dame

Consensus positional ranking: 3

Prospect bio: Watts was a four-star recruit out of Omaha Burke High School and committed to Notre Dame as a wide receiver. He redshirted as a freshman, switched to defense to fill in for injured linebackers as a sophomore, entered his junior year as a backup safety. Watts finally emerged as a ballhawk in 2023. He paced the team in interceptions for consecutive seasons to earn unanimous All-American, then consensus All-American honors. Watts recorded a 100-yard pick-six during his final season as he helped the Fighting Irish reach the national championship game. 

2024 stats: 6 interceptions, 10 pass breakups, 82 combined tackles

Player comp: Landon Collins

Andrew Mukuba, Texas

Consensus positional ranking: 4

Prospect bio: Mukuba was a four-star recruit out of Lyndon B. Johnson High School and committed to Clemson. He became the school’s first defensive back to start in a season opener as a true freshman and notched 7 pass deflections that year to earn third-team All-ACC honors, freshman All-American recognition, and the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Mukuba played well again as a sophomore but opted to transfer to Texas for his junior season. He led the team with 5 interceptions to earn third-team SEC honors.

2024 stats: 5 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, 69 combined tackles

Player comp: Julian Blackmon

Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State

Consensus positional ranking: 5

Prospect bio: Winston was a four-star recruit out of DeMatha Catholic High School, where he was named the All-Met Defensive Player of the Year by The Washington Post. He committed to Penn State and recorded 16 tackles as a freshman before starting at safety as a sophomore. Winston was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week in the first week of his junior season, but the following week, he unfortunately tore his ACL and was forced to miss the rest of the year. 

2024 stats: 0 interceptions, 0 pass breakups, 13 combined tackles

Player comp: Tracy Walker

Go to 1010xl.com/jaguars to check out the other positions we’re reviewed!