Iowa ’s Sebastian Castro intrigues: Primarily a slot cornerback in college, Castro’s potential move to safety could be positive, as he performs well across PFF’s stable metrics.
Kevin Winston Jr. missed most of 2024, but his 2023 season does some heavy lifting: The Penn State product put together a great 2023 and, without injury in 2024, had the potential to replicate that, which is why he’s a top-five safety on the PFF big board.
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Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
With the NFL offseason officially underway, so is the 2025 NFL Draft season. Plenty of fantasy football general managers are building out their rookie draft boards for dynasty purposes.
Looking at how each position stacks up against one another from an analytics standpoint is just one of the many tools to consider during the evaluation process. This series focuses purely on the key stable metrics that translate, more often than not, from college to the NFL. It's a way for dynasty managers and fantasy managers, in general, to get familiar with this year’s rookie class.
A few notes about how this series will work:
Rankings are based entirely on how these players performed in PFF’s stable metrics over the past two seasons.
Athletic ability and size are not taken into account for this process. Again, this is just one of many evaluation tools to consider.
This list includes all 22 safeties from the PFF big board but does not provide any weight to projected draft capital, competition level, or overall ranking, though that context will often be provided.
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN PFF COVERAGE GRADE SINCE 2023
Safety Coverage Grade Coverage Snaps
Malachi Moore, Alabama 90.8 844
R.J. Mickens, Clemson 90.6 766
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 90.3 886
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 90.0 772
Andrew Mukuba, Texas 89.9 746
Sebastian Castro, Iowa 89.8 880
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina 88.1 789
De'Rickey Wright, Vanderbilt 86.5 606
Upton Stout, Western Kentucky 84.7 437
Dean Clark, Fresno State 83.5 926
Alabama’s Malachi Moore has played more defensive snaps over the past five years than any safety in this class and, specifically over the last two seasons as a starter, delivered the highest coverage grade of this year’s class. Moore did this with only three interceptions but maintained tight coverage when targeted, allowing just a 46.1% open target rate – the fourth-best mark in this class – to go along with a 14.5% forced incompletion rate – the eighth-best mark in the class since 2023.
Clemson’s R.J. Mickens set a new career-high coverage grade (89.8) this past season, which ranked top five among FBS safeties in 2024. Mickens also allowed just a 14.0% first-down-plus-touchdown rate when targeted since 2023, which was by far the best in this class, with the next closest being 21.7% (Kevin Winston Jr.).
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN PFF COVERAGE GRADE WITH NO PRESSURE SINCE 2023
Safety No Pressure Coverage Grade No Pressure Coverage Snaps
Malachi Moore, Alabama 91.1 565
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 90.5 517
R.J. Mickens, Clemson 89.7 474
Andrew Mukuba, Texas 89.7 456
Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma 86.8 534
Jonas Sanker, Virginia 86.4 609
Sebastian Castro, Iowa 84.0 608
AkiliArnold, USC 83.2 543
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 82.0 519
Dean Clark, Fresno State 80.6 650
Wisconsin’s Hunter Wohler owns a higher forced incompletion rate (20.4%) on passes where the opposing quarterback is operating from a clean pocket than any other safety in this class since 2023. Wohler isn’t highly regarded on the PFF big board, and after a drop-off in play from 2023 to 2024, it’s understandable. Wohler went from earning an 89.9 coverage grade in 2023 – the second-best mark in the FBS – to just a 67.6 coverage grade, which ranked outside the top 200 FBS safeties, in 2024.
Iowa’s Sebastian Castro is the No. 3 safety on the PFF big board, and while he, too, suffered a drop-off in coverage grade from 2023 to 2024, he earned strong marks here when the opposing quarterback is working from a clean pocket. Making his top-10 coverage grade in this category more impressive is that Castro faced more targets (104) in these situations than any other safety in this class – more than 30 targets than the next closest safety.
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN PFF COVERAGE GRADE ON PASSES OF THREE SECONDS OR LESS SINCE 2023
Safety Coverage Grade on Quick Passes Quick Pass Coverage Snaps
Malachi Moore, Alabama 91.5 564
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 90.7 514
R.J. Mickens, Clemson 90.0 522
Andrew Mukuba, Texas 89.3 490
Sebastian Castro, Iowa 89.0 626
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina 88.9 560
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 88.8 610
Aubrey Burks, West Virginia 87.3 302
De'Rickey Wright, Vanderbilt 85.8 436
Upton Stout, Western Kentucky 83.4 306
Texas’ Andrew Mukuba is a top-10 safety on the PFF big board and stands out with a strong mark here when facing quick passes. Mukuba ranks top-three in this class in yards allowed per coverage target (3.0), yards allowed per coverage snap (0.27), first-down-plus-touchdown rate allowed (21.4%) and passer rating allowed (30.5) in these situations.
Iowa’s Castro once again appears in the top 10 in this category as the only safety to see more than 100 targets (105) in his coverage on quick passes. Castro ranked top five in this class in yards allowed per coverage target (4.7) in these situations, which is a great mark considering the number of targets he faced.
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN PFF COVERAGE GRADE WHEN LINED UP AS A SAFETY SINCE 2023
Safety Safety Coverage Grade Safety Coverage Snaps
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 88.9 410
Aubrey Burks, West Virginia 88.4 253
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 86.3 261
R.J. Mickens, Clemson 83.6 406
Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma 82.8 482
Andrew Mukuba, Texas 82.4 408
Malachi Moore, Alabama 80.2 270
Jonas Sanker, Virginia 78.3 304
Sebastian Castro, Iowa 77.7 43
Alijah Clark, Syracuse 77.7 271
Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts is the No. 2 safety on the PFF big board, compiling 13 interceptions over the past two seasons – the most of this class over that span. Nine of Watts’ 13 interceptions came when lined up as a deep safety, though perhaps the most impressive thing about that number is that he was only the primary coverage target on eight passes from that alignment, giving him a 113% interception per coverage target rate.
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN PFF COVERAGE GRADE WHEN LINED UP IN THE SLOT SINCE 2023
Safety Slot Coverage Grade Slot Coverage Snaps
Malachi Moore, Alabama 87.6 406
Sebastian Castro, Iowa 85.6 694
R.J. Mickens, Clemson 79.1 116
Jordan Hancock, Ohio State 78.7 469
De'Rickey Wright, Vanderbilt 77.8 68
Andrew Mukuba, Texas 75.3 232
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina 75.3 238
Shilo Sanders, Colorado 75.1 156
Jonas Sanker, Virginia 74.3 237
Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State 72.5 46
Castro has played more snaps lined up as a slot defender than any other safety in this year’s class, so it’s promising that he ranks among the top coverage defenders in that regard. Castro, as pointed out in previous categories, has faced more targets (136) than any safety in this class as well, 120 of which came when lined up in the slot – nearly double of the next closest safety (64).
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN PFF COVERAGE GRADE WHEN LINED UP IN THE BOX SINCE 2023
Safety Box Coverage Grade Box Coverage Snaps
Andrew Mukuba, Texas 89.5 94
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 83.9 220
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina 83.5 289
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 82.9 305
R.J. Mickens, Clemson 81.7 226
Alijah Clark, Syracuse 81.3 157
Shilo Sanders, Colorado 76.3 86
Dean Clark, Fresno State 75.8 241
Malaki Starks, Georgia 73.6 160
De'Rickey Wright, Vanderbilt 73.2 146
Mukuba owns the top box coverage grade for this class, but at just 94 defensive snaps, it’s one of the smaller sample sizes as well. Mukuba was targeted just seven times while lined up in the box, which is tied for the second-fewest targets in this class for this category. He came up with three interceptions from this alignment since 2023, which was tied for the most in the class.
South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori was one of the biggest risers at this year’s scouting combine, and with a lot of experience lining up in the box, his 83.5 coverage grade in this situation adds to the encouragement of his NFL potential. Emmanwori is the sixth-ranked safety on the PFF big board, facing more targets (24) when lined up in the box since 2023 than any safety in this class and tying for the most interceptions (three) while doing so.
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN FORCED INCOMPLETION RATE SINCE 2023
Safety Forced Incompletion Rate Coverage Snaps
Dante Trader Jr., Maryland 21.1% 676
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 20.4% 772
R.J. Mickens, Clemson 18.0% 766
Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State 17.4% 309
Dean Clark, Fresno State 16.1% 926
Andrew Mukuba, Texas 15.5% 746
Jonas Sanker, Virginia 14.9% 868
Malachi Moore, Alabama 14.5% 844
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 14.1% 886
Malaki Starks, Georgia 14.0% 929
Dante Trader Jr. is a three-year starter out of Maryland, though he didn’t put together the most promising 2024 season. Despite leading the class in this category, he finished with just a 59.5 coverage grade on the year, which ranked outside the top-200 FBS safeties. Trader also allowed the second-highest first-down-plus-touchdown rate (43.9%) when targeted to provide further context to his overall profile.
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN PFF RUN-DEFENSE GRADE SINCE 2023
Safety Run-Defense Grade Run-Defense Snaps
Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State 92.6 250
Upton Stout, Western Kentucky 92.2 537
Lathan Ransom, Ohio State 92.1 562
Malaki Starks, Georgia 90.6 665
Sebastian Castro, Iowa 88.9 685
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 82.3 701
Dante Trader Jr., Maryland 80.8 575
Malachi Moore, Alabama 78.8 646
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina 77.2 672
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 75.1 757
Winston appeared in just two games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury, though he was able to build on the elite run defense grades that he established in 2023. Winston finished 2024 with a 90.7 run-defense grade after earning a 90.6 grade in 2023, which ranked third among FBS safeties that season. Run defense is a clear strength for Winston, and after also earning an 86.8 coverage grade in 2023 as a full-time starter, there’s reason to believe in him as the top-five-ranked safety that he is on the PFF big board.
Ohio State’s Lathan Ransom is also a top-five safety on the PFF big board and thrived as a run defender, especially in 2024, when he earned an FBS-leading 93.5 run-defense grade. Ransom should get plenty of opportunities lined up in the box at the next level, where his run defense skills will be particularly useful.
TOP-10 SAFETIES IN RUN STOP RATE SINCE 2023
Safety Run-Stop Rate Run-Defense Snaps
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 6.3% 701
Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State 5.6% 250
R.J. Mickens, Clemson 4.9% 494
Jonas Sanker, Virginia 4.8% 715
Lathan Ransom, Ohio State 4.6% 562
Upton Stout, Western Kentucky 4.5% 537
Aubrey Burks, West Virginia 4.1% 391
Dan Jackson, Georgia 4.0% 346
Andrew Mukuba, Texas 4.0% 522
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina 4.0% 672
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 4.0% 757
Winston and Ransom rank among the top five in this run-defense category as well, which isn’t much of a surprise considering their class-leading run-defense grades. Joining them at the top is Wisconsin’s Hunter Wohler, who delivered more run stops (44) and a higher run-stop rate (6.3%) over the past two years than any other player in this class. Wohler likely would have been a more highly regarded safety on the PFF big board if he was able to build on his 89.9 coverage grade from 2023, but the drop-off in 2024 (67.6) seems to have cost him as he comes in as the 15th-ranked safety on the big board.
COMBINED CONSENSUS RANKING OF ALL STABLE METRICS SINCE 2023
Rank Safety PFF Big Board SAF Rank
1 Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin 15
2 R.J. Mickens, Clemson 14
3 Andrew Mukuba, Texas 7
4 Malachi Moore, Alabama 17
5 Xavier Watts, Notre Dame 2
6 Sebastian Castro, Iowa 3
7 Jonas Sanker, Virginia 8
8 Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina 6
9 Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State 4
10 Upton Stout, Western Kentucky 10
11 Dean Clark, Fresno State 12
12 Malaki Starks, Georgia 1
13 Shilo Sanders, Colorado 21
14 Alijah Clark, Syracuse 13
15 De'Rickey Wright, Vanderbilt 22
16 Aubrey Burks, West Virginia 16
17 Jordan Hancock, Ohio State 19
18 Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma 9
19 Lathan Ransom, Ohio State 5
20 Dante Trader Jr., Maryland 18
21 AkiliArnold, USC 11
22 Dan Jackson, Georgia 20
The context around Wohler’s lower ranking on the PFF big board has been provided multiple times throughout this piece, as his 2023 season lifted up his overall marks while he was unable to replicate that success in his most recent grades in 2024. Wohler’s grades weren’t overly poor, as his strength came as a run defender, but unfortunately, he has just one year out of four with a great coverage grade.
Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts is the No. 2 safety on the PFF big board, delivering an elite 90.3 coverage grade since 2023 while adding a top-10 run-defense grade over that span (75.3) for this class as well. Watts is one of the most productive safeties in this class, coming up with a class-leading 13 interceptions since 2023 while adding 41 defensive stops (fourth).
Sebastian Castro worked primarily as a slot defender at Iowa, which led to the most targets faced (136) for this class over the past two seasons. Castro’s coverage chops were clear with him earning five top-10 marks in the coverage grade categories, and with the sheer volume of targets he saw thrown his way, it’s a promising sign that he stood up to that level of volume.
Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. barely played in 2024 due to injury, though his high-end marks in 2023 were encouraging that he was ready to build on that this past season before the injury. Winston ranks among the top five safeties on the PFF big board with the hope that he’ll be able to bounce back from his torn ACL.
PFF’s No.1-ranked safety on the big board, Malaki Starks, didn’t particularly stand out across these stable metrics compared to others ranked in the top five, though his numbers still point to a well-rounded safety prospect with the potential to be a starter in the NFL. Starks is a three-year starter out of Georgia and will be just 21 years old come the NFL draft, giving him an ideal blend of youth and experience coming out of college.