Early NFL Draft round safety prospects and shocking small school talent impress at 2025 NFL Combine raising their draft stocks
The 2025 NFL Combine is a wrap. Every position group saw some players rise and fall, but the safety position was more surprising than most.Yes, Nick Emmanwori blew everyone away like we expected, but should he be the top safety now? And a few shocking performances might flip the safety rankings outside of the early […]
The 2025 NFL Combine is a wrap. Every position group saw some players rise and fall, but the safety position was more surprising than most.
Yes, Nick Emmanwori blew everyone away like we expected, but should he be the top safety now? And a few shocking performances might flip the safety rankings outside of the early rounds now, but by how much?
Let's take a dive into all the special NFL Combine winners among the safeties in the 2025 NFL Draft class.
Nick Emmanwori, S South Carolina
It's hard to overstate just how absurdly impressive Nick Emmanwori tested at the NFL Combine. If he were to test as most every other position except for linebacker Emmanwori was a 100th percentile athlete; one of the most impressive performances of all time.
6'3", 220 pounds. Arms as long as an offensive lineman. 4.38 seconds in the forty. 43 inches in the vert. 11 and a half feet in the broad jump. Just unreal.
When we mix his results with the fact that the consensus top overall safety Malaki Starks put up a 27th percentile athletic profile it would not be shocking at all to see Emmanwori as the first safety off the board in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft now.
Kitan Crawford, S Nevada
Kitan Crawford could never break through into a full time role when he was with the Texas Longhorns, but he flashed incredible ability once he transferred to Nevada. However, the strange part about his 97th percentile A to Z Sports Athletic Composite was that it looks like he was completely underutilized, even for Nevada too.
The Wolf Pack used him primarily as a box safety when in reality his elite athletic profile would have almost assuredly performed better as a free roaming deep safety. Among his speed, burst, and agility scores he tested no worse than 87th percentile, showcasing a complete pro-ready athletic profile. Crawford likely flies past several day three prospects in the safety rankings.
Marques Sigle, Kansas State
Kansas State isn't a small school program like Nevada, but he got his start at the FCS level with North Dakota State before transferring up to the FBS. Sigle starred primarily in the slot for Kansas Sate, spending some time in the box as well, but doesn't get some shine as a top defensive back in this class. He might get a second look from every NFL team now. His 4.37-second forty-yard dash and elite vertical and broad jumps gave him a 96th percentile athletic profile. Sigle likely leaps from priority undrafted free agent to potential mid day three option now.
Honorable Mentions
Jonas Sanker (Virginia), Craig Woodson (California), R.J. Mickens (Clemson), and Billy Bowman Jr. (Oklahoma) all posted A to Z Sports Athletic Composite Scores above the 75th percentile as well, cementing their status as potential mid-round 2025 NFL Draft selections. Billy Bowman and R.J. Mickens are the two most likely safeties of this bunch to rise into the back end of day two now as they were already considered quite close to that range.
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We'll be back with more NFL Draft coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
If you want to see why Nick Emmanwori isn't just some workout warrior, but perhaps the best safety in the entire 2025 NFL Draft class just check out some of his highlights in the video below!
