Welcome to my Early Look: 2026 NFL Draft IDP Defensive Back Prospects article, where I will examine the defensive back position before the NFL Draft in order to examine which ones you should be following in your Pre-NFL Draft IDP Rookie scouting process.
I just finished watching the Stranger Things season finale, which left a lot to be desired. Seriously, my daughter asked to fast-forward the last 30 minutes. Feeling underwhelmed, watching that finale was like drafting a defensive back purely because he “tested well,” only to realize he’s now a special-teams player. The episode itself offered more suspense than payoff, much like starting a rookie safety who produces three assisted tackles but gets a solid PFF grade. The Upside Down portal has been officially less chaotic than our college portal. Good grief.
This has been our rookie DB Draft classes the last few years. From the names of Sydney Brown, Emmanuel Forbes, and Lewis Cine. First-round type hype, Upside Down results. Drafted to stop monsters, ended up trapped in another dimension entirely.
I found myself drawing these types of comparisons because the last four years of defensive back draft classes have had tons of buildup and big expectations… only to walk away thinking, “That’s it?”
Much like Vecna lurking in the Upside Down, potential has been hovering but rarely crossing over into real, weekly fantasy relevance outside of the top players at the position.
We were promised chaos. Instead, we got rotational snaps, “developmental years,” and DBs who disappeared faster than a Demogorgon in daylight. Every offseason, we convinced ourselves this would be the breakout year… and every fall, we were wondering where the production went.
Now here’s where the tone shifts because I think this may be the strongest defensive back class we’ve seen in years. Yes. I said that. Taken by a guy who commonly fades as a defensive back.
Unlike Season 5, this one actually delivers. We are going to take a look at 24 prospects this early, with at least five guys I could see blossoming into DB1s day one. The class itself is deep, it’s versatile, and it’s built for the modern NFL. Waiting on Quan Martin’s production seems all but a distant memory, like a Dr. Brenner lab project engineered to do everything but never released into the world with a clearer purpose.
If the last few DB classes were like binge-watching an entire season to get a tease for next year, this class may get us here. The monsters are real, the stakes are high, and, most importantly, the production shows up immediately.
This time, the Upside Down actually flipped.
| Name | College | Projection | Bowl Invite | Role | Targeted Catch Rate % | Box Snap | Slot Snap | Deep Coverage Snaps | PD per Snap | INT per Snap | 2024 PDs | 2024 INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Downs | Ohio St. | Top 10 | Slot DB/ SS | 62.5 | 339 | 160 | 393 | 0.00336 | 0.00224 | 3 | 2 | |
| Genesis Smith* | Arizona | Top 50 | Chess Piece | 60.5 | 135 | 354 | 218 | 0.00566 | 0.00424 | 4 | 3 | |
| Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | Toledo | Top 50 | Senior | Zone Box/ SS | 66.7 | 292 | 65 | 171 | 0.00758 | 0.00189 | 4 | 1 |
| Dillon Thieneman | Oregon | Top 50 | Man Zone | 77.8 | 214 | 102 | 450 | 0.00783 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Kamari Ramsey | USC | Day 2 | Chess Piece | 70 | 167 | 164 | 273 | 0.00828 | 0.00166 | 5 | 1 | |
| Zakee Wheatley | Penn St. | Day 2 | Senior | Center Fielder | 62.5 | 168 | 151 | 560 | 0.00455 | 0.00341 | 4 | 3 |
| AJ Haulcy | LSU | Day 2 | Senior | Deep Saftey/Box | 61.5 | 234 | 100 | 363 | 0.00861 | 0.00717 | 6 | 5 |
| Jermod McCoy | Tennessee | Top 20 | Outside CB | 50 | 49 | 20 | 0 | 0.08696 | 0.05797 | 6 | 4 | |
| Mansoor Delane | LSU | Top 20 | Shutdown CB | 47.2 | 65 | 16 | 16 | 0.04124 | 0.04124 | 4 | 4 | |
| Keith Abney II | Arizona St. | 1st Round | Outside/Slot CB | 57.5 | 86 | 12 | 0 | 0.08163 | 0.03061 | 8 | 3 | |
| Brandon Cisse | South Carolina | 1st Round | Slot CB | 51.9 | 69 | 69 | 1 | 0.02158 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Colton Hood | Tennessee | Top 50 | Outside/ ZoneCB | 53.1 | 59 | 61 | 0 | 0.04167 | 0.01667 | 5 | 2 | |
| Avieon Terrell | Clemson | Top 50 | Outside/Press CB | 51.5 | 45 | 12 | 4 | 0.16393 | 0.03279 | 10 | 2 | |
| Jalon Kilgore | South Carolina | 2nd/3rd Round | Senior | Free Safety/ Press | 66.7 | 165 | 577 | 31 | 0.00647 | 0.00647 | 5 | 5 |
| Bray Hubbard | Alabama | Third Day 3 | Box Safety/Slot CB | 55.6 | 132 | 129 | 161 | 0.00474 | 0.00711 | 2 | 3 | |
| Bishop Fitzgerald | USC | 3rd Day 3 | Box Safety | 61.8 | 208 | 112 | 397 | 0.00837 | 0.00419 | 6 | 3 | |
| Jalen Huskey | Maryland | 3rd Round | Shrine | Chess Piece | 60 | 211 | 71 | 134 | 0 | 0.00721 | 0 | 3 |
| Keon Sabb | Alabama | 3rd Round | Box Safety | 70.8 | 121 | 149 | 160 | 0.0093 | 0.00465 | 4 | 2 | |
| Michael Taaffe | Texas | Day 3 | Senior | Box Safety | 61.1 | 163 | 99 | 550 | 0.00985 | 0.00246 | 8 | 2 |
| Jakobe Thomas | Miami (FL) | Day 3 | Senior | Split-Safety | 75 | 89 | 35 | 136 | 0.00769 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Isaiah Nwokobia | SMU | Day 3 | Center Fielder | 77.1 | 280 | 164 | 371 | 0.00245 | 0.00368 | 2 | 3 | |
| Bud Clark | TCU | Day 3 | Box Safety | 61.1 | 442 | 234 | 156 | 0.00481 | 0.00361 | 4 | 3 |
*All college defensive statistics sourced from NCAA.org, team official sites, ESPN, and PFF snap counts. We’ll have 2025 updates once the playoff season ends, for the next series of articles.”
Early Tier One Defensive Back Prospects
Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Widely regarded as a once-in-a-generation safety talent. A two-time unanimous All-American (2024 and 2025) and back-to-back Big Ten Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year awardee. Downs stands out as a top-six pick in the 2026 NFL Draft class. If he doesn’t go that early, it’s likely because GMs don’t value spending a draft pick at that position so highly. His game justifies it by elite instincts, exceptional versatility, and explosive athleticism, drawing frequent comparisons to legends like Troy Polamalu and Ed Berry.
He thrives in every alignment you could think of, deep safety, slot corner, or in the box, so it’s hard to define him except for his ability to process plays exceptionally and bring high IQ, and he follows it up with violent tackles.
Downs began his college career at Alabama in 2023, where he was thrust into a starting role as a true freshman and led the Crimson Tide in tackles, earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors. After transferring to Ohio State, he continued to turn heads. He has good tape, including a dominant performance against Michigan in 2024 with a career-high 11 tackles and an interception, and another, most notably, with a thrilling 79-yard punt return touchdown against Indiana. Followed by another strong campaign in 2025 with 68 tackles (45 solo). He has proven to the world and NFL scouts to be a proven leader and culture-changer.
Caleb Downs comes from strong NFL bloodlines; his older brother Josh Downs is a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, his father,r Gary Downs, played running back for the New York Giants, and his uncle is former All-Pro cornerback Dre Bly of the Detroit Lions. This football pedigree shines through in his play, as evidenced by his 189 tackles over three seasons of college football, separated by two different teams.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren brings an imposing physical presence (6’3 “, 209 lbs) and a knack for creating turnovers, with 11 forced fumbles over his career. Profiles as a hard-hitting safety. He also has five interceptions over the same span so that he will get a boost in big-play scoring leagues.
Breaking down the seasons, you’ll find he is incredibly productive; 2025 was a strong season for him, with 13 games played and 77 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 INTs.
Despite being hurt in 2024, still put up elite production at times. Film study will show some pretty good tape in ’24 against the University of Massachusetts, where he put on a career-high 11 tackles despite the obstacles.
Struggles more in man coverage than most in this tier, but that might not be such a bad thing. He may not be a single high-safety next-level player, but in a specific role, he might excel as one of the better split safeties playing down in the box in the entire league. That is why IDP Owners need to be aware of him, because a good landing spot that may translate into production. He’s a player I want to see up close, as he will be playing at the Senior Bowl.
Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
Dillon Thieneman, who transferred from Purdue, has another year of eligibility. Rumored to run a 4.4 speed and stands out as a multi-alignment safety “chess piece.”
At Purdue, Dillon Thieneman aligned deep zone safety, where he showcased elite ball skills, producing six interceptions in 2023. Critics have pointed out that his interception total dropped to just two after transferring to Oregon in 2025, but this shift does not tell the whole story. As good IDP owners know, raw box-score stats often mislead and don’t tell the entire story.
The change reflected his box alignment. Oregon used him more as a competent in-scrimmage defender than ever before, allowing him to impact the game closer to the line of scrimmage while maintaining strong coverage.
Thieneman led Purdue in tackles for two straight years (106 in 2023 and 104 in 2024), accumulating 210 tackles across his time there before adding 83 more in 2025 at Oregon, with a missed tackle rate of 10.3%, playing multiple positions for the Ducks.
The key takeaway here is that he could play in any role and profiles as a three-down defender. Earned the FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year and All-America honors with his ability to transform a defensive culture. The modern NFL demands that safeties have to be capable of executing various assignments, while still providing run support without sacrificing coverage ability, which will likely make him a top 50 selection.
AJ Haulcy, LSU
🐯LSU S A.J. Haulcy is a thick 5-11, 222, triggering downhill & striking your ass.
— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) December 20, 2025
A complete tackler, quickly takes good angles & instinctively picks up on passing concepts from zone.
Senior Bowl having Haulcy, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, & Zakee Wheatley 🔥
🎥 @ihatebbls https://t.co/UNPoCRsmvp pic.twitter.com/uChXxbVbM4
AJ Haulcy, no question, established himself as one of the premier safeties in the SEC. He possesses ball-hawk skills and great instincts, which trigger production. His outstanding play earned him First-Team All-SEC recognition and First-Team All-American honors from outlets such as Sporting News.
In 2025, he recorded 89 tackles (approximately 49 solo) and three interceptions. Haulcy posted one of the highest PFF grades among SEC safeties (around 87.8 in coverage), proving he could lock down defenders in both man and zone. At the same time, all of this has put him on the map, being heralded as a Breakout defender. The irony is that he already broke out before.
The year prior, in 2024 at Houston, Haulcy garnered first-Team All-Big 12 honors, with five interceptions, ranking second in the league with 13 total passes defended. A smaller sample size, but this season was another victory with 74 tackles, with 43 being solos.
If you want to look at tape of his game, look no further than the standout interceptions (two) he snagged versus TCU.
He is ranked lower because he is one of the smaller guys (6’0) and plays a lot of his snaps deep. But he is a big hitter and spends more than enough time in the box. With a ten percent career missed tackle rate, he’ll be a starter soon in the NFL.
Genesis Smith, Arizona
Genesis Smith truly shines on tape and does two things well: elite pass coverage skillsand finding ways to punch the ball out. Arguably the best man-coverage safeties in this entire 2026 draft class, where he leverages his lengthy frame and background as a former track and field high jumper to excel in contested situations. Nicknamed a “zone eraser” by scouts, for his ability to play elite press, he has not given up a single touchdown in 2025. This is one of the main reasons why Arizona ranked 7th nationally in passing yards allowed.
Smith became a full-time starter in 2024 and carried that momentum into a strong 2025 campaign with a career-high of 77 tackles. Tape shows standout performances, including 10 tackles (6 solo) in a game against Arizona State. He consistently rips at the football, executing the “peanut punch” effectively to create turnovers, recording two forced fumbles in both years 2024 and 2025.
His ball-tracking skill is also impressive, with three interceptions in 2024 and 1 in 2025. The 2025 season was the challenge, as teams knew who he was and often game planned around him. Yet, still finished with eight pass breakups, which led the team despite his lockdown reputation.
His main weakness is pursuit angles; his missed tackle rate is above 20%, which can be alarming, but it’s mainly due to his bad pursuit angles and one-armed tackles. Still, teams trying to build a defense with advanced pass-heavy concepts will love this blue-chip player. This is a bit high, and there are questions, but it’s only January. I could see a team unlock him to the next level. Tackles are a concern, and I am waiting to see if he returns to school or comes out during this draft class.
Early Tier Two Defensive Back Prospects
Kamari Ramsey, USC
Overall, Ramsey (no relation to Jalen) had a solid but down year statistically, with lower production of just 27 tackles. This is compared to his breakout 2024 season, when he had 60 tackles. Why the sudden change? This is primarily due to the team out-positioning him to play a slot role, which he didn’t produce in, but he did limit his passing plays and miss tackle rate (PFF graded him amongst the top with 88.1 PFF in coverage)
We have identified that Ramsey could play at a high level at any position, and that’s what scouts will like the most. He identifies route concepts across deep safety, slot, and box duties and particularly excels in man coverage. He is a real-life coverage defender, with just two interceptions in his career, so landing spot and position will elevate his ranking. View him as a low-end chess piece on the field, regardless of how the production reads.
Zakee Wheatley, Penn State
Played both wide receiver and defensive back, as well as basketball, in high school. Zakee Wheatley had to wait his time after redshirting and being a two-star recruit to get on the field until 2023, when KJ Winston got injured. Then it all changed.
This put him in the National spotlight, where he continued to shine with 96 tackles (58 solos) while snagging three interceptions and forcing a fumble across 16 starts. He could have gone to the Pros on just this hype train alone. Instead, he came back for another season. He followed it up in 2025, when Wheatley, recording another solid season, had 75 tackles, with a whopping 54 solo tackles.
This got him the attention he deserved. Standing 6’2, he has a long-range, instinctive ballhawk who thrives in deep coverage with advanced feel and outstanding ball production. If you want tape on him, look to the 2024 Fiesta Bowl, where he earned Defensive MVP honors with an interception and a fumble recovery on a thumping they put on Boise State. I’m convinced.
*Update 1/03/2026: On my watch list. I have no idea. He might not come out, as rumors swirl he may transfer in the porter, but he’s a prospect I have my eye on. If he could clean up press issues and a few tackles here and there, he could challenge as one of the top defensive backs in this draft class, though. When the transfer portal closes, we’ll know for sure.
Jalon Kilgore – South Carolina
On my watch list. Strong run defender. Capable of playing many positions. He may not come out after a poor 2025 season, but we’ll see if he makes the transition.
Bray Hubbard – Alabama
Another on my watch list. Bray Hubbard is a former quarterback who understands how to read coverages well. His experience displays keen zone instincts, baiting throws, and the ability to generate interceptions. He contributes solidly against the run and contributes to special teams, so he should be a value mid-round selection.
Terry Moore, Duke
A deeper late selection to consider is Terry Moore, who in ’24 earned Second-Team All-ACC and Second-Team with 71 tackles. At one point, while leading PFF in grading him as the nation’s second-highest safety (90.1 overall, 89.2 coverage), he is often buried on these lists as he suffered an ACL injury in the 2025 season.
Bishop Fitzgerald, USC
Watch list. Could make a case as a top-10 Safety in the next few months. Already has already proven to be a disruptive playmaker who creates turnovers with ease. The tape shows good coverage and many plays near the line of scrimmage. I could see it and make a case for it.
Cornerbacks and Honorable Mentions
Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
Cornerback, Excellent in man-coverage corner and wins 50/50 balls. Really good at contested catches. Film highlights show he excelled as an outside corner and consistently wins contested situations, marking him as one of the top corners selected.
Mansoor Delane, LSU
Cornerback with a true shutdown label, and will be in contention as a realistic top ten selection. Dominating in both man and zone will be hard for teams to pass up on.
Xavier Scott, Illonis
A corner back who was putting up pinball stats, he broke out in 2024 with First-Team All-Big Ten honors, recording 49 tackles, four interceptions (including a pick-six), six pass breakups, 2.0 TFL, one sack, and one forced fumble while earning a strong 82.3 PFF grade (third among Big Ten CBs). He got hurt in 2025, so the jury is out.
Avieon Terrell, Clemson
Does everything you want and is considered a top-3 cornerback prospect, but I’m not as convinced. Durability concerns (and this is a challenging position for injuries to play in the NFL), Terrell does everything you want, plays the ball, makes plays, and strips the football. Still, his tape and production look like a Round 2 grade but legitimate CB1 ceiling.
Brandon Cisse, South Carolina
Cornerback, plays the outside; more of a long-speed player, but physical traits have him as a fringe late-first-rounder.
Colton Hood, Tennessee
Cornerback excels as a physical man corner using mirroring and press skills exceptionally well—possible first-round outside corner.
Keith Abney II, Arizona State
Cornerback, Tier-2 level. Very good in man or zone concepts. Pre-snap reads specialist and studies the coverage, putting himself in a position to make plays.
Jalen Huskey, Maryland
A Safety/ Cornerback player and former three-star recruit. A bit lower in rank, he could rise during the evaluation process. He offers top athleticism and could fit well, providing a team with many options in passing coverage. We’ll take a look at the Senior Bowl.
Keon Sabb, Alabama
Saftey. A value pick once the elite name comes off the board. Contributes against both the run and the pass, with dependable average tackling and coverage. Can line up anywhere.
Michael Taaffe, Texas
Safety relies on football IQ to overcome average athletic ability. People like him, but for now, size concerns, he profiles as a rotational player.
Jakobe Thomas, Miami
Safety showcases run-stopping in-the-box duties, likely on special teams.
Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU
Safety, good against the run, and producing turnovers. Can’t play single high, but can be a role player at the next level.
Bud Clark, TCU
BUD CLARK TIP DRILL 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XBC9MGty3h
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) November 8, 2025
Safety, but could play slot. Bud Clark is an instinctive ballhawk who needs a bit of polish but finds his way to the football.
