The Mock Drafts have been speaking for months and most commonly predict the Vikings to add to the offensive line, defensive line or secondary during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In leading up to Round 1 on April 24, 2025, we'll take a look at o-line, d-line, cornerback and safety prospects who have garnered a range of attention from national outlets. The series will include rankings by those national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects, plus a check-in on the position room.

Vikings status at safety

Minnesota's safeties room is most likely still under construction.

The good news is Harrison Smith is committed to Year 14 in Purple after a period of speculation about his retirement for the second consecutive offseason. Smith presently ranks eighth in franchise history for regular-season games played (192), and with a full slate in 2025 will tie Carl Eller for the fourth most.

In 2024, Smith played 1,000-plus snaps on defense for the seventh time and received his highest approximate value score (7) per Pro Football Reference since his most recent Pro Bowl season, when his AV score from the site was 8 in 2021. His leadership, football intelligence and grasp of Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores' system are invaluable.

Minnesota also returns Swiss Army knife Joshua Metellus, who handled extensive snaps in the box last year in addition to moving throughout the secondary. He has 219 total tackles (141 solo) dating to 2023 when he ditched his reserve tagline and emerged as an X-factor asset in Flores' fluid defensive schemes.

Special teams mainstay Theo Jackson signed a three-year extension in March and poses to play a bigger defensive role in 2025 after starter and fan-favorite Camryn Bynum left for Indianapolis in free agency. Jackson was a ball magnet in camp and clutched a timely interception at Seattle in Week 16 last season.

Jay Ward is part of the group, as well, and will try to crack the defensive rotation after primarily working on special teams in his first two seasons. The 2023 fourth-rounder has also taken some cornerback reps.

As far as newcomers, the Vikings have added 2022 undrafted free agent Bubba Bolden and seven-year veteran DB Tavierre Thomas. Bolden participated in Minnesota's 2024 rookie minicamp on a pro tryout basis and has been part of the Seahawks and Browns organizations but has yet to make his NFL debut. He played collegiately at Miami and was teammates with Vikings receiver Jalen Nailor at Bishop Gorman HS.

Thomas entered the NFL as a UDFA in 2018 out of Ferris State and has started 22 of 98 career games. He appeared in 17 for Tampa Bay in 2024 and enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2021 with Houston, racking 86 tackles and a pair of picks, including one for a touchdown. He has cross-trained at nickel and safety.

The loss of Bynum leaves a great chance that Minnesota will address its safety depth in the NFL Draft. Smith (36), Thomas (29) and Metellus (27) hold seniority over Jackson (26), Bolden (25) and Ward (24).

Recently said

ESPN's Matt Miller on if he thinks Minnesota could use the 24^th overall pick on a safety:

"Yeah, I definitely do. And we've seen the Vikings use early picks on the safety position before. So it's absolutely an area where in this day and age of the NFL, safeties are so valuable, especially if you can get one like a Kyle Hamilton or like a Derwin James. I think this year we have Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina who fits that mold at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds. He ran a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash, but he had four picks last year as a true junior. So he is really an impactful playmaker who's still an ascending guy. He's still getting better. He's still very, very young. So, if he were, if he happened to be there at 24 – and I'm not certain that he will be [available] – he would definitely be someone I would be interested in."

NFL Network's Charles Davis on why he is projecting Malaki Starks to the Vikings at No. 24:

"Because one thing I like about really good organizations – I think the Vikings are one of those – is that you're drafting not just for now, but you're also looking ahead, and one of my favorite players of all-time is your Hitman – Harrison Smith. … Starks is the type of player that I think can emulate what Harrison has done throughout his career. I think you can use him in a variety of places. I like him best as a high safety; single-high safety, running the alley, making plays in there [with] physicality, speed, intelligence, all those things. And every time I've watched Harrison Smith play, I used to call him 'The Fixer' – and I have to be careful with that because, now with gambling, everybody thinks I'm [suggesting] something else. But he was a guy that if anything was going wrong on defense – I remember when Mike Zimmer was head coach, I just had this vision of Zim' going, 'Harrison, fix it.' … Malaki Starks could be that type of a player."

Expert Rankings

Former scout Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com put a pair of safeties in version 4.0 of his Top 50 player rankings released on April 2: South Carolina's Emmanwori (No. 15) and Georgia's Starks (29).

The Athletic's Dane Brugler has 6 on his big board of the top 100 prospects, which he updated in his comprehensive draft guide “The Beast”: Emmanwori (17), Starks (19), Notre Dame's Xavier Watts (54), Penn State's Kevin Winston, Jr., (83), Oklahoma's Billy Bowman, Jr., (85), and Virginia's Jonas Sanker (98).

Rankings for safeties by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., analytics site Pro Football Focus and Brugler are detailed below. Note: We limited the list to 10 players.

Prospects

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Nick Emmanwori

School: South Carolina | Class: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 220 pounds

2024 stats: 13 games; 88 tackles (57 solo), 6 passes defended (includes breakups and interceptions), 4 interceptions, 2 pick sixes, 3 TFL

Career stats: 37 games; 244 tackles (166 solo), 17 passes defended, 6 interceptions, 2 pick sixes, 4 TFL

Triple-A: Emmanwori, quite literally, is an All-American athlete. He garnered Freshman All-America recognition after leading the Gamecocks in tackles his first year on campus, and in 2024, he was dubbed a First-Team All-American by numerous outlets. And at the NFL Scouting Combine, he flourished, tying for the quickest 10-yard split (1.49 seconds) in the 40-yard dash and posting the best overall vertical and broad jumps among any player in 2025.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: S1

Bucky Brooks: S1

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S2

Pro Football Focus: S3

Dane Brugler: S1

Malaki Starks

School: Georgia | Class: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 197 pounds

2024 stats: 14 games; 77 tackles (52 solo), 4 passes defended, 1 interception, 4 TFL

Career stats: 43 games; 197 tackles (127 solo), 23 passes defended, 6 interceptions, 5.5 TFL

Instant impact: In his first collegiate game, Starks high-pointed a long pass for an interception off former Oregon quarterback and 2024 12^th overall draft pick Bo Nix, helping the Bulldogs beat the Ducks 49-3. That win commenced Georgia's second consecutive championship run – and the start of Starks' stardom.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: S2

Bucky Brooks: S2

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S1

Pro Football Focus: S1

Dane Brugler: S2

Xavier Watts

School: Notre Dame | Class: 5^th-year Senior | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 204 pounds

2024 stats: 16 games; 82 tackles (52 solo), 16 passes defended, 6 interceptions, 1 pick six, 3.5 TFL

Career stats: 55 games; 188 tackles (117 solo), 31 passes defended, 13 interceptions, 1 pick six, 8.5 TFL

1-of-2: NFL.com's Chad Reuter pointed out that Watts was one of only two players tabbed as consensus All-Americans in 2023 and 2024, joining Heisman Trophy winner and projected top-three pick Travis Hunter; Watts led the FBS with seven picks in 2023, and had 273 career return yards on 13 interceptions.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not ranked among Top 50 prospects

Bucky Brooks: S3

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S3

Pro Football Focus: S2

Dane Brugler: S3

Kevin Winston, Jr.

School: Penn State | Class: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 215 pounds

2024 stats: 3 games (suffered a season ending injury); 13 tackles (8 solo), 1 FF

Career stats: 28 games; 90 tackles (53 solo), 6 passes defended, 1 interception, 3.5 TFL

Second-generation star: Winston's namesake father was a top performer at defensive end for James Madison when it won the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA Championship. Winston, Sr., ranks eighth in Dukes' program history with 24.5 career sacks, compiled from 2003-06; his 11 in 2006 is a top-10 season tally at JMU.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not ranked among Top 50 prospects

Bucky Brooks: Not ranked among Top 5 S

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S4

Pro Football Focus: S4

Dane Brugler: S4

Billy Bowman, Jr.

School: Oklahoma | Class: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-10 | Wt: 192 pounds

2024 stats: 12 games; 54 tackles (34 solo), 5 passes defended, 2 interceptions, 2.5 TFL

Career stats: 47 games; 199 tackles (122), 25 passes defended, 11 interceptions, 3 pick sixes, 9 TFL

Ball magnet: In addition to double-digit picks – and three as a junior resulting in touchdowns of 44, 45 and 100 yards – Bowman recovered three fumbles during his Sooners career, including one he took the distance for a 43-yard score in 2024 that broke a 16-all tie with Missouri in the game's final two minutes. Overall, Bowman clenched 14 takeaways and amassed 294 yards (an average of 21) on defensive returns.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not ranked among Top 50 prospects

Bucky Brooks: Not ranked among Top 5 S

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S7

Pro Football Focus: S8

Dane Brugler: S5

Jonas Sanker

School: Virginia | Class: Senior | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 206 pounds

2024 stats: 12 games; 98 tackles (65 solo), 5 passes defended, 1 interception, 8.5 TFL

Career stats: 43 games; 273 tackles (176 solo), 19 passes defended, 2 interceptions, 13 TFL

Family first: Sanker was transcendent in 8-man football at The Covenant School – where his father George was headmaster for 10 years – recording 2,706 passing and rushing yards to go with 57 offensive touchdowns in his 2019 junior season. The next year, his team's fall season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Sanker responded to the adverse circumstances by taking on added responsibility of his younger siblings in support of his mom Jeannette.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not ranked among Top 50 prospects

Bucky Brooks: Not ranked among Top 5 S

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S5

Pro Football Focus: S7

Dane Brugler: S6

Andrew Mukuba

School: Texas (after Clemson) | Class: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 186 pounds

2024 stats: 15 games; 69 tackles (41 solo), 11 passes defended, 5 interceptions, 4 TFL

Career stats: 50 games (35 at Clemson); 212 tackles (131 solo), 23 passes defended, 6 interceptions, 9 TFL

Home sweet home: Mukuba was born in Zimbabwe and immigrated to America when he was 9 years old. A tight relationship with former Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables resulted in Mukuba leaving home, again – but not permanently. Mukuba returned to his Texas roots in 2024 and enjoyed a storybook season with Austinites Jahdae Barron and Michael Taaffe – friends from the Austin area that he's known for more than a decade – in a loaded Longhorns secondary. His big year was recapped here.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not ranked among Top 50 prospects

Bucky Brooks: Not ranked among Top 5 S

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S6

Pro Football Focus: S6

Dane Brugler: S7

Lathan Ransom

School: Ohio State | Class: 5^th-year Senior | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 206 pounds

2024 stats: 15 games; 76 tackles (46 solo), 3 passes defended, 1 interception, 9 TFL

Career stats: 56 games; 227 tackles (142 solo), 13 passes defended, 3 interceptions, 18 TFL

Emulation station: Ransom, an Arizona native, told Tucson.com he emulates his game after NFL safeties Budda Baker, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jevon Holland. It's no coincidence all three have a reputation for toughness and versatile skill sets. Also, Ransom was HS teammates with Falcons star RB Bijan Robinson.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not ranked among Top 50 prospects

Bucky Brooks: Not ranked among Top 5 S

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S8

Pro Football Focus: S5

Dane Brugler: S8

Malachi Moore

School: Alabama | Class: 5^th-year Senior | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 196 pounds

2024 stats: 12 games; 70 tackles (40 solo), 10 passes defended, 2 interceptions, 3 TFL

Career stats: 64 games; 214 tackles (127 solo), 31 passes defended, 7 interceptions, 15.5 TFL

Wrapping up: Moore made enormous strides as a tackler in his fifth season at Alabama, lowering his missed tackle rate to 6.8 percent in 2024 after whiffing on 20.8% and 17.3% of attempts in 2022-23, according to PFF. That efficiency helped key Moore's recognition as a Second-Team All-American from The Associated Press and restored some of the hype attached to his name before and after his commitment to the Crimson Tide.

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not ranked among Top 50 prospects

Bucky Brooks: Not ranked among Top 5 S

Mel Kiper, Jr.: Not ranked among Top 10 S

Pro Football Focus: S18

Dane Brugler: S9

Jaylen Reed

School: Penn State | Class: Senior| Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 211 pounds

2024 stats: 16 games; 98 tackles (51 solo), 6 passes defended, 3 interceptions, 1 pick six, 6.5 TFL

Career stats: 50 games; 181 tackles (110 solo), 12 passes defended, 5 interceptions, 1 pick six, 12.5 TFL

Elite mentors: Reed was a sophomore and two years younger than Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in Detroit when they teamed up to bring home a state championship. Reed has credited Gardner, a First-Team All-Pro in each of his first two NFL seasons, with shaping his development. Other mentors include former Nittany Lions teammates Jaquan Brisker (Bears) and Ji'Ayir Brown (49ers).

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not ranked among Top 50 prospects

Bucky Brooks: S4

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S9

Pro Football Focus: Not ranked

Dane Brugler: S10

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