- Antonio Johnson leads the way: The Jaguars’ third-year pro had a stellar season in 2025.
- The Seahawks and Lions dominate the rankings: The Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions share five players in the top-20 rankings.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes
Safeties aren’t just split into strong safeties and free safeties anymore. As the NFL continues to diversify its defensive palette, the roles are becoming more advanced and versatile.
Below are the highest-graded safeties from the 2025 NFL season.
1. Antonio Johnson, Jacksonville Jaguars (86.9)
Antonio Johnson’s slow-burning first two seasons in the NFL were compounded by a lackluster 43.8 PFF grade in 2024, but the former Texas A&M Aggie fully broke out in his third season in the NFL on one of the NFL’s most-improved defenses.
Johnson’s exemplary play in coverage was the driving force for his lift off, allowing just 202 yards while snagging five interceptions. His 87.6 PFF coverage grade led all safeties.
2. Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens (85.9)
Kyle Hamilton is the bar for safeties in the NFL. The former 2022 first-round pick is one of the most impactful defenders in the sport, and continues to play outstanding football year after year. Hamilton has earned a top-10 grade in all four seasons in the league.
Whether he’s lined up in the box, in the slot, as a deep safety or even on the edge as a blitzer, Hamilton is a menace. His 33 stops were the seventh-most among safeties, and his 84.3 PFF coverage grade and 91.2 PFF pass-rushing grade were the second-best. The word might feel cliché, but Hamilton is truly a generational player.
3. Jalen Pitre, Houston Texans (84.4)
The Texans’ defense was one of the best units in the NFL in 2025, and the hard-hitting play of Jalen Pitre was a huge reason why. Pitre’s 84.4 PFF grade this past season was a career high, as were his 32 stops. Like Hamilton, his modus operandi is his versatility.
Pitre spent most of his defensive snaps lined up in the slot, and his 83.1 PFF coverage grade was fourth among safeties. His ability to cover, as well as play downhill and tackle, means that the Texans were able to line up in nickel personnel on 74.5% of their snaps — the second-highest rate in the NFL.
4. Bryan Cook, Kansas City Chiefs (83.5)
One year after becoming a full-time starter, the Chiefs’ Bryan Cook had a breakout season in 2025. Primarily a free safety, Cook has become one of the best safeties in coverage in pro football, as his 83.2 PFF coverage grade was third among safeties.
Cook was more of an impact player against the run, too. He earned a career-best 80.1 PFF run-defense grade, 17th among safeties, and tallied nine run stops. Further, his 5.6% missed tackle rate was the lowest of his career, and Cook compiled an 88.4 PFF tackling grade — fourth at the position.
5. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins (81.8)
After a couple of years of declining play with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minkah Fitzpatrick found his way back to the Miami Dolphins ahead of 2025 and rolled back the clock with a strong performance. Fitzpatrick compiled his highest PFF grade since 2022 this season and was one of just a few Dolphins defenders to consistently perform.
Fitzpatrick allowed only 9.4 yards per reception in coverage, the lowest mark of his career, along with 253 yards in coverage. His 78.3 PFF coverage grade was eighth among safeties, and Fitzpatrick registered a solid 79.6 PFF run-defense grade.
6. Julian Love, Seattle Seahawks (79.8)
Julian Love missed a large chunk of the 2025 NFL season with a hamstring injury, and even though the Seahawks’ defense was the best unit in the NFL without Love, Seattle was especially a force when he returned. Through the final five weeks of the regular season, Love notched a 90.3 PFF grade, the highest among all safeties in the NFL.
This year, Love permitted just nine of 21 targets to be caught, the second-lowest completion percentage given up, while surrendering 83 yards in coverage. In each of the last four seasons, he’s totaled four or more pass breakups and has snagged at least two interceptions. Primarily a free safety, Love notched an 82.7 PFF coverage grade, fifth among safeties.
7. Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers (79.3)
After receiving All-Pro honors in 2024, Packers safety Xavier McKinney came back with another strong performance in 2025. McKinney might be the premier free safety in the NFL, but he played more snaps in the box (419) than ever before this year. That coincided with an 82.8 PFF run-defense grade, ninth at the position and comfortably the highest of McKinney’s career.
He was still a blanket in the secondary, though. McKinney recorded a career-high nine pass breakups — the second-most in the NFL — and allowed a completion percentage of just 56.3% when targeted, which was the eighth-lowest. Just another exceptional season from McKinney.
8. Avonte Maddox, Detroit Lions (79.1)
Injuries hit the Lions hard in 2025. That meant peripheral players had to step up, and when Brian Branch went down with a torn Achilles late in the season, it was former Eagles defensive back Avonte Maddox who thrived. Maddox played sparingly early in the season, but really earned his keep from Week 14 onward.
Maddox compiled a 90.3 PFF grade against the Cowboys in Week 14 on 80 snaps. From Week 14 to the end of the regular season, his 84.8 PFF grade was sixth among safeties. Now, he heads into free agency with a head of steam and a career-high 75.0 PFF coverage grade in 2025.
9. Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers (78.7)
Derwin James earned second-team All-Pro honors for the second straight season in 2025, and the former first-round pick remains one of the best safeties in football. Like many of the other top players at his position, James is extremely versatile. He earned an 80.0 PFF coverage grade in 2025, his highest since 2019, and remains an exceptional blitzer after notching 13 pressures and three sacks.
James’ 34 stops were the third-most among safeties, too. Although his 71.1 PFF run-defense grade was a drop from his 87.9 mark in 2024, James is still one of the best safeties against the run. He was a key part of a top defense in 2025 and should continue to be a difference-maker.
10. Kamren Kinchens, Los Angeles Rams (78.0)
The Rams’ defense was an elite unit in 2025, and though the Los Angeles secondary felt beatable at times, the group was generally a sound piece of the defense. In his second season in the NFL, Kamren Kinchens’ role in the Rams’ secondary grew, and his 78.0 PFF grade was in the top 10 among safeties.
Kinchens’ 8.2 yards per reception allowed in coverage was the ninth-lowest at the position, and his 81.9 PFF coverage grade was sixth. His 24 stops were in the top 20 as well. Kinchens is going to be a good player for a long time.
11. Thomas Harper, Detroit Lions (77.8)
It wasn’t just Avonte Maddox who had to step into the frame for the Lions. When the Lions’ other starting safety, Kerby Joseph, went down in Week 6, it was waiver-wire pick up Thomas Harper who filled the void. Harper was targeted just 10 times on 285 coverage snaps, permitted five receptions for 84 yards. His 75.9 PFF coverage grade was 10th.
Harper was more than capable when he filled in as a run defender, too. His 72.5 PFF run-defense grade was 43rd among safeties. He could be a valuable piece of the Lions' defense in 2026.
12. Kamren Curl, Los Angeles Rams (77.8)
Kamren Curl has been an influential figure in the Rams’ defense since he signed with the team in 2024. His 77.8 PFF grade in 2025 was the second-highest of his career, and his best since 2022. A top-notch defender against the run, Curl’s 87.9 PFF run-defense grade was third among safeties in 2025, and his 36 stops were fourth.
Curl was just as effective in coverage. His four pass breakups tied for 21st at the position, and Curl’s three interceptions tied for the most in his career. He’s an excellent tackler, too: Curl’s 87.0 PFF tackling grade was seventh-best.
13. Brian Branch, Detroit Lions (77.5)
Brian Branch’s torn Achilles wasn’t just devastating news for the Lions, but for the entire NFL. Branch has been one of the top defensive backs in the league since he was a second-round pick in 2023, and was in the midst of another strong season in 2025.
Branch produced a 4.9% missed tackle rate, the sixth-lowest among safeties, and his 87.7 PFF tackling grade was sixth. Whether in coverage or defending the run, Branch got it done. Let’s hope he can be fully healthy in 2026.
14. Kevin Byard, Chicago Bears (75.4)
Even in his early 30s, Bears safety Kevin Byard is playing productive football. He’s still a gifted ballhawk in the secondary, picking off seven passes in 2025 — his most since 2017. Byard was well-equipped in coverage, allowing 331 yards — 31st among safeties — and compiling a 71.6 PFF coverage grade.
Byard was great when asked to defend the run, too. His 82.6 PFF run-defense grade was 10th at the position, and his 14 stops against the run placed 17th. Byard likely doesn’t have too many years left at the top, but he’s making them count.
15. Jaylinn Hawkins, New England Patriots (74.9)
Jaylinn Hawkins has bounced around a couple of teams since being a regular starter for the Falcons in 2022, but he’s found a home in the Patriots’ secondary over the last two seasons. His 74.9 PFF grade in 2025 was a career high, and Hawkins’ performances on the Patriots’ defense helped get the team to Super Bowl 60.
Hawkins accrued a career-high four interceptions this season, and his 74.7 PFF coverage grade was 13th among safeties. He now heads into free agency off the back of a good season and will likely have suitors beyond the Patriots.
16. Chuck Clark, Pittsburgh Steelers (74.6)
Veteran safety Chuck Clark was a late offseason addition to the Steelers’ secondary and became a valuable rotational player from the word “go”. Clark’s 74.6 PFF grade was a career high. Although he played just 470 snaps on defense — his lowest snap count since his second season in the NFL — he proved to be incredibly impactful against the run.
Clark’s 86.5 PFF run-defense grade was the best of his career, and fourth-highest among all safeties. Moreover, Clark’s 67.2 PFF coverage grade was also his highest since 2020, and his four pass breakups tied a personal watermark.
17. Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers (74.4)
After missing eight games in 2024 due to injury, Antoine Winfield bounced back with a stout performance in 2025. Winfield remains one of the best blitzing safeties in the NFL, as his 15 pressures were the fourth-most at the position in 2025.
Winfield’s 60.5 PFF run-defense grade was the lowest of his career, but he was still a force in coverage. His six pass breakups were tied for the fifth-most in the NFL, and Winfield compiled a 74.3 PFF coverage grade — 14th at the position.
18. Nick Emmanwori, Seattle Seahawks (74.2)
Former second-round pick Nick Emmanwori was heralded as a game-changer for the Seahawks. The former Gamecock helped give Seattle a real edge in a year that ended with their first Super Bowl win since the 2013 NFL season. Like Pitre, Emmanwori’s versatility allowed the Seahawks to play primarily in nickel and dictate the flow of the game on their own terms.
Emmanwori is a freak athlete at 6-foot-3 and 227 lbs, and his 12 pass breakups were the most in the NFL despite being a rookie. He also tallied the most pressures (20) and sacks (3) among safeties — all in his first season in the league.
19. Ty Okada, Seattle Seahawks (73.1)
Ty Okada stepped into a bigger role when Love went down with an injury and did more than enough to play a pivotal role in the secondary when the veteran returned. Okada did everything that was asked of him. He was strong against the run, compiling a 73.9 PFF run-defense grade, generated eight pressures as a blitzer and earned a 70.0 PFF coverage grade.
The former undrafted free agent carved out a role for himself on the best defense in the NFL. While he’ll likely serve as a rotational player in 2026, he showed that he can make an impact when called upon.
20. Xavier Watts, Atlanta Falcons (72.4)
Xavier Watts was the Falcons’ third-round pick in 2025 and a part of an impactful rookie class, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The former Notre Dame safety was a ballhawk in his first season as a pro, picking off five passes — the second-most among safeties.
Watts’ 73.1 PFF coverage grade was 19th among all safeties in 2025, and his 74.3 PFF tackling grade was 22nd at the position. He’ll continue to grow into one of the top safeties in football.
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