The New Orleans Saints don’t have an immediate need at safety on their roster, but it is certainly looming. Tyrann Mathieu is aging and Marcus Maye has two years on his contract.
The team did select Jordan Howden in the most recent draft, but they could add some more dynamic players at the position in the upcoming draft cycle. There are a lot of fun ballhawks entering the draft in 2024, which could be intriguing to the Saints if they miss having a Marcus Williams-type player around. With Mathieu aging, they could also be looking at box safeties and more versatile pieces which this class has as well.
Here are the names to keep an eye on at Safety as the season begins to ramp up this week:
1 | Cooper DeJean, Iowa
DeJean could be listed as a cornerback, safety, linebacker or literally any position on the field and probably front office if you asked him to do it. For the Saints, he’d likely be a safety so that’s what we’ll consider him for this series. He’s one of the best defenders in college football and definitely the most versatile. He had 75 tackles along with five interceptions and an absurd three of them returned for touchdowns last season.
When to watch him: Sept. 23, at Penn State (CBS)
2 | Kamren Kinchens, Miami
Kinchens is your more traditional free safety that will sit overtop the defense. He is one of the most impressive coverage players in college football an is certainly a ball hawk. He had six interceptions last year, one returned for a touchdown, and six more passes broken up. He’s not the most active run defender or best tackler, which would be the biggest knock on him, but he makes up for it in other ways.
When to watch him: Sept. 9 vs. Texas A&M (ABC)
3 | Calen Bullock, USC
Bullock is a ball-hawking safety that brings vibes of Marcus Williams. He’s tall and lanky, gets a lot of interceptions but is not the best against the run. Bullock needs to add some weight to be able to cover some NFL receivers but certainly has the skill set to stick on an NFL roster.
When to watch him: Oct. 21 vs. Utah
4 | Andrew Mukuba, Clemson
Mukuba was once the clear prize of this safety class, but had a really down year in 2022. He’s an athlete that has some tools but needs to find the consistency to be the top player again that he was as a freshman. He played a lot in the slot and it really did not seem to fit him that well. He is a rangy player that could be used well in a more traditional safety role. He hasn’t been at 100% so maybe a more healthy season is the key to rising up boards again.
When to watch him: Sept. 23 vs. Florida State
5 | Cole Bishop, Utah
Bishop is a fun box safety that showcased some versatility last year at Utah. He had two sacks and forced 15 quarterback hurries, a great number for a safety. He’s lined up in quite a few different spots on defense but really shines in that box role, similar to how the Saints use Mathieu. He has stats all over the place with 137 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, an interception and eight passes broken up in his career.
When to watch him: Aug. 31 vs. Florida (ESPN)
Honorable mentions
James Williams, Miami
Aubrey Burks, West Virginia
Rod Moore, Michigan
Hudson Clark, Arkansas
Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
