5 Options at Safety for the Vikings First Draft Pick
Now just two weeks away from the 2025 NFL draft, we continue looking at options for the Vikings’ first draft pick. Having looked at other positions previously, we look at the options at safety.
5 Options at Safety for the Vikings First Draft Pick
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was stung with his first-ever draft selection, which was Lewis Cine. The safety suffered a horrible injury in his rookie year, and his Vikings career just never got going. With Camryn Bynum leaving in free agency, it could be time for Adofo-Mensah to return to the well and not let past indiscretions worry him.
Minnesota welcomes back Harrison Smith for one more year and has Joshua Metellus and Theo Jackson on the books. However, safety is a position that the Vikings can strengthen with an eye on the immediate and the future. These are the possible options for Minnesota, whether picking at 24 or trading back.
Malaki Starks
Malaki Starks was a playmaker in the SEC for three straight seasons. He’s a first-half of the first-round caliber talent who is a starting-caliber player for the back end of any defense. With safety not seen as a premium position, he could slide into the Vikings’ grasp.
Starks brings good football IQ, tackling, and movement ability with the potential to play either free or strong safety and in the slot — the kind of versatility that will be valued in Brian Flores’ defense. He doesn’t have top-level speed, but Starks’ ball skills are top-tier, and he has some of the most impressive interceptions you’ll see from a safety. Starks would fit seamlessly into Minnesota’s safety unit and be comfortable doing whatever job Flores asked of him in Year 1.
Nick Emmanwori
Sometimes, draft prospects are all about the possibilities their physical traits promise rather than their standard of play at the college level. This is the case with Nick Emmanwori, whose combination of elite size and speed will interest teams.
His ceiling is high due to his elite athleticism and playmaking ability. However, work is needed with his technique and instincts, and improvement is necessary when he’s down in the box. The Vikings have a defensive coach who should be able to make the most of his strengths early on while they work on improving the rest of his game. Emmanwori would be a nice pickup in the late first round; earlier than that enhances the risk-to-reward scenario.
Xavier Watts
Xavier Watts is the last of the safeties that may be around the fringe of the first round and is the best ball-hawking safety in this class, thanks to his intelligence and ability to break on the football.
The downside that likely pushes him down to a Day 2 pick is tape littered with tackling woes where he often takes bad angles to the ball carrier and plays too off-balance. There was improvement at the end of his career, but there needs to be much more to become a well-rounded NFL starting-caliber safety. Watts picked off 13 passes over the past two seasons – no other defender in the nation had more than nine in that span.
That kind of production will bring interest, and if the Vikings trade out of the first round and Watts is on the board, he is a player worth a gamble on.
Lathan Ransom
For the last two players on this list, Adofo-Mensah will need to be trading way back into the second round for them to be the Vikings’ first draft pick. Firstly, we have Lathan Random, whose toughness and tenacity make him effective in all facets of the game.
While he may lack some of the higher prospects’ tools, he has the instincts and awareness to make up for it. He was a tone-setter on the back end of Ohio State’s defense during their championship run in 2024. He’s a disruptive force in the run game, where he has garnered a useful habit of punching the ball loose. A lack of speed/burst holds him back, but he has the makings of a solid player.
Andrew Mukuba
Finally, Andrew Mukuba has excellent instincts and athleticism in coverage, making him a top free safety prospect. The downside is a weakness in run defense, where his slight frame and lack of physicality show up, and he whiffs on too many tackles. In the position Bynum has played for the Vikings over the last couple of seasons, Mukuba can be an asset. He can transition out of his pedal in a flash and cover ground quickly, allowing him to make plays on the ball and take aggressive angles in pursuit.
Mukuba is explosive, although there are concerns about his ability to play the run in the box or blitz. There is plenty to like from his coverage skills, and his weaknesses could be improved with some added strength and improved tackling technique.
Our 10 Draft Predictions for the Vikings
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