Normally, the safety position is near the bottom of the food chain this time of year. Not that many safeties get drafted in the first round, and it is very rare to see one go in the top 10.
As NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock aptly put it: “It’s not sexy to talk safeties.”
But times have changed. In an NFL game that is more about matchups than ever, teams are using safeties all over the back end. Suddenly, it’s a position in more demand.
“Very much so,” said Russ Lande, the former Rams scout now with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.