Best available safety in 2026 NFL Draft: Updated results, top prospects still on board originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NFL Draft has arrived. No more conjecture or hypothetical. Five months of preparations and the biggest job interview in the world will now become real. Viewers have become accustomed to certain similarities. The best quarterbacks, edge rushers, offensive linemen and cornerbacks are towards the top, while running backs, safeties and linebackers are less prioritized at the top. In 2026, they throw out almost all the positional tendencies and trends. Safety is one of the thinner position groups in this draft. Not to say it's without depth or quality players after the first round. Caleb Downs and Emmanuel McNeill-Warren should come off in the first round. Dillon Thieneman, AJ Haulcy could even sneak into that top 50 conversation. This group will have projected or eventual starters into the fifth round.
The 2026 NFL draft kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday in Pittsburgh (ESPN, ABC and NFL Network-- available on Fubo), The Las Vegas Raiders will likely select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick.
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