The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s annual nine-part series previewing the top players in the
2025 NFL draft (April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wis.) continues with defensive backs.
This is a fairly strong defensive backs class mostly because of the cornerbacks and a couple of top-line safeties. The defensive backs’ best draft value is likely late in the first round and through the second round. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is atop the class, which could have as many as five first-round selections and another four or five players selected in the second round. The Dolphins will be big shoppers here as they need a starting cornerback, a starting safety, and they could need depth, too. As a reminder, the Dolphins have 10 picks in the draft among their first-round pick (No. 13), second-rounder (No. 48), third-round pick (No. 98), two picks in the fourth round (Nos. 116 and 135), two in the fifth (Nos. 150 and 155), none in the sixth, and three in the seventh (Nos. 224, 231 and 253). Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter (6 foot, 188 pounds) has shutdown skills as a cornerback and will likely be a top three pick. He had 4 INTs and 11 passes broken up, which helped him win the Heisman Trophy and the Bednarik Award (nation’s most outstanding defensive player). He has great instincts, range and ball skills. Will Johnson, Michigan
Johnson (6-2, 194) is an injury risk, but he’s an intriguing talent as a big cornerback. He totaled 3 TDs on INT returns in his career despite battling knee and foot injuries. Has great size and great feet, and can cover downfield. Jahdae Barron, Texas
Barron (5-11, 194) is a cornerback who has versatility as well as outstanding ball skills. Barron totaled 5 INTs and 11 PBUs en route to winning the Jim Thorpe Award (nation’s best DB). Some think he projects best as a nickel/slot but he can play boundary and safety. Malaki Starks, Georgia
Starks (6-1, 197) is a talented safety who can line up in various spots in the defense. He finished with 77 tackles, 4 PBUs and 3 tackles for loss, and has a high football IQ and outstanding leadership skills. He’s not especially physical but he makes the right plays. Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Emmanwori (6-3, 220) is a big, physical safety who has exciting positional versatility among deep safety, box safety and nickel. Emmanwori (88 tackles, 4 INTs, 2 TDs on INTs) has good speed for his size but needs to polish his ball skills. Best of the rest
Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston (5-11, 183) is a lanky, ball-hawking cornerback who missed five games with a shoulder injury but had an INT for a TD, 4 PBUs and 2 forced fumbles. … East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. (6-2, 194) is a long-armed cornerback who sustained a torn ACL in September. Revel’s footwork and tackling needs work, but it’s thought he’ll be heathy for the opener. … Mississippi’s Trey Amos (6-1, 195), a cornerback who played at Louisiana and Alabama, ended the season with 50 tackles and 3 INTs. Amos excels in man coverage. … Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts (6-0, 204) is a safety who won the Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defender) as a junior and followed with first-team All-America honors as a senior. Watts, who totaled 82 tackles and 10 PBUs last season, has the versatility to play from a number of spots on the field. … Iowa State’s Darien Porter (6-3, 195) is a long cornerback who was a sixth-year player but a one-year starter. He’s better at zone coverage than man. His special teams skills should get him playing time as a rookie. Class grade: B
There should be plenty of Day One starters in this group at cornerback, slot/nickel cornerback and safety. It’s tough to say how many aside from Hunter have immediate Pro Bowl potential, but this class should have a few high-quality players for many years. Teams in need
The list starts with the New York Giants (No. 3) and continues with Jacksonville (No. 5), Las Vegas (No. 6), New Orleans (No. 9), Dallas (No. 12) and Miami (No. 13). Atlanta, Cincinnati, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Denver, Green Bay, Minnesota, Houston, the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore, Buffalo and Philadelphia will also be looking for DB help. Dolphins’ focus
The Dolphins will almost certainly draft both a cornerback and a safety, but it’s anyone’s guess what rounds and whether both would be selected with the thought of being a Day One starter. However, it’s a fairly safe assumption Miami will select a defensive back in the first three rounds. With the Dolphins and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey now surprising exploring trade options , Miami’s only returning starter in the secondary is slot/nickel cornerback Kader Kohou. The Dolphins added safeties Ifeatu Melifonwu, a likely starter, and Ashtyn Davis in free agency this offseason. Previously addressed
