The skinny: He's the best at this position. A three-year starter, Phillips can play either safety position and offers special teams play as a punt returner. He has great ball skills, with six interceptions (16 in his career), three fumble recoveries and four defensive touchdowns last season, and he has great natural ability. Despite a history of injuries, he could be a top 20 pick.
The skinny: He's been flying up the board since the combine. He has good size, is fast and instinctive. The Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, he had six interceptions and set a Sun Belt record with 142 yards in returns, including one for a touchdown. He's also the league's career tackling leader, a sure sign how effective he is in run support.
The skinny: A one-year starter, he led the Wolfpack in tackles last season and added three interceptions. Named second-team All-ACC, Morgan has the skills you look for at the position: He's fast, strong, explosive and tackles well. Plus, he helped himself with a 37-1/2-inch lead at his Pro Day. If there's a question it's his inexperience. As a one-year starter, no one is sure how good he can be.
The skinny: A free safety who was the Bears' defensive captain, he led the team with a career-high 116 tackles -- including at least 10 each in at least six games. Run support is no problem; playing the pass could be, even though he began his career as a cornerback. He doesn't have top-end speed, but Decoud plays fast and is a special teams asset. He blocked six kicks in his career.
The skinny: It's hard to get past Branch's 4.31 at the combine, the second fastest 40 there, and his versatility. He played cornerback and safety in college and is a reliable open-field tackler. But it's his special teams contributions that make him especially attractive to the pros. He returned two kickoffs for TDs last season and averaged 28.9 yards per return.
Player on the rise:
Arkansas State's Johnson. One GM I contacted put him ahead of Phillips. He likes his size and speed and ability to track down ballcarriers. A tackling machine, Johnson was remarkably consistent breaking to the ball. Plus, he can serve as a return specialist.
Player on the decline:
Simeon Castille, Alabama. An All-SEC choice as a cornerback, he doesn't have the speed to play the position at the next level. Scouts see him more as a free safety, and he was initially projected by some people to go high. Not so fast. He's strictly a second-day pick, largely because he will be asked to play a position he hasn’t tried.
Sleeper
Jamie Silva, Boston College. OK, so he doesn't have great size and is slow. All he does is make tackles. He led the nation's leading defense against the run with a career-high 115 stops and has outstanding hands, smarts and good instincts. He also excels at covering kicks.
Overrated
Marcus Griffin, Texas. An All-Big 12 choice and a second-team All-Big 12 Academic selection, Griffin should be a second-day choice. Reason: He doesn’t have great speed and could use better ball skills. In 36 career games, he had one interception. The brother of Michael, Griffin can be beaten in deep coverage and doesn't have the acceleration to catch up.
Position analysis:
One of the worst groups of safeties in years. Phillips is a legitimate first-round consideration, with Arkansas State's Johnson possible as a late-first or early second-round consideration; after that it's anyone's guess where these guys go. Phillips is not Ed Reed -- at least not yet -- but at least two coaches I spoke to think he could be a big-time star in the NFL. Not a good year to fill out your roster in the middle of the secondary.
