2020 NFL Draft Position Preview: Safeties and when Xavier McKinney, Jared Mayden and Shyheim Carter may get Picked

Alabama hopes to see Xavier McKinney selected in the first round, with Jared Mayden and Shyheim Carter also taken in the 2020 NFL Draft

Not a lot of teams go into a draft aiming to take safety in the first round. 

It's a position that's often overlooked because cornerback is tougher to fill, and players who don't have the speed to man up against wide receivers often move to the interior.

It's soft of like the difference between tackle and guard on the offensive line. Every team needs both, but the player on the outside is tougher to find due to the demands of the position.

Regardless, SI's NFL draft and fantasy reporter Kevin Hanson breaks down what fans can expect from the safety position in the 2020 NFL Draft. In a deep class led by Alabama's Xavier McKinney and LSU's Grant Delpit, this year's draft is deep with secondary options for some ailing NFL defenses.

Hanson projected the two to be first-round selections with McKinney listed as the 26th best prospect on his final Big Board. 

He wrote: "An instinctive and versatile defender, McKinney has the skill set to play either safety spot and has no glaring weaknesses when it comes to coverage or run defense. A fluid mover with excellent range, the junior safety tied for the team lead in interceptions (three) in 2019."

Alabama has two other safeties who are hoping to be drafted, Shyheim Carter and Jared Mayden. 

A lot of mock drafts have overlooked both, but Carter has the versatility to play nearly anywhere in the secondary, and Mayden actually led Alabama in interceptions with four last season. 

"I'm a fan of his," draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network said. "He's my 114th player. I thought he was somebody that definitely belonged at the combine. So I think he's going to get picked. I think he's going to go in the fourth or fifth round."

Alabama's also had a lot of success at the safety position in the draft.

When Sports Illustrated recently did its Position U series, which was primarily based on what players did in the NFL, it concluded that Alabama would be Safety U if it broke down defensive backs into cornerbacks and safeties.  

Alabama Safeties Selected in Draft (since 1967)

Year, Round, Pick, Overall, Player, Team, Position

2019 5 1 139 Deionte Thompson, Cardinals

2018 1 11 11 Minkah Fitzpatrick, Dolphins

2018 3 29 93 Ronnie Harrison, Jaguars

2017 4 5 112 Eddie Jackson, Bears

2015 2 1 33 Landon Collins, Giants

2014 1 21 21 Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Packers

2014 5 27 167 Vinnie Sunseri, Saints

2012 1 7 7 Mark Barron, Buccaneers

2010 7 4 211 Marquis Johnson, Rams

2009 3 31 95 Rashad Johnson, Cardinals

2006 2 11 43 Roman Harper, Saints

2006 5 26 158 Charlie Peprah, Giants

2001 2 25 56 Tony Dixon, Cowboys

1995 4 4 102 Sam Shade, Bengals

1993 1 29 29 George Teague, Packers

1990 6 7 144 John Mangum, Bears

1987 6 2 142 Freddie Robinson, Colts

1982 3 10 65 Benny Perrin, Cardinals

1976 4 16 108 Wayne Rhodes, Bears

1975 8 13 195 Ricky Davis, Bengals

1972 16 21 411 Steve Higginbottom, Redskins

1968 12 20 320 Bobby Johns, Chiefs

1967 4 11 91 Wayne Trimble, 49ers

Note: Some Crimson Tide defensive backs are primarily listed at cornerback even though they might have played both positions.

This is the second story in a position preview series on the 2020 NFL Draft.

• Cornerbacks