A second look at the safeties

Analysis: _Branch, who is at least as much slot cornerback as he is safety, still stands alone amongst the group that isn’t loaded with other star power. However, the more research you do, the easier this class is to like outside the top 50 picks give or take. There is a tier of safeties this year about eight players deep that could end up as quality starters at the next level, which made for a lot of ranking changes as more research was done. _

Martin, who is new to this list, put on a show at the Combine. Martin and his teammate Brown are two of the very top athletes at the safety position in this draft. Martin is 5-11 and came in at 194 pounds, which is fine for a safety that is used mostly in the slot, but also plenty at free safety and as a cornerback early in his college career. Martin ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, which was third-best of this group, but his 10-yard split, vertical and broad jumps were all in the 95th percentile or better. He is tough with very good ball skills and his tape as a deep middle defender was top notch. … Another free safety that isn’t getting enough buzz is California’s Daniel Scott, who also lit up the Combine. Scott stands 6-1 and is 208 pounds. Only Pitt’s Brandon Hill had a better 40 time than Scott among safeties at the Combine. Not only was Scott’s 40-yard dash time elite, but his jumps, bench press, 10-yard split, and 3-cone drill were also superb, especially when considering his size. Scott will turn 25-years old during his rookie season after six years of college football, but he was a team captain at Cal, has six interceptions over the past two years, and excels in all four phases of special teams.