Each year since joining BTSC in 2024, Ryan Parish has put together a draft gems list. This series is not meant to predict who the Steelers will pick, but rather highlight players Ryan thinks will be viable NFL players, and should be available in Rounds 2-7. Looking for more? Check out Ryan’s picks this year at:
We’re getting closer and closer to the NFL Draft, with the first night just a little more than two weeks away. We’re pushing onward with just four position groups left to cover in our gems series.
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Today, we’re tackling a position group that’s undergone some serious turnover for the Steelers this offseason: safety. During free agency, the Steelers brought in Jaquan Brisker on a one-year deal while letting Kyle Dugger, Chuck Clark, and Miles Killebrew leave in free agency. Considering that DeShon Elliott battled injuries in 2025 and has a dead cap of just $2 million in 2027, the final year of his deal, the Steelers’ future at the safety spot is murky beyond 2026.
As always:
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Any player selected for this list cannot be commonly mocked as a 1st round pick
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I also avoid players who will have a profile written on BTSC. Paired with the previous rule, this year that disqualifies: Caleb Downs, Dillon Thieneman, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, A.J. Haulcy, and Kyle Louis (who I have as a safety more than a linebacker at the NFL level).
Zakee Wheatley, Penn State
Age: 24 (02-28-2002)
Height/weight: 6’3, 203 pounds
Arm Length: 31” arms, 763/8” wingspan
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A long, rangy defender, Wheatley is a slightly older prospect as a redshirt senior, but his positional versatility could allow him to find a role in the Steelers’ amorphous safety room easier than some other prospects. The Steelers currently plan on some rotation of Elliott, Ramsey, and Brisker, all safeties who play better closer to the line of scrimmage. Wheatley, on the other hand, played 1,273 college snaps in a deep safety role, but also has snaps in the box (481) and the slot (393), should Pittsburgh wish to mix and match or need cover for injuries.
A two-year starter, Wheatley has flashed some ball skills, picking off four passes in the past two seasons (six for his career), but he had just one in 2025. But while his interceptions were down, his game improved overall this past season, with him appearing more decisive on the field, and he lowered his missed tackle rate (11.5% in 2025, 16.9% in 2024).
Wheatley is fast and physical as a tackler, but he can still improve on the angles he takes to be more efficient with his tackles. He also plays better when he can keep the action in front of him and react to it; his coverage can be spottier when the receiver gets behind him.
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He should be a Day 2 pick and becomes a value should he drop any further.
Genesis Smith, Arizona
Age: 21 (11-05-2004)
Height/weight: 6’2, 202 pounds
Arm Length: 321/2” arms, 791/4” wingspan
Genesis Smith is another intriguing prospect, but he won’t be a fit for every team.
Let’s start with the positives. Smith is arguably the rangiest deep safety in the class, possessing truly special speed and athleticism. The amount of ground he can cover is unique.
Smith’s coverage skills are what make him so intriguing. He is both taller than the usual safety (91st-percentile) and his long wingspan (also 91st-percentile), are a boon for him defending passes. In 2024, Smith totaled three interceptions, four pass breakups, and allowed a passer rating of just 65.9 when targeted, playing mostly from the slot (354). He was asked to play more as a deep safety in 2025, and while his interception totals were down, he did force three fumbles.
A true junior, Smith’s career numbers include five interceptions, 10 PBUs, five forced fumbles, and a 77.5 passer rating allowed. His relative youth also leaves an opportunity for his game to continue to improve.
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That’s important because his biggest negative will be a nonstarter for some teams: he’s a poor tackler. A two-year starter, Smith’s missed tackle rate is an attrocious 20.1%. The right staff will hopefully be able to help Smith improve those numbers, but with practice rules in the NFL, it’s unlikely that Smith turns from a negative tackler to an above-average one in his career. Any defense that utilizes him will need to put him in positions to minimize that deficit in his game, which could limit his functionality playing in the slot, where defensive backs need to be able to hold up against the run.
Still, the bright spots in Smith’s game are very bright. He should also go on Day 2.
Bud Clark, TCU
Age: 23 (05-03-2002)
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Height/weight: 6’1, 188 pounds
Arm Length: 311/2” arms, 761/2” wingspan
Clark has been a draft cycle darling since having a solid week at the Senior Bowl. Running a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the Combine dispelled any speed concerns there were among scouts and cemented him as a favorite for anyone mocking a mid-round safety to their team.
The pros in his profile are easy to identify. Clark has experience in both the slot (1,338 snaps), the box (837), and playing deep (510). He also has some of the best ball skills and production, with 15 career interceptions, 20 PBUs, and a passer rating allowed of just 74.2.
There’s a lot to like about Clark’s profile, but the concerns are also obvious. For starters, he’s a sixth-year senior, which means he’ll be 24 years old as a rookie (like Wheatley). That alone shouldn’t be disqualifying, but it does project to a shorter career. Secondly, he’s built more like a cornerback than a safety, and there are some durability concerns with him missing games in 2021, 2022, and 2025. He’s a decent tackler, but his size limitations do occasionally show up because of it, with a career missed tackle rate of 14.8% and a career high rate in 2023 (27.5%) that appears to be an outlier season, but should be on teams’ radars.
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But with a knack for turning the ball over, Clark’s good outshines the bad and could be a quality pick late Day 2 or early Day 3.
VJ Payne, Kansas State
Age: 22 (03-17-2004)
Height/weight: 6’3, 206 pounds
Arm Length: 33 2/3” arms, 802/3” wingspan
One of my favorite prospects, VJ Payne, is a player I think is flying well below the radar on consensus boards.
Payne possesses two traits you simply cannot teach: size and speed. The Kansas State safety clocked a 4.40-second 40 time (94th percentile) while possessing 96th-percentile height and arm length. Add that he has 42 college starts under his belt while still being only 22, and it’s a scintillating combination of traits before you even turn on his film.
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Fortunately, that’s impressive too.
Payne’s length and athleticism make him a menace in coverage, and his ability in man coverage makes him an ideal chess piece to mitigate tight ends and big slot receivers. In four years as a starter and across 1,359 coverage snaps, Payne allowed a completion percentage when targeted of just 57.4%, second-best on our list, and with more playing time than the player with the top mark. He adds in four interceptions, seven PBUs, and a passer rating allowed of just 66.0. He also has 65 career stops, two forced fumbles, and a missed tackle rate of 12.4%.
Payne even adds something as a pass rusher, with 10 career pressures and two sacks on just 50 career pass rushing snaps.
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I would take Payne on Day, but the Consensus Board has him as a fifth-round pick. Of all the prospects on this list, he is the one I’m most confident will outperform his draft slot.
Skyler Thomas, Oregon State
Age: 22 (09-17-2003)
Height/weight: 6’2, 212 pounds
Arm Length: 333/8” arms
We’ll wrap things up by shouting out one of our own Ryland Bickley’s Oregon State Beavers: Skyler Thomas. Thomas is a prospect who might go undrafted, but who I think has some interesting traits that should allow him to step into the special teams role vacated by Killebrew and potentially develop into something more.
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A late addition to the Senior Bowl, Thomas impressed in his limited time in Mobile, picking off Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green two days in a row.
Thomas is a fifth-year senior with two years of starting experience. A training camp knee injury caused him to miss the 2023 season, but he returned in 2024 and took over as a first-year starter. Across his college career, Thomas had snaps primarily in the box (893) but also deep (415) and in the slot (224).
Thomas wasn’t invited to the Combine, and I’ve struggled to find results from the Oregon State Pro Day posted anywhere, so we don’t have any specific athletic testing numbers for him. He doesn’t appear to possess elite speed, but he’s shown leaping ability. From what tape I was able to watch, I prefer him as a split safety versus single-high due to my perceived limitations in his top-end speed.
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But production-wise, there is a lot to like. Thomas posted the best completion percentage allowed (51.4%) of any prospect on this list. His three interceptions, 12 PBUs, and 62.6 passer rating allowed are also impressive, though it should be noted Oregon State plays smaller schools — though against Oregon in 2024 and 2025, he allowed just 25 yards on three combined targets across the two games.
He’s a decent if unspectacular tackler, with 37 career stops and a missed tackle rate of 13.1%.
He’d be a worthy late-round flier and camp body at minimum.
What do you think of these safety prospects? Would you like the Steelers to draft any of them? Who was your favorite? Did I leave one of your favorites out? Let us know in the comments!
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