Consensus board vs. draft day: the full S class, charted.
The Steal
Nick Cross was ranked S6 on the consensus board (#67 overall) but lasted until pick 96, where the Indianapolis Colts took him in Round 3. A 29-spot fall, the largest gap between consensus and draft day of any S in the class. Behind him, Tycen Anderson (+10) also outlasted his ranking.
The Conviction Pick
The Washington Commanders took Percy Butler at pick 113, 97 spots ahead of his #210 consensus rank. That's the league's strongest disagreement with the public board at the position. Teams showed similar conviction on Delarrin Turner-Yell (73 spots) and Dane Belton (67 spots).
The Cliff
After Tycen Anderson went at pick 166, the next S didn't come off the board for 45 picks. That's the sharpest drop in the class.
The Spend
Teams spent 17 picks on S, 6 of them in the first two rounds. That's below the position's average of 20.4 since 2018.
The Bet
The Cincinnati Bengals spent more draft capital on S than any other club: picks 31 and 166, 43% of their total draft investment.
The One Who Slipped
Verone McKinley III, ranked #131 on the consensus board, went undrafted through all 262 picks.
| Pick | Player | Pos Rank | Consensus | Δ | School | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Kyle Hamilton | S1 | #5 | +9 | Notre Dame | Baltimore |
| 31 | Daxton Hill | S2 | #26 | +5 | Michigan | Cincinnati |
| 32 | Lewis Cine | S3 | #32 | 0 | Georgia | Minnesota |
| 37 | Jalen Pitre | S4 | #45 | −8 | Baylor | Houston |
| 48 | Jaquan Brisker | S5 | #46 | +2 | Penn State | Chicago |
| 62 | Bryan Cook | S7 | #80 | −18 | Cincinnati | Kansas City |
| 79 | JT Woods | S9 | #112 | −33 | Baylor | LA Chargers |
| 96 | Nick Cross | S6 | #67 | +29 | Maryland | Indianapolis |
| 97 | Kerby Joseph | S8 | #99 | −2 | Illinois | Detroit |
| 113 | Percy Butler | S15 | #210 | −97 | Louisiana | Washington |
| 114 | Dane Belton | S12 | #181 | −67 | Iowa | NY Giants |
| 152 | Delarrin Turner-Yell | S19 | #225 | −73 | Oklahoma | Denver |
| 166 | Tycen Anderson | S11 | #156 | +10 | Toledo | Cincinnati |
| 211 | Quentin Lake | S33 | #360 | −149 | UCLA | LA Rams |
| 253 | Russ Yeast | S40 | #459 | −206 | Kansas State | LA Rams |
| 254 | Elijah Hicks | S41 | #460 | −206 | California | Chicago |
| 259 | Nazeeh Johnson | S35 | #376 | −117 | Marshall | Kansas City |
| Undrafted (UDFA) | ||||||
| — | Verone McKinley III | S10 | #131 | — | Oregon | — |
| — | Smoke Monday | S13 | #190 | — | Auburn | — |
| — | Leon O'Neal Jr. | S14 | #195 | — | Texas A&M | — |
| — | Daniel Wright | S16 | #211 | — | — | — |
| — | Yusuf Corker | S17 | #216 | — | Kentucky | — |
| — | Tre Sterling | S18 | #224 | — | — | — |
| — | Markquese Bell | S20 | #230 | — | Florida A&M | — |
| — | Adrian Frye | S21 | #233 | — | — | — |
| — | Ja'Von Hicks | S22 | #240 | — | — | — |
| — | Antwan Collier | S23 | #245 | — | — | — |
| — | Sterling Weatherford | S24 | #287 | — | — | — |
| — | Juanyeh Thomas | S25 | #289 | — | Georgia Tech | — |
| — | Brad Hawkins | S26 | #290 | — | — | — |
| — | Nolan Turner | S27 | #302 | — | — | — |
| — | Bubba Bolden | S28 | #308 | — | Miami | — |
| — | Joey Blount | S29 | #314 | — | — | — |
| — | Reed Blankenship | S30 | #331 | — | — | — |
| — | Kolby Harvell-Peel | S31 | #340 | — | Oklahoma State | — |
| — | Greg Eisworth II | S32 | #341 | — | — | — |
| — | Qwynnterrio Cole | S34 | #370 | — | Louisville | — |
| — | Will Adams | S36 | #378 | — | — | — |
| — | Isaiah Pola-Mao | S37 | #392 | — | — | — |
| — | Keith Gallmon | S38 | #438 | — | — | — |
| — | Jaylan Foster | S39 | #447 | — | — | — |
| — | Nasir Greer | S42 | #479 | — | — | — |
| — | Christian Morgan | S43 | #485 | — | — | — |