Defensive backs are people, too.
No, really, they are.
There's no defensive position group with a bigger disconnect between fantasy and reality than at defensive back. From an NFL perspective, defensive backs are wildly valuable--a cornerback was the first defensive player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. But defensive backs are both plentiful and unpredictable in fantasy for the most part. Most dynasty IDP rookie drafts come and go without more than one or two defensive backs being drafted. In redraft formats, it's not much better--most of the first-year defensive backs are, at most, late-round fliers.
But this season, it's a much different story. In fact, it's unprecedented. The first IDP drafted in many rookie drafts isn't just going to be a defensive back. It's going to be a cornerback--even in formats that don't require them.
It's a wild and wacky world, folks.
As always, where this year's rookie defensive backs will begin their NFL careers is almost as important as who they are, and those newcomers aren't the only players affected by the festivities in Green Bay--there are veteran defensive backs who are either elated by what happened in the draft or who need a hug.
But there's nowhere else we can start a look at this year's biggest winners and losers at defensive back except in Jacksonville--with a player who could break some IDP leagues this season.
RELATED: See Biggest DL Winners and Losers here.
RELATED: See Biggest LB Winners and Losers here.
Defensive Back Winners
CB/WR Travis Hunter, Jacksonville
The Jaguars made an aggressive move up to trade for the Heisman Trophy winner, sending a package of picks that included their 2026 first-rounder to Cleveland to make Hunter one of the faces of the franchise. The Jaguars have said that Hunter will primarily start his NFL career as a wide receiver, but Yahoo's Matt Harmon wrote that no matter where Hunter plays, he has superstar potential.
"I won't be foolish enough to make proclamations about his role in the league," he said. "I'm almost positive he will attempt to play both ways as much as possible. Right now, the reality is that no one knows because every team will have a bespoke plan for him, and that may change once he gets into camp or deeper into his career. All I know for sure is that based on his Reception Perception data, the film makes it clear that he has all the calling cards of a future star No. 1 wide receiver."
So why is a wide receiver the biggest winner among defensive backs? Because numerous IDP providers have already stated that Hunter will also have positional eligibility as a cornerback. I'm going to dive deeper into what that means in a few days, but imagining a fantasy WR1 who also gets points for playing a bit of defense who has eligibility as a corner in IDP leagues has already (rightly) given many in the fantasy community the vapors.
S Andrew Mukuba, Philadelphia
Mukuba, a 5-11, 186-pounder out of Texas who had a career-high in both tackles and interceptions last season with the Longhorns, was the third safety drafted this year, going with the last pick of Round 2 to the Super Bowl champions. It was a pick that Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman of The Athletic thought was a good (but not great) choice.
"Mukuba had one great season at Texas after being a bit up and down throughout the latter half of his Clemson career," Baumgardner and Dochterman wrote. "He flashed as an explosive run fitter with great coverage range last season, finally living up to his elite recruiting profile. This feels a touch high for him, but Howie Roseman rarely misses."
They have a point--Mukuba is by no means a sure-fire can't miss star at the professional level. But Roseman thought enough of Mukuba to use a second-round selection on him, and the Eagles quietly had a rather glaring need at safety opposite Reed Blankenship. It's not a stretch to call Mukuba the favorite to open the season as Philly's starting box safety.
S Kevin Winston Jr., Tennessee
Winston made it just three games into the 2024 season at Penn State before getting hurt, but the Titans saw enough on tape and in pre-draft workouts from the 6-2, 215-pounder to take him in the third round. He's admittedly a little biased, but while addressing the media, Penn State safeties coach Anthony Poindexter said the Titans found themselves a player.
"Winston is as athletic as they come at the safety position," Poindexter said. "He is ready for this opportunity with the Titans. He is intentional about everything, takes the game of football very seriously, and carries himself in a truly professional manner. He is an extremely hard worker who loves studying the game, being in the facility, and being around his teammates. He showed tremendous growth during his three years with us, and I know the best is still ahead for him. He is going to have an extremely successful NFL career."
There is most assuredly no guarantee that Winston will be a force at the professional level. Or that he'll even be a starter in the near future. But the argument can be made that he's already the most athletic safety on the Titans roster, and while presumptive starters Xavier Woods and Amani Hooker have experience, neither is exactly a worldbeater.
Defensive Back Losers
S Malaki Starks, Baltimore
Starks was the highest-ranked safety overall on the majority of pre-draft big boards, and he was a classic Baltimore Ravens draft pick--talent and value that just fell into the team's lap. Starks and Kyle Hamilton have the potential to be the league's best safety duo, and Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer wrote that Starks' arrival should make Hamilton a very happy man.
"One way to restore the All-Pro safety to his 2023 glory? Draft another safety who's almost as versatile," he said. "First-round pick Malaki Starks can line up as a single-high safety, a split-field safety, and in the slot, where he has experience in man-to-man coverage. That versatility should supercharge Hamilton, who saw fewer snaps near the line of scrimmage over the second half of last season after the Ravens benched Marcus Williams."
All that stuff that Shaffer said should make Hamilton happy should also make fantasy managers considering drafting Starks nervous. It's entirely possible that the Ravens will use their versatile safeties interchangeably--such is the way of the NFL in 2025. But if there's a safety more likely to earn the lion's share of snaps near the line of scrimmage, it's probably Hamilton.
S Coby Bryant, Seattle
Bryant's NFL career has followed an interesting track--after two rather blah seasons played mostly at cornerback in Seattle, injuries forced a switch to safety for the former Cincinnati standout--and he thrived. As a matter of fact, not that long ago, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was talking up Bryant as a potential impact starter in Seattle in 2025.
"Guy is a Jim Thorpe Award winner," Macdonald told reporters. "Heck of a player. I think it was just a matter of finding the right role for him. Sometimes with those guys, you try to maybe ask them to do too many things because he can do all these things, when maybe the best thing is to kind of pick one and choose. You know, it takes time to find the right thing. To his credit, he's really embraced the challenge. When Rayshawn [Jenkins] went down, he was ready. So when preparation meets opportunities, that's when great things happen. You got to credit him for being ready to roll and then just his natural ball skills and playmaking ability. That's Coby. So we're excited about the year he's had and expect him to take the next level as we move forward."
Of course, that was before the Seahawks drafted South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori, who was the second player at the position drafted. Emmanwori is a hard-hitting 6-3, 220-pounder who profiles as a player who will be near the line of scrimmage a lot. Julian Love is versatile, experienced, and productive--he's not going anywhere. That leaves Bryant as the proverbial odd man out.
S Xavier Watts, Atlanta
The 6-0, 204-pound Watts was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame and quite the ballhawk, tallying over a dozen interceptions over the past two years. The Falcons snared Watts as the draft's second day was winding down, but while he barely went inside the top-100 picks, Daniel Flick of Sports Illustrated expects Watts to make it on the field sooner rather than later.
"Atlanta's defense has 20 interceptions over the past two seasons, and safety Jessie Bates III has 10 of them. The Falcons needed another playmaker on the back end," Flick wrote. "Enter Watts, a two-time consensus All-American who had 13 interceptions from 2023 to '24. Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said Watts, who was ranked 56th on my board, would have been in consideration for Atlanta in the second round had the team not traded the pick to the Los Angeles Rams. Instead, the Falcons nabbed him 50 spots later. Watts should see the field early."
The question is...where? Bates is arguably the best deep safety in the league, so his job appears safe. Watts' run support and tackling in South Bend were both spotty, so usurping Jordan Fuller at box safety isn't especially likely. And while Watts does have some experience in the slot and a nose for big plays, a role as Atlanta's nickel back is going to make him a big-play dependent IDP option even if he does get a decent amount of snaps.
Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPGodfather.
