2026 NFL draft, position by position: Is Reed Blankenship's safety replacement on the board?

From April 6-17, The Inquirer’s Eagles reporting team will be breaking down each position on the roster ahead of the NFL draft, looking at the depth chart and long-term personnel picture as well as some names that could emerge as Eagles targets in the April 23-25 event.

Let’s take a look at the safety depth chart ahead of the draft:

The only starting role on defense up for grabs going into training camp is at safety alongside Drew Mukuba. Come July, Vic Fangio will identify the successor to Reed Blankenship, who departed in free agency for the Houston Texans.

Is his replacement already on the roster? The Eagles currently have two likely candidates for the job in Marcus Epps and Michael Carter.

Epps, 30, returns to the team on a one-year deal to continue his second stint (he also played for the Eagles from 2019-22). He was a valued depth signing for Howie Roseman in 2025, as he started four games toward the end of the season in place of the injured Mukuba. He is the Eagles’ most experienced contender, with 49 starts (and 94 games total) primarily at safety over the course of his seven-year career.

He could square off with Carter, 27, whom the Eagles acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Jets last season. Carter has mostly lined up in the slot over his five-year career, but the Eagles view him as a potential contributor at safety, too. While backing up Cooper DeJean in the slot last season, Carter was also the fourth safety behind Sydney Brown, Fangio revealed after the Week 12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

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The safety position isn’t set, and neither are the contenders for the starting role. Howie Roseman said at the annual league meeting last month that in “some shape or form, we will add at that position.”

At this point in the offseason, those additions will likely come through the draft or a trade. The Eagles could trade for a Day 1 starter at any point ahead of the regular season, just as they did in 2022 when they acquired C.J. Gardner-Johnson from the New Orleans Saints on cut-down day.

Roseman could also look to the draft to identify Blankenship’s successor. But the Eagles must decide if they’re comfortable potentially having two young players — one rookie and one whose rookie season ended prematurely due to injury — as the last line of defense in Fangio’s system, which is particularly demanding of its safeties. — Olivia Reiner

This draft class is one in which non-premium positions have top-end talent, and safety is a good example. Three players are in the discussion to go in the first round, two of whom could be in the Eagles’ range at pick No. 23.

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It’s a position where Roseman has never spent more than a second-round pick, which is where he drafted Mukuba last year. Even if the Eagles, who need long-term depth at the position, don’t take a safety in the first round, there are plenty of players on Day 2 and 3 of the draft who could intrigue them.

Here are six players who could fit the mold, from traditional safeties to nickel/safety hybrid players:

Thienemen, a scheme-versatile player at 6-foot, 201 pounds, has excellent coverage instincts and ball production, runs the alley well in the run game, and excelled in multiple secondary roles, first at Purdue, then during his final season at Oregon. In 2025, the 21-year-old finished with 95 tackles, 3½ tackles for losses, and two interceptions in 15 games.

He has the range to play in a single-high safety alignment but made more plays roaming the middle of the field with Oregon. He tested like an elite athlete at the scouting combine, running a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, jumping a 41-inch vertical, and leaping a 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump.

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He struggles in man coverage, where he doesn’t have the hip fluidity and stickiness to stay connected to a wide receiver or tight end. However, Thienemen‘s skills in coverage and as a run defender would fit nicely for the Eagles. The Oregon safety could go as high as No. 12 overall to the Dallas Cowboys.

McNeil-Warren, the latest player to be developed at Toledo, is a big (6-3, 201), explosive safety who can run the alley in run support and has short-area coverage ability and good coverage instincts that show up breaking on routes in front of him.

His ability to generate takeaways, both by snagging interceptions (two last season) and forcing fumbles (three in 2025), showed just how strong his ball skills were for Toledo. McNeil-Warren, who had a formal interview with the Eagles at the combine, tested well athletically for his size: 4.52-second 40-yard dash, 35½-inch vertical, and 10-2 broad jump.

His tackling consistency and tackling angles can improve, and he’s likely not a fit in a one-high safety defense, but McNeil-Warren has the makings of an impactful starting NFL safety. A projected first-round pick, McNeil-Warren has the ability to be an enforcer, which would help complement Mukuba’s deeper coverage skill set.

Haulcy, who frequently got his hands on the ball in his lone season at LSU with three interceptions and four pass breakups, is a middle-of-the-field safety who is at his best when attacking downhill and driving on pass plays developing in front of him.

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At 6-foot, 215, his ball skills, ability to run the alley on running plays, deliver jarring hits, and route recognition stand out for the safety who ran a 4.52-second 40 at the combine.

He will likely not be tasked with playing single-high coverages in the NFL, is an average man-coverage defender, and needs to clean up his tackling technique and tackling angles. But Haulcy plays with an edge and could excel in a downhill safety role for the Eagles. He is projected to be drafted in the second or third round.

Stukes, whom the Eagles brought in for a predraft visit and primarily played nickel over six seasons at Arizona, has some of the best ball skills of any defensive back in the 2026 class.

The 6-1, 190-pound Stukes, a former walk-on, finished 2025 with four interceptions and six pass breakups across 12 games. He missed most of the 2024 season with an ACL injury but answered questions about his athletic ability at the combine: 4.33-second 40-yard dash, 38-inch vertical, and 10-10 broad jump.

Stukes has good recovery speed, route-mirroring ability, and physicality at the catch point, but he has some tight hips that show up against agile slot receivers and can improve his consistency as a tackler.

A likely Day 2 pick, Stukes shows versatility that would be of value for the Eagles, who need a starting safety opposite Mukuba for the long term.

Kilgore, a hybrid defensive back who made a predraft visit to Philly, aligned the majority of his snaps at nickel (497) but also had snaps at box safety (157) and free safety (31), according to Pro Football Focus. The 6-1, 210-pound player had exceptional ball production over the last two seasons, with seven interceptions, 15 passes defended, and 102 tackles.

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He is an active run defender, physical on underneath coverage, and has the speed to carry and make plays on vertical routes downfield. He is at his best, though, when he’s working top-down as a nickel or safety, driving on routes developing in front of him.

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Kilgore can get grabby in man coverage and does not always look fluid defending slot receivers with two-way options, but he would be a nice complement to Mukuba in the Eagles’ safety corps and can play multiple spots in the secondary. He’s projected as a Day 2 pick.

Scott, who ran a blazing fast 4.33 40-yard dash at his pro day, plays fast and wild, blows up screens and run plays, and is a physical coverage player who can force turnovers. The 5-11, 193-pound player primarily aligned as a nickel in his college career, and finished with 13 tackles for losses, five sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles in 14 games for Miami in 2025.

Scott’s aggressive, downhill style can get him in trouble with missed tackles and putting himself out of position. But his ability to play multiple spots in the secondary and his physicality working downhill give him the chance to find an NFL role at either nickel or safety. If he played safety in the NFL, he would be at his best playing near the line of scrimmage, which would be an ideal complement opposite Mukuba for the Eagles. — Devin Jackson