Evan Williams paces NFL safeties with 90.1 defensive grade

Wheatley sits 0.3 back at 89.8 in rookie season

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 15h1 min read

Highest defensive grade among safeties this season Evan Williams 90.1 Zakee Wheatley 89.8 E. McNeil-W Via @PFF on X

What happened: Wheatley holds second at 89.8, with third place at 89.1. Kyle Hamilton follows at 86.8 and Jevon Holland at 83.2 to round out the top five.

Why it matters: Zakee Wheatley ranks second as a 2026 fifth-round pick out of Penn State. Williams entered 2026 after 100 tackles and 3 interceptions in 16 games in 2025.

By the numbers: 90.1, 89.8, 89.1 in third, 86.8, 83.2. Gap from first to fifth is 6.9 points.

What to watch: Week 7 matchups will test whether Wheatley closes the 0.3-point gap.

Sources

@PFF 2026-10-20T19:37:52.903625+00:00

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