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Though the safety position has grown in variance and responsibility to the point that some teams use their free and strong safeties interchangeably, the strong safety has specific responsibilities in most defenses.

He traditionally acts as something between defensive back and linebacker. He must be agile enough on coverage to deal with running backs on wheel routes and tight ends up the seam. He also has to be a plus run-stopper, with the size and tackling power to take down running backs.

And in modern defenses where positional versatility is the norm, he'll also likely be asked to take on free safety responsibilities, such as deep-third and quarters coverage. He may also be a slot defender on some snaps. Basically, the best strong safeties embrace multiple responsibilities at a high level.

NFL1000 defensive backs scout Kyle Posey watched all the NFL's strong safeties in 2017 and ranked them. His scouting reports are based on the following criteria:

Coverage: 25 points. How well does this player cover from the defense's second and third levels? Can he take receivers to either side, and does he read routes well enough to know where to go in time to get there? How well does he work with his cornerbacks in zone coverage? Does he have the physical ability to create contested catches, deflections and interceptions?

Recovery: 20 points. Strong safeties are often asked to crash down the line of scrimmage and take out ball-carriers. If he takes the wrong gap, can he recover to make the tackle? How well does this player recover from a false step in coverage? When receivers come into his area from blown coverages elsewhere, how well does he pick up the mess?

Slot Performance: 20 points. When he's asked to play in the slot, how well does this player adjust his coverage requirements to the option routes and close coverage at this alternate position?

Tackling: 25 points. This covers everything from tackling in deep space to run-stopping to the ability to blitz. How well does this player wrap up and stop the play once the ball-carrier is in his area?

Position Value: 8 points. A score that takes positional importance into account when comparing grades across other spots on the defense. Free safeties are given 8/10 points, making their top possible grade 98.

Make sure to check out all of the NFL1000 rankings from the 2017 season.