Penn State's Zakee Wheatley is one of the top safety prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, with a combination of intelligence and physicality that makes him a hard-hitting playmaker all over the field. Some areas of his game are still a work in progress, but his high-energy, high-effort style of play is exactly what pro defenses are looking for at the position.
Here's everything NFL fans need to know about Wheatley heading into this year's draft:
Zakee Wheatley's Vitals
Height: 6-2
Weight: 200
Age: 23
Zakee Wheatley's Strengths
The best safeties are tone-setters, and that’s Wheatley’s brand of football. He’s smart and physical, with a motor that never stops running a full tilt, and his teammates feed off that energy. He’s quick to diagnose what the offense is doing, and can quickly flow downhill to support against the run game, and he’s not afraid of initiating contact against blockers and ball carriers alike. He’s an aggressor in coverage, forcing opposing receivers to prove their toughness if they’re going to beat him up the field and at the catch point. He’s versatile in his alignments, and he can handle a wide range of responsibilities at every level of the defense. Wheatley has the ball skills and playmaking instincts to create takeaways when the ball comes his way.
Zakee Wheatley's Weaknesses
He can be a bit stiff in his transitions when trying to match shifty wide receivers in the slot, and play-action passes can get Wheatley sucked into the box, leaving holes downfield where he used to be. As a tackler, Wheatley needs to be more consistent in keeping a solid base and breaking down to make full-body, wrap-up stops instead of lunging and reaching with his upper body. He can rely too much on his physicality in coverage, and more technically sound receivers can beat him with well-executed releases that force him to play catch-up, which can lead to too much contact that will get flagged.
Final Analysis
There are plenty of positive traits here, as Wheatley brings the speed, instincts and versatility to be a strong fit for modern NFL defenses that want to disguise assignments and create post-snap confusion for the quarterback. Wheatley needs to clean up his tackling and press coverage technique, and improve his eye discipline, but those technical improvements could make him an effective starter early in his career.
