An All-Pro first season with the Green Bay Packers helped Xavier McKinney rise to No. 3 in ESPN's safety rankings entering the 2025 season. Only Baltimore's Kyle Hamilton and Detroit's Brian Branch ranked higher, and McKinney received the second-most votes for the No. 1 spot and was included on every voter's top 10 ballot.
McKinney sat at No. 10 in last year's rankings. He intercepted eight passes for the Packers in 2024, including one in each of his first five games, and ended up a first-team All-Pro pick at safety. The sublime season helped McKinney jump several safeties in the rankings entering 2025.