Arizona football: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles ranked top playmaking safety in Pac-12

Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is arguably the top NFL prospect on the Arizona Wildcats’ roster, and according to Pro Football Focus, he is also the top returning playmaking safety in the Pac-12.

The junior ranked No. 1 in the conference on PFF’s “Playmaker Index.”

The Playmaker Index is calculated by adding the number of passes defensed and interceptions and dividing it by the total number of targets.

Flannigan-Fowles’ Playmaker Index was 25 percent.

The 6-foot-2, 199-pound safety finished the 2016 season with 78 tackles, just three shy of the team lead. He also came away with one interception and broke up six passes.

There are some solid safeties returning to the Pac-12 next season, including Stanford’s Justin Reid, Utah’s Chase Hansen, and Washington’s Taylor Rapp, so this isn’t exactly a small feat for Flannigan-Fowles.

After playing as a true freshman, Flannigan-Fowles has quickly matured into his role and will be primed for a breakout season in his junior season, his second as a full-time starter.

Arizona opens its season on Sept. 2 against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.