'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwX/2gAIAQEAAAAAKR//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAECEAAAAF//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAEDEAAAAD//xAAfEAABAwQDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAADAQIEBRESMgAGFBX/2gAIAQEAAT8Ap3U5kymmrsz5pIASpGHAENRI3XVU1S+K8l9Of6jYwaNjmtrsfz//xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAECAQE/AH//xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAEDAQE/AH//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#6 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Ar’Darius Washington (TCU)
5' 8", 180 pounds; RS SO
A three-star recruit in 2018, Ar'Darius Washington barely saw action in four games as a freshman and therefore was able to preserve his redshirt. He really broke out in year two, recording 35 solo tackles and five interceptions and was eligible to win Big-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Be the GM of your favorite team, use our free Mock Draft Simulator with trades
In nine games last season, he couldn’t haul in any picks, but did break up four passes and come up with 25 more solo stops, making him an honorable mention all-conference selection.
First and foremost, his size does not define Washington as a player, much like it didn’t with quite a few of the these smaller safety prospects in recent years. He was primarily used as the boundary side safety in TCU’s defense, but also has experience as the plus one in the box, with Trevon Moehrig taking on single-high duties.
Washington shows no hesitation of running through a lane, when it opens up in front of him and meeting the ball-carrier in the hole created off toss or sweep plays. When he’s operating closer to the line of scrimmage, I love the way he positions his body to take care of his own assignment and then is able to chase once his job is done.
He is an outstanding open-field tackler, who throttles down to a balanced position and clamps the legs of the ball-carrier, to where there’s no getting away from him, plus he uses the sideline as a friend with the way he leverages himself and takes away space. His success at bringing down running backs – which usually outweigh him by quite a bit – is remarkable.
Against Texas last year on a third-and-short, Washington banged so hard into the slot receiver trying to block him, that guy actually looked back on his own quarterback with the ball, who was trying to get out to the edge (even though the Longhorns still converted, simply because Sam Ehlinger is such a load to bring down).
In terms of coverage duties, TCU played a lot of quarters, where you see Washington race up quickly, in order to contest any in-breaking routes, but also seems to have no issue turning and running with slot fades. He trusts his athleticism to squat at that ten-yard depth and defend the sticks, if he ends up being matched up one-on-one.
That also shows because the Horned Frogs like to blitz their corners on that short side and the safety caps over the top. And then Washington was asked to drop down into the slot and cover in man quite a bit as well, where he has the change-of-direction and speed to be highly effective, plus he is very competitive at the catch point and in general and attacks the ball at its highest point.
Washington has that quick twitch to undercut a bunch of in-breakers and the speed to work over the top of mesh concepts and be right there again as the receiver catches the ball. No matter his task in coverage, his ability to close down space in a hurry is a big factor in not allowing plays to actually break open. And his ball-production went down so much last season, because I feel like teams didn’t really throw a whole lot in his direction.
Since the start of the 2018 season, this guy has been responsible for just seven first downs in coverage. And similar to what I said about his now-former partner in crime Trevon Moehrig, the defensive coaching staff put a lot on his plate and Washington’s intelligence, in combination with his feel for the position, allowed him to succeed.
Nevertheless, his aggressiveness in run support bites him in the butt at times, as he gets drawn up and the back bounces outside, where there’s nobody left on that side of the field he is responsible for, and it comes down to him and the corner trying to chase down the ball-carrier from behind.
It also makes him vulnerable to play-action, where he then has to recover from putting himself out of position. Washington’s lack of size shows up, when he actually has to deal with blocks and his limited length makes it hard to disengage. In terms of how it affects him in coverage – when bigger bodies have position him, they don’t allow him to get his hands on the ball, by shielding him with their frame.
He could be a target for jump-balls despite the way he approaches the ball, just because the average NFL receiver has five inches of height on him. Some teams may project him as a free safety or nickel prospect only, but he only played 113 snaps in single-high alignment last season.
This young man arguably has the best instincts in this draft class. The size definitely a limiting factor, but Washington plays much bigger. He offers plenty of versatility, if you can just protect him from matching up against big slot receivers a whole lot.
His size didn’t really hurt him at the collegiate level, so there is some projecting to be done. At his size to be running a 4.61 and then for the missed-tackle numbers to go from six to almost 18% is concerning, but considering the entirety of his career, he is still far above-average in that regard. I believe if he had prototype size for the position, Washington would be a first-round pick.
