Ar’Darius Washington Scouting Report
Part of one of the best safety tandems in college football, Washington is the least publicized of the two. This is not fair. Dive into the Ar’Darius Washington Scouting Report below to see more.
School: TCU / Position: S / Height: 5’8” / Weight: 179 / Class: So.
Games Watched: Oklahoma (2019), SMU (2019), Oklahoma State (2019)
Zone Coverage:
A tremendously talented player in deep zone coverages. He does a fantastic job of reading the QB’s eyes and sees the field well when reading route concepts. Has good enough speed to play as a single high player and cover the field from sideline to sideline. Exciting potential in this aspect at the NFL level.
Man Coverage:
A talented player in man coverage mostly due to the fluidity he moves with. Rotates his hips easily and quickly to match with receivers in the slot doen the field. The obvious limitation is his size. At barely 5’8”, he is going to be much smaller than many WR’s he faces and he will be a match up player who offenses choose to target with larger players.
Ball Skills:
Fantastic ball skills and for a player of his size he attacks the ball well in the air. Has great hands and production with five interceptions and six passes defensed in 23 career games. Plays like a true ballhawk.
Strength:
Due to his lack of overall height and weight, he is not a strong player by any means. Should not be asked to ever cover TE’s due to this and will routinely get pushed around by bigger receivers if asked to cover them down the field.
Athleticism:
A good athlete which helps to make up for his lack of size. Moves very well laterally and despite the slow 40 yard dash time, plays fast. Has good leaping ability as well which somewhat offsets his height.
Tackling:
A more than willing and physical tackler, Washington surprises with how well he tackles. Despite his size, tackles with good form and hits hard. Will be good for him when asked to play from the slot.
Mental Processing:
A player who really sees the field well, he does a good job of seeing the play as it unfolds. Makes up for any speed deficiencies by always being able to put himself in a good position.
Range:
A player who has enough speed and smarts to cover from sideline to sideline. Speed questions makes it a hard projection as he moves to the NFL.
Speed:
Ran a 40 yard dash in the 4.6 range which would make him one of the slower players at his position in the league. He plays faster than this however and, given his role, he has too.
Versatility:
A tremendously versatile player for the position with the ability to play both deep safety and slot corner at a high level.
Assessment:
While I didn’t expect it, Ar’Darius Washington became one of my favorite players in the class. He moves exceptionally well in all aspects, and is a superbly smart player. He simply sees the field as well as you possibly can. In addition to this, he has tremendous ball skills often getting his hands on the ball regardless of who is matched up with him. The worries with Washington are obvious. He is one of the smallest players at the position at 5’8” and 179 pounds and he ran a 4.61 40 yard dash at the TCU Pro Day. While these measurables are not great, he plays much faster than this time indicates and has survived at this height for his whole career. Due to his ball skills and smarts, I would have no problem selecting him high on day two of the NFL Draft.
Grade: Second round
Be sure to follow NFL Draft Lounge for more on Ar’Darius Washington and additional 2021 NFL Draft scouting report coverage. As always, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
