Redskins 2019 College Football Championship mock draft
By Ian Cummings
Round 1 – S Deionte Thompson – Alabama
Earlier this week, I listed safety as the Redskins top need, across the board. Finding an offensive playmaker is just as big a concern, and the quarterback situation is dire. But if the Redskins have the chance to nab the best safety in the draft, they can’t hesitate to capitalize.
Luckily, Deionte Thompson is the best safety in the draft. As an Alabama player, he’ll be hard to pass up.
Donning the cursive “A” is just where the positive traits start for Thompson, however. Taking a liking to Thompson isn’t a case of scouting the helmet. It’s just good scouting. Where Redskins safeties such as Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and D.J. Swearinger reacted to plays at times throughout the 2018 season, Thompson, a bona fide first-round prospects, makes plays on his own.
Thompson is a stellar athlete with good size and length at 6-foot-2, 196. Unlike Clinton-Dix, Thompson has a natural feel for angles, and he can adjust very quickly with brisk, fluid lateral agility. Thompson is aggressive, but can correct himself in the heat of the moment with plus physical traits.
Even so, Thompson’s aggression can get him into trouble at times. Mentally, he’s still learning, as most college prospects are. But what he can provide physically is something that few safeties can mirror, and he’d bring an immediate noticeable boost to a secondary in need of a facelift.