Deionte Thompson could become a value pick for the Redskins

Deionte Thompson won’t be participating in the 2019 NFL Combine after having surgery to repair a torn wrist ligament. That could drop his stock a little bit, and the Washington Redskins could get him as a Day 2 value pick.

For a good chunk of the 2018 college football season, it seemed that Alabama safety Deionte Thompson was the best safety prospect coming out in the 2019 draft class. He had shown great range, ball skills, and playmaking ability at Alabama, and it was thought that he would only get better with time.

However, late in the season, Thompson’s play began to fall off. He struggled in the College Football Playoff and had a particularly rough performance against Clemson. His instincts weren’t as good and he blew some coverages as a result. He got a minor stock down because of this late-season drop-off, but there were still some that believed he could be a first-round pick. That now seems to have gone out the window.

Thompson had one major thing going for him in the lead-up to the draft. First, the 2019 draft class is weak at safety. There are a lot of potential contributors, but no sure-fire successes at the position. That meant that if Thompson could have a great showing at the Combine, he could climb back up draft boards and put himself in the running to be the first safety off the board.

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Unfortunately, that ship has sailed, as Thompson had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his wrist. While he will be healthy to start the 2019 NFL season, he won’t be able to work out at the Combine. That could cause other safeties — namely Florida’s Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Delaware’s Nassir Adderley — to leapfrog him in the pecking order for the draft. That would likely push Thompson down the board on Day 2, and the Redskins could take advantage of that.

The Redskins are armed with three Day 2 picks and have a massive need at safety. Given their penchant for adding former Alabama players, selecting Thompson would make sense, especially considering that his upside is just as good as any other safety in this draft class. But with Thompson’s stock on the decline, they will almost certainly have a shot at drafting him in the second round. And, it’s possible that he will even be on the board for one of their selections in Round 3. That could make him a superior value while the team looks to address other holes with their first- and second-round picks.

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Thompson certainly should be on the Redskins’ radar, but with his stock on the decline, he makes even more sense. He’s the type of player that could outplay his draft slot if taken on Day 2 and could emerge as one of the better value-pick options for Washington.

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