Redskins select Arkansas safety Kamren Curl at No. 216 overall

With the No. 216 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select

The Washington Redskins emphasized versatility with their first batch of picks, and now, they have an opportunity to close out the 2020 NFL Draft on a strong note with two seventh-round picks on deck. With their first seventh-round pick, the Redskins added to their safety unit, selecting Arkansas defensive back Kamren Curl.

Curl isn’t a household name on the 2020 NFL Draft circuit, but he was a solid producer for the Razorbacks in the SEC. Curl, who’s just 21 years old, recorded 76 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two pass deflections, and two interceptions in 2019, putting up a consistent stat sheet across the board.

Curl opted to declare for the NFL Draft as a junior, and was invited to the NFL Combine, where he put up decent numbers. Curl doesn’t have top-end speed, as he only logged a 4.60 in Indianapolis. But he posted good explosion numbers, logging a 34.5-inch vertical and a broad jump well over ten feet. His numbers are more impressive when taking his size (6-foot-1.5, 206) into account.

Curl, according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, is a competitive player who has good instincts and play reading ability, and he’s on the uptrend, having improved in each year at Arkansas. That said, Zierlein doesn’t give a ringing endorsement for Curl’s fluidity and ability to improvise. Curl appears to have some physical potential, but it’s unclear what role he’s best suited for at the next level. That’ll be up to Ron Rivera and Kyle Smith to decide.

As a seventh-round pick, Curl should be expected to provide safety depth and special teams utility early on, and while he does have some intriguing physical tools that could lead to him having an increased role on defense, that’s too much of a projection to make for a late-round pick with no clearly dominant attributes.

The Redskins still have one more selection on the board, and they still have some positions of need that remain unaddressed, such as cornerback and tight end. Will they opt to invest in those areas, or will they stay true to their board and judge based on talent alone? Stick with us to find out.