Grading the Washington Redskins picks from the 2020 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 2: S Kamren Curl, Arkansas
The Redskins made a couple of smart selections in the seventh round. With one, they swung for the fences. With another, they played it safe and tried to get a player who should be a back-end roster candidate.
Curl fell into the latter category. He’s a low-ceiling player, but he has a solid floor that could keep him on a 53-man roster in the right role.
As NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote, Curl doesn’t have great speed, but he should fit a role thanks to his experience and instincts.
"Three-year starter with adequate size, instincts and competitiveness, but lacking speed and a plus position characteristic. Curl has experience in man coverage, but might be better suited as a split-safety where he can cover with his eyes more frequently than with his athleticism and speed. He’ll come up to hit and tackle but doesn’t have the frame or power to be an impactful run deterrent near the line of scrimmage. He has a chance to become a backup safety at some point if he has enough speed."
So in essence, Curl is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type player. That should afford him a chance to be an effective backup and special teams player. And if Rivera and Jack Del Rio know his limitations, they can always scheme around them a bit if he needs to see the field on defense.
Curl should challenge Deshazor Everett, Troy Apke, and Jeremy Reaves for a role on the team. If he doesn’t make it, he could be a solid fit on the practice squad. It’ll be interesting to see him on the field in a Redskins uniform and if he can get a bit faster at the next level.