Five biggest needs Washington Football Team has to fill during 2021 NFL Draft
2. Free safety
The free safety spot has long been a need for the Washington Football Team. In recent years, they have found some quality players to patrol the safety spot, but for one reason or another, they never lasted.
Now, they have Kam Curl and Landon Collins back there. Both are good, but both are better suited to play the strong safety spot. Plus, Collins is coming off a torn Achilles, so it may take him some time to get up to full speed.
At the free safety spot, Washington saw three players chiefly patrol that position last year. They were Troy Apke, Deshazor Everett, and Jeremy Reaves. Apke won the starting job to begin the season, but he didn’t play too well. He’s fast, but his instincts and angles are lacking, so he’s best as a special teamer. As for Everett and Reaves, you can get by with them, but they are best served as part-time backup players.
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Washington needs a center fielder in their safety group. There are still some left on the free agent market — including Tre Boston, who has a history with Ron Rivera — but even if Washington adds some veteran help there, finding a young safety to take over longer-term would be worthwhile.
The 2021 safety class doesn’t have a true star in it, but there’s plenty of depth that the team could target. They could go after Trevon Moehrig with their first-round pick, as he’s probably the best of the bunch at safety, but they may be better served targeting the Richie Grant’s and Andre Cisco’s of the world on the second day of the draft.
As important as safety is for Washington, they will have options to add talent there. The safety market has moved relatively slowly the past few offseasons, and that includes when in comes to the draft. They should be able to land an upgrade and find the final piece to complete what is looking like a terrific secondary.