Darrick Forrest Jr. NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Washington Safety

HEIGHT: 5'11 1/2"

WEIGHT: 206

POSITIVES:

—Plays with good instincts and awareness.

—Flies around and gets to the ball. Comes downhill quickly to fill running lanes.

—Shows good explosiveness in tackles.

—Runs well, covers ground when deep with above-average range.

—Does a very good job reading quarterback's eyes and breaking on the ball.

—Shows good explosiveness in tackles.

NEGATIVES:

—Slight lack of length.

—Has some hip tightness in man coverage.

—Average open-field tackler who lacks aggression at times.

—Slower play speed than desired. Can be late to playing the sideline.

2020 STATISTICS:

9 games: 40 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 INT, 1 PBU

OVERALL:

Forrest is a three-year starter for the Bearcat defense, where he showed some versatility alongside co-safety James Wiggins. Forrest had an outstanding season in 2019 with over 100 tackles, but with fewer games in 2020, he wasn't able to have the same production. When in deep coverage, he was able to show decent range, but he often showed up late to the sideline with average ball skills.

He plays with some awareness and an opportunistic playstyle. He's got very good reaction in run support, though he does have some hesitation when tackling in the open field. Forrest would initially be a special teamer early on who would also provide depth.

GRADE: 6.7/10 (Career Backup/Rotational Player—Round 6)

OVERALL RANK: 222/300

POSITION RANK: S18

PRO COMPARISON: Rudy Ford

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings