Cornerback is 1 of the toughest positions to play in the NFL, mostly due to heavy passing offenses, bigger and faster wide receivers, and rule changes that have allowed the offense to run more loosely in the secondary. That task is even tougher when you are coming from a smaller or lesser known school. One young prospect that is trying to do just that and was just at the NFL Combine is Todd Washington, a CB from Southeastern Louisiana.
Washington is a tough corner that does well in press coverage and has experience on special teams as a jammer. He is a solid tackler and plays with a good head out there on the field. He has good size for a corner and could be a Nickel or Dime CB to start the year for an NFL team next year. He needs to improve his ball skills and avoid being thrown off by the QB’s vision. He is projected to be picked anywhere mid to late of the NFL Draft in May. He originally went to Memphis, but transferred the Southeastern Louisiana at the end of the 2010 season.
At Memphis, Washington played in 9 games with 6 starts as a freshman. In 2011, after transferring, he started 7 of 8 games. His junior year, he earned All Southland Conference Honorable Mention and finished that year starting 10 games and collecting 27 tackles with a team high 10 pass breakups. His final year, he earned another All Southland Conference Honorable Mention and had 15 tackles and 8 pass breakups. That year he was also able to help Southeastern Louisiana to their 1st ever Southland Conference championship and birth into the NCAA Division I Football Championship.
Washington did not run the forty at the combine, but his speed is projected to be in the 4.5 range. He only participated in the Bench Press drill, in which he did 13 reps of 225 lbs. He showed up at the combines and measured in at 5’11 196 lbs. His arm length was 31 and 1/8th inches, but he has small hands that are only 8 and 3/4th inches. He however, does use his hands well with good technique and makes up for his speed with his body position. He may also be shifted to a Free Safety spot at the next level so he can see the action in front of him.
Washington will be 1 of almost 300 CBs that will be eligible for the 2014 NFL draft. He is ranked by most in the top 20% of that group. He will have to hope that private workouts, interviews, and the data that he has on tape, will be enough to get him drafted as high as possible. There are over 200 players that will be picked in the NFL draft. He is just another 1 of the names that you may not be paying attention to or remember on draft day, but he will be someone who can make an impact on Sundays.
