PFF Eyes ‘Tone-Setter’ as Next Commanders Safety in NFL Draft
A lot of people had their own yes set in a safety for the Washington Commanders early in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton ended up with the Baltimore Ravens, Baylor’s Jalen Pitre went to the Houston Texans, and Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker is getting his NFL career started with the Chicago Bears.
Meanwhile, Washington waited until the fourth round to take Percy Butler out of Louisiana.
Now, Butler has certainly flashed at times early in the off-season camp and OTA periods, and Kamren Curl is expected to take another step towards being a key contributor on the Commanders defense, and veteran Bobby McCain is back for his second season with the team.
None of that is keeping some from projecting another safety being added to the team in 2023.
“The Commanders have the makings of a defense that can not only win you games but also strike fear in the heart of opposing offenses,” writes PFF when identifying Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon as a draft target for the Commanders next offseason. “Adding a tone-setter to the back end that can match the physicality of their front seven would go a long way toward that.”
According to The NFL Draft Bible, Catalon is, “An elite athlete and playmaker with a nose for the ball, Catalon excels in Zone coverage due to range, route combination recognition and ball skills but will need to clean up pursuit angles when working East-West and refine tackling technique to reach his ceiling.”
As the NFL and collegiate football seasons progress time will tell if the Commanders truly need another safety, and if Catalon can improve on some of those areas he needs to in order to impress pro scouts.
