2020 NFL Draft: Late-Round sleeper targets for the Washington Redskins
By Matt Murray
There are three safeties the Redskins should attempt to pick in the first two days of the draft including Isaiah Simmons, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Ashtyn Davis. However, if they fail to do so they could focus their attention on Terrell Burgess and Julian Blackmon with their two picks on day three.
Terrell Burgess, Safety, Utah
Terrell Burgess has the ability to play both slot cornerback and deep safety. He was only a one-year starter at Utah but he made the most of his opportunity as the fourth highest-graded coverage safety by PFF. He is an extremely cognitive player and excels where he can read and diagnose plays.
His size is a negative for him moving into the NFL as he is a little smaller than the average free safety at 5-foot-11, 202 pounds. However, what he is lacking in size he seems to make up for in his tackling technique. Burgess in my eyes deserves to be a third-round selection but will most likely fall to day three.
Julian Blackmon, Safety, Utah
Next is another Utah product, Julian Blackmon, who made the move from outside corner to free safety in 2019 and it proved to be extremely successful for both Blackmon and the Utes. He will be a developmental player, who specifically needs to work on his angles and confidence in his new position, with the ability to start at free safety in the future.
Blackmon doesn’t have the positional flexibility that Burgess showed but still could be a good fifth or sixth-round pick to play in deep coverage at the safety position.