2021 NFL Draft: Bears land top pick in preseason 2021 NFL mock draft
By Kyle Edmond
2021 NFL Draft Round 1, Pick 30 (Baltimore Ravens, 13-3)
26. Scouting Report. Safety. TCU. player. Pick Analysis. Ar'Darius Washington. 30
The Baltimore Ravens should be dominant this season on both sides of the ball and could very well challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for the best team in the AFC, but the loss of Earl Thomas will make that much more difficult.
The team let Thomas go after an incident with a teammate, which doesn’t seem to have been his first. Although team chemistry might benefit from Thomas’ departure, it’s hard to argue the impact he had on the field.
Filling that void throughout the season could be a challenge and the Ravens should be searching for a replacement in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lucky for them, there is a near clone of Thomas in the draft.
Ar’Darius Washington might not have the resume that Thomas had in college, but his scheme fit is similar with high potential. At just 5-foot-9, Washington is a bit undersized for the safety position, but he is only an inch shy of Thomas and the height doesn’t show on the stat sheet.
During the 2019 season, Washington had five interceptions for TCU as well as two passes defended. He also contributed 46 tackles. The interceptions are the high point here and could draw interest for a team in search of a ball hawk.