The Washington Commanders have already added one former Maryland safety this offseason. Could they add another? Is he a fit?
In free agency, the Washington Commanders signed Nick Cross as the top dog in a safety room that last year saw career special teamer Jeremy Reaves start eight games there. With Cross, Reaves, Quan Martin, and Will Harris already in the fold, safety has been a need for the Commanders to upgrade and while there are day two candidates, it wouldn’t be a shock if they looked to add one piece on day three of the NFL Draft. Luckily for Washington, there’s a prospect who played his college ball just an hour away in Maryland’s Jalen Huskey.
Huskey started his career at Bowling Green, after spending 2022 as a reserve corner, he moved into the starting lineup the following year, where he was named First-Team All-MAC. He transferred to Maryland after the season and was moved to safety midway through the 2024 season before becoming a Second-Team All-Big Ten Selection his final year in college. In his three years as a starter, Huskey intercepted 11 passes, holding the team lead every year. At 6-foot-1, 196 pounds, he has good size for a free safety, with questions about his speed, as he didn’t work out at the NFL combine.
The first thing that jumps out on tape is Huskey’s ballhawking ability. He tracks passes as well as anyone in the draft and has made key interceptions in critical moments of a game. His football IQ is high, as he is able to read a quarterback and diagnose where a pass is going. He’s also an acceptable tackler who will be helpful in the running game.
The biggest knock on Huskey is his speed and quickness, as it could lead to problems with burners at the receiver position. If he gets beaten early in a route, he doesn’t make the make-up speed to catch up. Huskey also has issues with change of direction if a play goes away from him and goes wide. What he does do well is tackling and providing support against the run, consistently finding himself around the ball while showcasing his strong tackling, whether it be in open field or along the perimeter.
While the speed issues will turn some teams off of him, Huskey’s hawkballing play is something that everyone looks for. He’ll have a lot of interest from teams looking to increase their takeaways from 2025. The Commanders are one of those teams, as their ten takeaways were only better than the Jets, a team that didn’t record a single interception last year. Adding Huskey on day three would give them a solid rotation of guys at safety and could lead to more interceptions from the defense.
While the Commanders were present for last month's Pro Day in College Park, the staff got another look at the versatile defensive back during Wednesday's local Pro Day with nearly 40 prospects in attendance.
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