The Washington Football goes back to the secondary with the 163rd overall pick, taking Cincinnati safety Darrick Forrest.
Forrest, who NFL.com's Lance Zierlein called an "urgent player" in his draft evaluation, is a three-year starter who was an All-AAC honorable mention in 2020. He made 36 career starts for the Bearcats and recorded 200 tackles to go with 12 pass breakups and six interceptions. Forrest was a first-team All-AAC selection in 2019 for getting 106 stops, 63 of which were solo, and three interceptions.
"He's willing and able to play near the line of scrimmage or flow downhill quickly in order to constrict the run lane and defend the flanks against outside runs," Zierlein wrote. "He's comfortable and steady from split zone and has a game that is also suited for playing down near the box."
Forrest (6-foot, 200 pounds) joins third-round pick Benjamin St-Juste as new additions to Washington's secondary. Forrest was primarily a special teams player during his true freshman season at Cincinnati and will likely fill a similar role in Washington as he learns behind Landon Collins, Deshazor Everett, Troy Apke, Jeremy Reaves and second-year pro Kamren Curl.
