Evan Worthington Would Add Versatility At Safety

Evan Worthington, S
School: Colorado | Conference: Pac 12
College Experience: RS Senior | Age: 23
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 212 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 4th - 6th Round
NFL Comparison: John Johnson

College Statistics

Player Overview

Evan Worthington played his high school football in Denver, where he was named All-Colorado as a senior, and called “arguably the state’s best defensive player” by the Denver Post. Worthington earned starts in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, but was suspended for his junior year as a result of violating team rules. During his red-shirt junior season, he earned honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors after starting 11 games and leading the team with 66 solo tackles (86 total). Worthington suffered a concussion in his senior year, limiting him to just 9 starts, but he was again an All-Pac 12 honorable mention selection, collecting 48 tackles, 1 INT, and 6 pass break ups.

Strengths

• Has potential to play either free or strong safety.
• Effective range as a tackler.
• Good vertical ability to contest catches.
• Has good range.
• Plays best going downhill.

Weaknesses

• Is stronger in man coverage than zone.
• At times has troubling finding the ball.
• Needs to be more aggressive as a tackler. Needs to toughen up.
• Can take poor angles.
• Needs to strengthen the mental portion of his game.
• Some maturity concerns.

Let’s see his work

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

Worthington is being talked about as a possible Day 3 steal - a safety who has, at times, displayed impressive athleticism - but who has also struggled with maturity and health issues. Given the Redskins current situation, with Landon Collins etched in stone as the starting SS, and Montae Nicholson the presumed starter at FS - if he avoids suspension - it’s interesting that Nicholson is one of the comps for Worthington offered up by scouting experts. His ability to play either safety position, and his apparent need for some additional “seasoning” before he starts in the NFL could make the Redskins an ideal landing spot for him. Like Nicholson, Worthington appears to possess the physical tools to be a starting NFL safety, but needs to be provided the tutelage to get better at reading offenses and anticipating QBs. Given the relative lack of depth of safeties - particularly free safeties - in this draft, Worthington could be a very interesting late round project and eventual Nicholson replacement for the Redskins.