By Rich Tandler
The Redskins are likely to be putting the strong safeties under the microscope when they are at the NFL Combine this week. Starter LaRon Landry could well depart via free agency, and that would create a hole that probably can’t be filled by current roster members.
It probably can’t be filled in the draft, either. The crop of strong safety candidates is exceptionally weak this year. Mark Barron of Alabama is the only one who seems to have a chance of starting in the NFL in 2012 and he is sidelined with a double sports hernia. It is unlikely that he will be able to work out for teams prior to the draft. His work on film at Alabama will be good enough to get him drafted, perhaps even somewhere in the first round.
Once you get past Barron, however, you have nothing but suspects and projects. Kelcie McCaray from Arkansas State is a good athlete but he has problems sticking his nose in to make tackles. Antonio Allen of South Carolina is an old-fashioned in the box safety making his utility limited in these days of three- and four-receiver sets.
Washington also is looking at a thin free agent crop at the position. It will be interesting to see how they might handle Landry’s potential departure.
The complete list of strong safeties invited to the combine is below. They are in the order of Wes Bunting’s scouting grades.
CSN Washington will have wall-to-wall coverage of the NFL Combine starting Feb 23 and our Rich Tandler will be in Indianapolis. If there are any players on the list you’d like to know more about, let us know in the comments or hit Rich up on Twitter @Rich_Tandler.
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