Former Hog Kam Curl becoming one of the NFL’s best safeties

When former Arkansas safety Kamren Curl was drafted in seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, his prognosis for a impactful professional career seemed like a longshot.

The Washington Commanders selected the 6-foot-2, 198-pound Curl with the 216th overall pick, following his junior season with the Razorbacks. He immediately caught the eye of Washington coaches his rookie season, displaying veteran-like tendencies in terms of always knowing where to be.

Now, he has become one of the draft’s biggest steals. In his fourth season with the 3-5 Commanders, he has not only secured his place atop the team’s depth chart, but has developed into one of the game’s best at his position.

Prior to the 2023 season, Curl landed at No. 85 on the CBS Sports Top 100 NFL Players list. And he has not disappointed, becoming Washington’s leading tackler this season with 65 total tackles through the first eight games – an 8.1 per-game clip. He currently ranks 21st in the NFL for overall tackles and sixth in the league with 41 solo stops.

“Pay attention. This kid has developed into one of the best young safeties in the game. He’s good in both the run and against the pass,” the CBS Sports site stated.

The 24-year-old Curl has reached double-digits in tackles three times this season, including a career-high 12 against Philadelphia in Week 4, then an 11-tackle performance against Atlanta two weeks later. He finished with seven tackles and his first career forced fumble in Sunday’s 38-31 loss to the Eagles.

Through the first three-plus seasons of his NFL career, Curl has racked up 335 tackles, five sacks, three interceptions and 13 pass deflections.

“I think the guy that’s kind of starting to find his voice is Kam Curl,” said Washington Head Coach Ron Rivera. “He’s played very well for us. (The secondary group) is really coming together.”

Curl played at least 700 snaps in each of his first three seasons, and finished as a top-30 safety by Pro Football Focus’s (PFF) grade in each of those years. He has played all 482 of the Commanders’ defensive snaps this season.

In 2022, he earned the second-highest grade at the position and was the league’s only safety to earn at least an 80.0 PFF grade in run defense, tackling and coverage. He ended last season ranked as PFF’s No. 4 safety, after posting Top 10 grades as a run defender (80.5) and in coverage (80.8).

Although injuries limited him to just 12 games a year ago, he finished third on the team with 83 tackles and second with 58 solo tackles, which included six tackles behind the line of scrimmage and a sack.

Curl’s lone knock early in his career was his ability to finish plays, but after intense work in the offseason, his tackling skills developed significantly last season. After ranking in the Top 10 in most missed tackles as a rookie, he finished in the Top 10 in fewest missed tackles in 2022.

“Mentally, I’m better,” Curl said. “Seeing stuff, anticipating stuff and knowing what offenses are going to do. All around I feel like I’m a better football player than I was as a rookie.”

That same improvement continued in his man-coverage skills, as well. Much like his missed-tackle rate, his man-coverage grade was much lower in his rookie season, compared to last season. He went from being a middle-of-the-pack man-coverage defender to one of the NFL’s best. He finished with the second-highest man-coverage grade among safeties.

His versatility to play anywhere on the field has also been a bonus for Washington, which allows their defense to give opposing offenses multiple looks without a drop-off in talent. He often lines up as a deep free safety, a slot cornerback or a box player. He can excel in every coverage role asked of him, without losing any leverage in the run game. And despite his smaller frame, he’s not afraid to sacrifice his body at the line of scrimmage.

Curl is in the final year of his 4-year, $3,408,328 rookie contract, which carries an average annual salary of $852,082. He is slated to become a free agent in the spring, and should be able to parlay his rigid performance into a huge cash increase. The NFL’s top safeties earn between $13-19 million per year.

“I feel like I should be getting paid more than I am right now, a seventh-round contract,” said Curl, whose agent is former Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams III. “I’m proud of myself just to know that it’s a discussion. I’ve worked my way up from a seventh-round pick to now being talked about getting that second contract. That’s what every guy wants coming into the league. They want that second contract.”

Curl came to Arkansas in 2017, out of Muskogee, Okla., and made an immediate impact for the Razorbacks. He started 11 of 12 games his freshman season, then started all 11 contests in each, his sophomore and junior seasons.

He tallied 175 total career tackles at Arkansas. His final season, he registered 76 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He was also the first player in the country that season to record a sack, an interception and score a touchdown on a fumble recovery, accomplishing that feat in just the first two games.

Curl was named a second-team All-SEC performer after his junior season, by PFF. His 87.6 overall grade was the highest mark on the team that year and tied for third-highest among SEC safeties.

Aug 31, 2019; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Kamren Curl (2) gets ready to tackle Portland State Vikings quarterback Davis Alexander (6) during the game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Story originally appeared on Razorbacks Wire