Kamren
Curl.
Kamren
Curl.
Arkansas· 6'1"· 206 lb· 4.60s 40
"Washington spent the 216th pick on a versatile Arkansas box safety with thin ball production, and got back six seasons of starting-caliber tackling from multiple alignments."Pre-draft read
Curl was a long, versatile strong safety in Arkansas's defense, a 6-1, 206-pound defender who started at strong safety as a junior after spending his first two seasons working at cornerback and nickel. His primary trait was physical run support: he triggered downhill from the box, took sound angles to the ball carrier and finished tackles with length, posting 76 stops in 2019.
His secondary trait was positional flexibility in coverage, where his cornerback background let him match tight ends and big slots in man and handle zone landmarks. He was stronger against the run than the pass. His athletic ceiling was solid rather than elite, and his signature was reliable, low-mistake tackling from multiple alignments.
Split-safety quarters or Cover-3 match defense that lets him play the robber and box role and match tight ends in man.
Year 1: special teams and dime linebacker role. Ceiling: every-down strong safety and big nickel.
Single-high Cover-1 scheme that asks him to be the deep middle eraser with sideline-to-sideline range.
Most valuable near the line of scrimmage, where his tackling and length play up.
Kamren Curl 2019 Arkansas Highlights
Junior-season college highlights at strong safety for Arkansas.
Kamren Curl with a Tackle For Loss vs. Arizona Cardinals
Rookie-year run fit from the box for Washington.
Third INT of the night: Kam Curl
Interception with the Rams.
Curl projected as a rangy, tough box safety with cornerback experience, a developmental Day 3 defender whose versatility made him attractive as a sub-package piece and special teams contributor. Scouts liked his size, his willingness to hit and his feel for fitting the run from the second level.
He started from his freshman year, logging 46 tackles and eight pass breakups in 2017 and 53 tackles in 2018 on struggling Arkansas teams. His 2019 junior year was his best, with 76 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a 69-yard fumble-return touchdown at Ole Miss. The flags were a lack of ball production before 2019, only average long speed and the losing environment around him.
Most boards slotted him as a late-round or priority free agent safety. Washington took him at No. 216 after he declared early, a value call on a young, versatile defender that looked like a pure special teams flier at the time and became one of the best picks of the entire round.
- 01
Run-support physicality
Triggered downhill from the box, took clean angles and finished ball carriers, leading to 76 tackles and four tackles for loss in 2019.
- 02
Alignment versatility
Played cornerback, nickel and strong safety at Arkansas, giving defensive coordinators a matchup piece against tight ends and big slots.
- 03
Sure tackling
Wrapped and drove through contact with length rather than launching, which limited missed tackles and explosive runs after the catch.
- 04
Splash plays as a junior
Produced two sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble-return touchdown in 2019, showing growing playmaking instincts.
- 05
Early experience
Started as a true freshman in the SEC and entered the draft at 21 with three seasons of starting tape against top competition.
- 01
Limited ball production
Recorded no interceptions in his first two seasons, raising questions about his hands and ability to finish plays on the ball.
- 02
Average long speed
Lacked the burst and deep range to play single-high safety or recover when receivers got behind him.
- 03
Losing environment
Played on Arkansas teams that won a combined four games in 2018 and 2019, which made his tape harder to evaluate in context.
- 04
Coverage refinement
Sometimes played too tight to the line in zone and lost depth on vertical routes, reflecting inexperience at the safety spot.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.60sp50
- Vertical
- 34.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 125inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 24repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Arkansas | 12 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 2018 | Arkansas | 11 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 2019 | Arkansas | 11 | 76 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Career | — | 34 | 175 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 3 |
Totals from Sports-Reference and the Arkansas roster bio; 2019 also includes a 69-yard fumble-return touchdown at Ole Miss.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a durable box safety and big nickel who started nearly every game.
Late-round safety who became a multi-year starter through instincts, tackling and versatility.
Special teams core player and spot starter whose defensive role never became every-down.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Curl became a starter far ahead of schedule. As a 2020 rookie in Washington he played 16 games with 11 starts, recorded 88 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions, including a 76-yard pick-six. He started 14 games in 2021, 12 in 2022 and all 16 in 2023, serving as a box safety and big nickel in Washington's defense. He signed with the Rams in 2024 and started all 16 games he played, then all 17 in 2025 with 122 tackles.
In hindsight Washington found a long-term starter at No. 216. Curl's college tape showed a physical, versatile tackler without much ball production, and that is largely who he became: a dependable, every-down safety whose value came from tackling, communication and alignment flexibility rather than turnovers. Through 2025 he had 93 NFL games and 86 starts, a return few seventh-round picks in any class can match. The misses in his game, limited takeaways and average deep range, kept him from Pro Bowl recognition, but never from the lineup.