Hogs Haven
Who steps up at safety this year?
Your response to the headline might be to point out that Washington did not select a safety in this year’s draft. You would be correct. Nick Emmanwori, a plug and play replacement for Chinn was available in the first round, but Peters opted for the highly athletic Oregon tackle prospect Josh Conerly Jr. instead. The scenario would be repeated in the second when the value of Trey Amos overrode the availability of Andrew Mukuba. Ultimately, a safety prospect never aligned with their board and the front office eschewed drafting one altogether.
Your next assumption might be that the article is about Kain Medrano, the 6th-round linebacker that projects as a safety/linebacker hybrid at the next level. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr called him a “unique” player during OTAs , saying the team was testing him for some of Jeremy’s old roles. While Medrano may develop into the Chinn’s replacement at some point in his time in D.C., this article is about a different player.
To determine the identity of our mystery man, it might be helpful to review what Chinn brought to the table last year. The former second round pick owns a perfect 10.00 RAS score and tips the scales at 220 pounds.
Chinn was at his best last season as an instinctive safety, reading and reacting to plays in front of him. He graded out well versus the run and tied for seventh among safeties with 26 struggling somewhat in coverage, giving up 28 receptions for 354 yards, five touchdowns on 43 targets for a 119.7 passer rating. Despite this, Whitt loved utilizing Chinn’s versatility to implement his scheme. Next Gen Stats listed the safety’s snaps by alignment in 2024 as follows:
Despite a solid season, the front office did not retain his services, and he inked a reasonable 2-year, $16.258 million dollar deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. Clearly the front office had a plan for replacing his snaps this upcoming season. So what is it? In my opinion, the answer is a player they drafted…last year. Dominique Hampton.
Since Hampton was inactive for all but one game last season, a brief refresher on the fifth-rounder might be in order. A height, weight, speed prospect, his 9.57 RAS score is very comparable to Chinn’s.
Hampton is also blessed with an enormous wingspan (6’7”), big hands, and a long frame. One of his MockDraftable comps is Deone Bucannon. Along with plus measurables, Hampton’s other calling card was versatility and a high football IQ. Below are his snaps by alignment as listed by PFF for his last three seasons at the University of Washington.
If you compare Chinn’s 2024 snaps with Hampton’s 2023 chart you will note the distribution similarity. Lance Zierlein profiled Hampton as more comfortable operating in a read-and-react safety role and The Draft Network listed low-hole SS as one of his strengths. On paper he would seem be an ideal replacement for Chinn. However, you might question the fit...
