Darrick
Forrest.
Darrick
Forrest.
Cincinnati· 5'11"· 206 lb· 4.42s 40
"A 5-11, 206-pound Cincinnati safety with a 4.42 forty, 39-inch vertical and a 9.78 RAS — a Round-5 downhill box/two-high hybrid projection where explosiveness and hit-power were the argument."Pre-draft read
This strong safety operates effectively in two-high and single-high schemes, rotating as a Cover-3 defender. He aligns in the box, on the hash, and as a robber in disguised looks. His exceptional trigger in reading run/pass keys allows him to close downhill quickly through the alley, finishing with verifiable hit power. He sinks on curl-flat and hook drops, matching No. 3 vertical receivers from off-alignment with plus ball skills.
Limitations include man-coverage against tight ends due to inadequate hip fluidity and route-recognition timing. His tackling angles in space can be inconsistent; closing speed occasionally leads him past the ball-carrier's pad level, resulting in missed tackles on cutbacks. He also offers real special teams value as a gunner and on kick coverage.
Cover-3 match, single-high with dedicated box safeties and nickel personnel packages.
Year 1 core-four special teamer and sub-package dimebacker, with a ceiling as a starting strong safety in a two-high system by Year 3.
Man-heavy defense that asks him to regularly cover tight ends or nickel receivers isolated in space.
A downhill, athletic, cover-3 strong safety with elite special teams value and above-average ball skills who projects as a 4-phase special teams contributor for years.
Darrick Forrest Highlights (Safety, Cincinnati) - Pick 163
Cincinnati career reel used in the pre-draft cycle; downhill hits, alley fits and ball production.
Cincinnati Safety Darrick Forrest Highlights
AAC tape emphasizing closing speed, contact finishes and Cover-3 rotation reps.
Darrick Forrest Jr Commanders Highlights 2022
2022 breakout starter season in Washington: 4 INTs, robber snaps and downhill run support vs. NFC East offenses.
This player projects as a downhill strong safety with significant special teams impact, offering a team a physical presence in the box and a capable zone defender. His top-decile athletic profile, highlighted by a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, indicates the burst and closing speed necessary for a strong safety role, especially on run fits and covering shallow zones. He brings immediate value in the kicking game, creating a clear path to early snaps.
As a three-year starter within Cincinnati's defense, he accumulated 187 career tackles, 5 interceptions, and 20 pass breakups. He played a key role in an aggressive, multiple front, often calling adjustments. His usage included snaps in both two-high and single-high looks, demonstrating versatility despite limitations in consistent man coverage against certain matchups.
Evaluators generally saw him as a mid-Day 3 pick to a priority undrafted free agent, with his projection hinging more on his box safety and special teams capabilities than an advanced coverage profile. Washington selected him in the fifth round, identifying him as a developmental strong-side safety and premium special-teamer.
- 01
Short-area burst
Elite short-area explosion translates to a quick downhill trigger, allowing him to close alleys rapidly and deliver genuine hit power on contact.
- 02
Athletic profile
Possesses a top-decile athletic profile, marked by a 4.42 forty and 6.91 three-cone, indicative of movement skills for special teams contributions.
- 03
Physical finisher
A physical finisher in both run support and at the catch point, fitting C-gap with good pad level to deliver knockback and separate receiver from ball.
- 04
Starter experience
Three-year starter and captain in a top-25 defense, calling adjustments in a multiple front and accumulating volume against varied offenses.
- 05
Zone processing ability
Demonstrates strong zone-processing ability, comfortable dropping in Cover-3 curl-flat and reading route combinations from two-high shells with eyes on the quarterback.
- 01
Tackling angles
Inconsistent tackling angles in space, with closing speed sometimes leading him past the ball-carrier's pad level, resulting in missed tackles on cutbacks.
- 02
Man coverage
Struggles in man coverage against tight ends, where hip fluidity and timing in route recognition are insufficient to consistently match speed and movement.
- 03
Ball production
Ball production, with 5 career interceptions across four seasons, is solid for a downhill safety but does not project as a plus single-high ball-hawk.
- 04
Frame limitations
His frame is tight and near maxed out at 5-11, 206, which caps growth into a true single-high or nickel linebacker role, limiting projection to SS/dime.
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
- 4.42sp50
- Vertical
- 39inp50
- Broad jump
- 132inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.91sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.23sp50
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Cincinnati | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Cincinnati | 13 | 49 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | Cincinnati | 14 | 106 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | Cincinnati | 10 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 49 | 200 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Wrong — closer likely is Duron Harmon: two-high sub-package safety, plus special-teamer, developmental starter grade in the right scheme.
Ceiling only — similar movement traits and ball skills if the coverage processing steps up; Simmons was the range/instincts version Forrest was chasing.
Downhill box safety who finds a run of starts before injury and range limitations turn him into a rotational depth/ST piece.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Solid rotational hit. Special-teams core Year 1, rotational safety Year 2 (5 INTs, plus PFF grades), lost the starter job in 2023. Signed with the Bills in 2024 as depth, on the roster in 2025.
Pre-draft context. Darrick Forrest closed his Cincinnati career as a three-year starter and Bearcats team captain, posting 187 tackles, 5 interceptions and 20 PBUs across four seasons in Luke Fickell's aggressive multiple defense. At his pro day he measured 5-11, 206 with a 4.42 forty, a 39-inch vertical, 132-inch broad, 6.91 three-cone and 4.23 shuttle — a 9.78 RAS that pushed a fringe Day-3 grade into the fifth round. Boards flagged tackling angles and coverage nuance but agreed on the burst, closing speed and physicality.
NFL fit — Washington. Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio took Forrest at #163 as a developmental strong-side safety and premium special-teamer, exactly the archetype Washington leaned on in nickel-heavy sub-packages. Alongside Kam Curl and Bobby McCain, the plan was to grow him as a downhill safety who could rotate down into a robber/dime linebacker role in obvious pass situations.
Retrospective. Forrest broke out in 2022, starting 15 games with 4 interceptions and forcing his way onto the Commanders' core, before a quad injury in 2023 preseason wiped out his season and never fully returned him to that form. He was released in the 2024 roster cutdown, signed a practice-squad/reserve deal with San Francisco, and has since bounced through Arizona — a real starter season the team could not sustain, and a cautionary tale about safeties whose value lives at the top of their athletic curve.