South Carolina State CB Jarod Washington Turns Heads With Elite Speed, Length

Jarod Washington clocked 21.33 mph at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas, the fastest verified tracking number among all defensive backs at the event. The South Carolina State cornerback's mark, registered by Zebra MotionWorks technology and published by event organizers, edged LSU's Xavion Davis at 20.96 mph and Toledo's Avery Smith at 20.47 mph, placing an HBCU All-American atop a leaderboard stacked with Power Four prospects.

That number is the entry point into Washington's evaluation, not the sum of it. Over 25 FCS games, the 6-foot-2, 188-pound senior recorded 33 pass breakups, four interceptions (three returned for touchdowns), one forced fumble, and 75 tackles (63 solo). During the 2025 season specifically, he led the entire FCS in passes defended at 1.83 per game. He took home the Aeneas Williams Award as the nation's top FCS cornerback, MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, and back-to-back first-team All-MEAC honors while helping South Carolina State to back-to-back Celebration Bowl appearances and the 2025 HBCU National Championship. At the Shrine Bowl game itself, he converted that burst into a 51-yard pick-six.

The scheme fit question that will define Washington's draft range is press-man versus zone. He projects most cleanly in Cover 2 and match-quarters systems: his ability to read quarterback eyes, trigger on underneath routes, and take tight angles to the catch point are genuine NFL-caliber tools. His mid-phase hand-fighting to stay in the hip pocket of vertically stretched receivers shows up consistently on tape.

Press coverage is where scouts pump the brakes. Despite the elite Shrine Bowl top-end speed, Washington lacks the early first-step acceleration that press-man demands. Receivers with clean releases can compress his cushion and stack him vertically before his recovery burst reengages. Hand placement in press and hip fluidity on direction changes are technique items scouts flag routinely. As a tackler, he tends to leave his feet and dive low, creating missed-tackle exposure against receivers after the catch.

The clearest in-game stress test is a vertical release against press, particularly a slant-and-go combination. Watch whether Washington's hips rotate cleanly through the receiver's break, or whether the receiver secures a three-step lead before Washington's top-end speed can close the gap. On third-and-medium, his Cover 2 flat assignments are where QB-read instincts and anticipation show most favorably. Quick-rhythm three-step boundary throws surface the first-step deficiency in real time. Fade routes and post-corners over the top, paradoxically, play into his strengths.

The closest NFL pathway comp is Tariq Woolen, the large corner from outside the Power Five whose elite top-end speed and length drew fifth-round interest from the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 despite technique questions at draft time. Washington's zone-first projection differs from Woolen's press-heavy profile, but the template of athleticism outpacing technique at an early career stage is the same archetype.

At SCSU's pro day, Washington posted a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, measured 190 pounds (four more than his Shrine Bowl weight), and sat down with the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, and Green Bay Packers. The thresholds scouts will track: a validated 40 below 4.45, zone-snap documentation above 60 percent of career coverage snaps, and a reduction in missed tackles in space. Clear those benchmarks, and Washington has a credible argument to become the first South Carolina State player selected in the NFL Draft since Cobie Bryant went to Seattle in the sixth round in 2022.