[jwplayer dNhfWIQr-XNcErKyb]
And like that, Michigan’s fourth player is off the board.
While he didn’t have the same flash as Jabrill Peppers did coming out of the VIPER position, if anything, Khaleke Hudson perfected it.
An athletic freak who showed out in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine last month, Hudson showed a ton of capability at the hybrid safety/linebacker role, and unlike Peppers, could truly play either.
It’s something that the Washington Redskins certainly saw, as Hudson was selected on Saturday with the No. 162 pick overall in the fifth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
What NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sees in Hudson:
Overview
Undersized safety turned linebacker who summons toughness and spunk to counterbalance his lack of traits. The production has been fairly impressive in two of the last three seasons, but he’s quicker than fast and his range is limited. Hudson’s lack of size shows up near the line of scrimmage and he’s not as sticky in coverage as he needs to be. His talent for blocking punts should garner attention, but may not be enough to overcome deficiencies at linebacker or safety.
Strengths
- Robust production in 2017 included 17.5 TFLs and eight sacks
- Commendable toughness against consistently bigger foes
- Early run diagnosis triggers race to beat blockers to the spot
- Downhill flow into the gaps looking for work
- Sees gaps develop in blocking scheme and fits them downhill
- Tremendous burst out of his stance as punt blocker
- Twitchy, short-area change of direction in space
- Adequate balance in coverage
- Instant get-off in race to the punter
- Finished career with five blocked punts
Weaknesses
- Got mauled by Army’s rushing attack
- His GPS sends him to heavily trafficked areas
- Frequently pinballed around by blockers
- Hip tightness and short strides prevent recoveries against bounce-wide runs
- Has to work overtime to pull away from blocks
- Lacks length and pattern anticipation for man coverage
- Needs abundance of steps to close downhill from his drops
- Average response time to what he sees in zone
Hudson had some issues with consistency at times and all but disappeared in his senior year.
But he’s a player that could be a plus for the Redskins once he gets going.