Once again, it will literally be fascinating to watch the D.C. team operate it’s Draft. There’s a new Head Coach in town by the name of RON RIVERA. And the team is still operated under Owner DANIEL SNYDER, with BRUCE ALLEN acting as DeFacto GM. However, I have a feeling that Coach RIVERA got himself a contract with a lot more pop to it than his predecessor JAY GRUDEN. It will be fascinating (one word to use) to see how this process goes, assuming RIVERA has more input than any pro football talking head has had in quite a while under Mr. SNYDER.
Round 1, Pick 2 CHASE YOUNG ER/DE Ohio State 6’5/267 (PP#2) If it weren’t for the high value placed on QB in the NFL, there is no doubt in my mind that YOUNG would already be gone in this Draft. However, here he is and the Redskins have the good fortune to get him with the second Pick. YOUNG is as good, or better, than the BOSA boys who preceded him at Ohio State. It will be mildly interesting to hear what position the ‘Skins list him as, when they hand in the Pick. Bottom line here: He is a pass rush monster with multiple skills. However, rushing the passer these days is the second best thing to being the top rated passer. It should also be noted that YOUNG, like HASKINS last year is native to the general D.C. area and is likely to be treated as a celeb coming back to the area of his birth. Never a bad thing when trying to fill a large home field venue.
Round 3, Pick 66 HARRISON BRYANT TE Florida Atlantic 6’5/242 (PP#64)) Keep in mind that this is Round 3, not 2. Also keep in mind that the JORDAN REED TE era is over in WASHINGTON. REED is a talented receiving TE, but his history bio contains more talk of injuries than catches. He’s gone and the TE cupboard is pretty mediocre, save for a couple of nice blockers. BRYANT, actually can block a bit, but he’s not really an inline TE. His forte’ is catching the football. Last season, he caught 65 balls at 15.5 ypc and 7 TD’s. He also won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top collegiate TE. He gives a good effort in blocking, getting in the way, or at least pieces of his target, but he is NOT a legit all-purpose, inline TE. When a blocking TE is needed inside the red zone, look for BRYANT to be in the slot. If he can stay healthy he will be a nice upgrade over REED.
Round 4, Pick 108 GABRIEL DAVIS WR UCF 6’2/216 (PP#108) The team started to turn over their receiving corps last season and will bring in some fresh faces for the 2020 season, with DAVIS being the fishiest face of all. He is lacking speed (4.54), but not much else. He has dependable hands and tracks the ball well off of the QB’s hand. He led the wide open UCF Offense with 72 catches at 17.2 ypc and 12 TD’s in 2019. He also does a nice job blocking for the running game and after others catch the ball. His combination of size and athleticism will be welcome in D.C. and he should have a chance to crack the top 3 in the wideout group.
Round 4, Pick 142 KAMAL MARTIN LB Minnesota 6’3/240 (PP#141) MARTIN is one of the key defenders rowing the boat for Coach FLECK the past couple of seasons. He fell off a bit last season because of some nagging injuries, but he is a tough, and smart player, with a true pro athlete body. I like him more than many talent evaluators because of his size and versatility. He has 10 1/8″ hands, 34″ arm length, and an 81″ wingspan. This length allows him to get his hands on ballcarriers and bring them down from behind. Despite missing some time for injury later in the season, he recorded 66 T’s- 2 FF’s- 1 PBU and 2 INT’s. He’s a 3-year starter and a Special Team stud. That makes him a nice compliment to the smaller, quicker LB group currently on their roster.
Round 5, Pick 162. AMIK ROBERTSON CB LA Tech 5’8/187 (PP#162) AMIK reminds me a lot of last year’s Rookie CB surprise JIMMY MORELAND. ROBERTSON plays well beyond his size. He’s blessed with decent speed, and even more impressive quickness. He shows high energy in all that he does. The chip on his shoulder is large, but he does not let it overwhelm him. Last season, he tallied 60 T’s- 8 TFL- 1 S- 16 PBU’s and 5 INT’s, with 2 of the latter being returned for TD’s. There is always room for one more really good player in any NFL secondary group. This young man will be very hard for them to keep off the field.
Round 7, Pick 216 TREMAYNE ANCHRUM OG Clemson 6’2/310 (PP#212) This thick, squat man was a 3-year starter for Clemson out at RT. Even at the college level, you don’t find too many All-Conference OT’s at 6’2, so the assumption is that he will take his powerful body inside as a pro. He has nice arm length at 33 5/8″ and a wingspan of 80 1/2″, which is exceptional for his overall lack of length. He reminds me somewhat of former UGA OT ISAIAH WYNN, though not quite as quick. With his powerful anchor and heavy hands, I am fascinated to see what NFL coaching can do for him. Perhaps a starting OG spot in time?!
Round 7, Pick 229 ISAIAH COULTER WR Rhode Island 6’2/198 (PP#244) The Rhode Island football program isn’t exactly a football factory, but they produced 3 players in the 2020 prospect group. COULTER may have the most upside, leaving school as a Junior. After a 4.45/40, it is clear to see that at the NFL level, speed is not going to be a strong point for him. However, his 36″ vert and 121″ broad jump at the Combine indicate that he can go up after throws with the big boys. In 2019, he had 72 receptions at 14.4 ypc with 8 TD’s. Interesting to note is that both of their WR draftees caught 72 balls last season. It may be hard for a small school player that needs development time to be able to crack their overall receiving corps, but he should show enough to make an NFL Practice Squad, hopefully theirs.
Pigskin
