Rate Our 2020 Redskins Draft

[Neophyte]

I gave them a solid B.

If I have to pick a unit to elevate above others, it will always be one of the lines. There wasn't an OT out there worth the 2nd pick and Young was. I'm good with this.

I'd have liked to see a TE and WR instead of 2 WRs but maybe Moss works out as an FA signing.

 

[McD5]

I can see generous grade of B because we had the second pick.

But will B drafts ever allow us to catch up?

When was the last time that we were on the winning side of a trade? Santana Moss would be my guess, and then probably another ten years before that to find another.

I think we need 4 A drafts in a row to play in another NFC Championship game.

 

[Neophyte]

I don't disagree McD5. At all. Today I gave this draft a B but I also know it might an A by midseason. Or it might be a C by then too. Only time will tell.

 

[Win4us]

Watched another video of Kamren Curl the FS. Starting to understand the pick more now. He causes turnovers, not many by picks but by stripping ball carriers. He also plays everything special teams, which is always a plus for roster space.

 

[Riggotoni]

I was hoping for more OL. Seems like since TW, the only decent OL position we can find in the draft are centers (Long, Reiter, Roullier). Moses was a flash in the pan, Geron looks like a bust. Hopefully our new 4th rounder can play. I believe in BPA, but another slow SS and another edge rusher are head scratchers for me. I have maybe inflated hopes for Harmon and Simms, so I was hoping for a TE pick rather than another WR. Still, Kyle Smith had what looks like an excellent draft last year, so I will hold out hope that this one is better than I think it is.

 

[SilentThreat]

B. This could be an A very quickly.

Chase Young was an easy A grade at no. 2. My hope was that we could get a bunch of picks from Miami for that spot, drop back to 5 and still get Simmons along with multiple 1st round picks. That didnt happen and likely was never an option so i cant take away points.

I really like what i have seen from Gibson and Gandy Golden. I think both of them have a role in this offense this year. Wright looks like an absolute weapon.

I like the Saadiq pick because of where we got him. We did not panic and reach for a Tackle and he fell to us in the 4th. We were not gonna end up with one of the top 4 tackles unless we took them at 2, and if we picked Andrew Thomas instead of Chase Young.... as much as i like thomas, we would never live that down.


The remainders of the picks seem calculated. Ismail looks to be a versatile depth guy.

This draft could be a C, but im adding in the extra credit of Saadiq in the 4th, and adding Thad Moss as an UDFA. Adding a guy who most thought would get drafted, that can come in and compete for a starting job without using a pick deserves bonus points.

 

[SilentThreat]

I was hoping for more OL. Seems like since TW, the only decent OL position we can find in the draft are centers (Long, Reiter, Roullier). Moses was a flash in the pan, Geron looks like a bust. Hopefully our new 4th rounder can play. I believe in BPA, but another slow SS and another edge rusher are head scratchers for me. I have maybe inflated hopes for Harmon and Simms, so I was hoping for a TE pick rather than another WR. Still, Kyle Smith had what looks like an excellent draft last year, so I will hold out hope that this one is better than I think it is.

Um.. Brandon Scherff..

And do you mean Steven Sims or Cam Sims?

 

[Riggotoni]

Oops, yeah ok.

 

[Ax]

I give them an A. Shocking right?
But my A is no more ridiculous than the lower grades/analysis I'm seeing here.

All draft picks are potential hits/misses. Period.
On average, only picks in the top 20 or so, of the 1st round, have an above 50/50 shot at being a "hit", or an immediate, quality starter, relative to draft position.
Everyone after that has a less than 50/50 shot. And after the second round, that average falls off a cliff. And many that do start right away are more out of necessity, than talent.
We had a plan, and seemed to stick to it.

We appear to have strengthened a strength, with the selection of Young. Even if he's just average, we STILL strengthened the D-line.
If he turns out to be what so many say he can be, we've taken years off of the lives of every DC we'll face. For years.

This kid, Gibson? Maybe he's just an Epiphone. But he looks more like a Les Paul Custom to me.
I think, "Touchdown Antonio Gibson" will be a screaming riff of musical ecstasy for us!

From the 4th round on, all you can do is hope for the best. The only expectation is that you can at least add quality depth to the team.
If you happen to land an eventual starter? Well then, you've hit the lottery for a nice chunk of change. Maybe even the Powerball.

Charles looks to have a better than average chance at being a keeper. Be it starter, or depth. He can play either tackle or guard.
What seemed to hurt him the most was some issues that developed between his ears. Which is easily correctable, if he so desires.
If stupidity of youth is somehow an automatic disqualifier of success as an adult, then I'd imagine there are more failures around here, than not.

"You down with AGG (yeah you know me)
"Who's down with AGG (all the homies)
Again, if all this cat does is become a reliable 3rd or 4th receiver, it's a hit.
Anything more than that, we hit ANOTHER lottery number.
If he's a miss, we've still fallen into the average range of NFL teams.

And it's the same for the final 4 picks, and every UDFA we sign. That's the nature of the beast.
Some years, some teams do better than average. Some years, less. But NOBODY defies the average every year. Nobody.
If all we get out of them is a couple upgrades to our special teams, it's a hit. If they can also become good 2nd stringers at the same time? Lottery!

For the "trade down at all costs" group. Who else at the top didn't trade down?
There was no deal worth making. No matter how loud and long thou doth protest.
No doubt, had we traded down, and you didn't like who we drafted, you'd be leading the charge of "Why didn't we draft Chase Young". SOP.

Finally, every single returning player on this teams gets a pass, in my book. As the former coaching staff was horrendous. They all get this year to show us if they really aren't any good.
I'm sure some will. But I expect most to show us that the previous staff, overall, was one of the worst we've ever had.

 

[Hog Fever]

Trying to grade a draft before these guys play a single down is one of the dumbest things in sports. So here are my thoughts. I gave us a C+ but I stoped grading after the 4th round. Any player who makes the team past the 4th is a bonus IMO.

1st - If you believe the experts, and I have no reason to doubt them, Chase Young is "best player in the draft" Great. We need talent everywhere. There's always a chance he doesn't live up to billing but let's not get too wrapped up in being negative. So he's an A+.

3rd - I had read reports prior to the draft about Gibson being "the sleeper WR of the draft". His career at Memphis is a little confusing to my cave-man mind. My guess is we'll use him to return punts and in the slot. Those are two positions that seem to be wide open on this team so I guess that's good. Punt returning is never a big deal until yours stinks. I heard where the team projects him as a McCaffrey type player......ummm, I'm not so sure about that one. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that he will at least be able to contribute. B

4th - In the 4th round we take the OT Charles who doesn't project to be a starter right away. If he develops into a starter then this draft grade goes up. Talk to me in a couple of years on this one. C

4th - We also took Gandy-Golden in the 4th. This is intriguing pick to me. He lacks a lot of the "measurable" traits for a NFL receiver (other than size) but he looked good at the senior bowl and was a productive college player against admittedly less than NFL caliber talent at Liberty. I think there is an opportunity for a guy like this to not only make the team but to contribute right away at least as a rotational guy. It's not a certainty though. C

5th and below. - I don't know any of these guys past what I was able to read AFTER we drafted them. I don't expect any of them to make the team, I never do, but there is always a chance that our scouts luck out. We did sign Thaddeus Moss, who played well for about 15 seconds in college, as an undrafted free agent. Why not? We struck out in free agency getting a TE. Maybe we get lucky.

So Young is great, Gibson is interesting and the rest....who knows? I want to be happily surprised.

 

[Boone]

I was hoping for more OL. Seems like since TW, the only decent OL position we can find in the draft are centers (Long, Reiter, Roullier). Moses was a flash in the pan, Geron looks like a bust. Hopefully our new 4th rounder can play. I believe in BPA, but another slow SS and another edge rusher are head scratchers for me. I have maybe inflated hopes for Harmon and Simms, so I was hoping for a TE pick rather than another WR. Still, Kyle Smith had what looks like an excellent draft last year, so I will hold out hope that this one is better than I think it is.

One of the things that Kyle references in his comments yesterday is that they had a very focused philosophy of letting 'the board speak' - in other words, trusting the player rankings they spent a year making, and not making impulsive choices especially based on 'need' alone. That sounds like a little thing but I believe it's a major change in organizational draft philosophy. Look at the string of failed WR draft choices we have made in the past. Why did we make them? Because we needed WRs. None of them were impact players but we chose them anyway. An effect, in the short-term, of this kind of strategy is that you won't fill every hole every draft. It's not possible. But over time, I think it means our roster will get stronger and stronger. I know you know this, I'm just emphasizing it.

On the OL, I hear you. Couple things though. Moses has not been a 'flash in the pan'. He's not perfect, but the guy has not missed a single game - in 5 years! He's played through injuries that other OL could or would not have. He does drive me crazy at times with mental mistakes, but he is still a capable OL player and I think we'll have to see if he can get back to the kind of performances we saw in seasons 2 and 3 with more positive leadership. He'll either get on the bus or he'll get off it. On Geron Christian, he has only played 18 NFL games. That's a pretty brief span in which to determine a guy drafted at pick #74 is a bust. We had pretty much written off Morgan Moses as a 'bust' in that same stretch but then he came on.

I know a lot of folks will remind me that we had Callahan coaching the OL and if he couldn't get more out of Christian, who will. I believe Callahan has lived off his reputation a lot more than his results for awhile, but regardless, sometimes a change in scheme, coaching, or just a new start can make a big difference. I'm not going to predict Christian thrives and looks like our LT of the future. But it's also not an impossibility.

I think you're right that we have OL needs, and maybe we'll see them try to bolster that unit here post-draft.

One last comment. Smith and Rivera were asked specifically about not acquiring a top TE. They essentially said they stuck to their board so maybe the TEs we liked weren't as highly rated on theirs. They did snatch up Thad Moss who I believe is more of an old school blocking TE and that could be something to watch. But the other thing they did is to sign two RB/WR hybrids who, while not playing TE, are matchup problems on the field and who can really do something after the catch.

 

[SilentThreat]

One of the things that Kyle references in his comments yesterday is that they had a very focused philosophy of letting 'the board speak' - in other words, trusting the player rankings they spent a year making, and not making impulsive choices especially based on 'need' alone. That sounds like a little thing but I believe it's a major change in organizational draft philosophy. Look at the string of failed WR draft choices we have made in the past. Why did we make them? Because we needed WRs. None of them were impact players but we chose them anyway. An effect, in the short-term, of this kind of strategy is that you won't fill every hole every draft. It's not possible. But over time, I think it means our roster will get stronger and stronger. I know you know this, I'm just emphasizing it.

On the OL, I hear you. Couple things though. Moses has not been a 'flash in the pan'. He's not perfect, but the guy has not missed a single game - in 5 years! He's played through injuries that other OL could or would not have. He does drive me crazy at times with mental mistakes, but he is still a capable OL player and I think we'll have to see if he can get back to the kind of performances we saw in seasons 2 and 3 with more positive leadership. He'll either get on the bus or he'll get off it. On Geron Christian, he has only played 18 NFL games. That's a pretty brief span in which to determine a guy drafted at pick #74 is a bust. We had pretty much written off Morgan Moses as a 'bust' in that same stretch but then he came on.

I know a lot of folks will remind me that we had Callahan coaching the OL and if he couldn't get more out of Christian, who will. I believe Callahan has lived off his reputation a lot more than his results for awhile, but regardless, sometimes a change in scheme, coaching, or just a new start can make a big difference. I'm not going to predict Christian thrives and looks like our LT of the future. But it's also not an impossibility.

I think you're right that we have OL needs, and maybe we'll see them try to bolster that unit here post-draft.

One last comment. Smith and Rivera were asked specifically about not acquiring a top TE. They essentially said they stuck to their board so maybe the TEs we liked weren't as highly rated on theirs. They did snatch up Thad Moss who I believe is more of an old school blocking TE and that could be something to watch. But the other thing they did is to sign two RB/WR hybrids who, while not playing TE, are matchup problems on the field and who can really do something after the catch.

I think the other thing we are looking for is immediate satisfaction. Rivera and Smith just had their first draft in what we hope is a 5 year contract. The goal is to have as much sustained success as we can over that period. 2020 should be a part of the plan... not THE PLAN. Taking a player that might help us in 2020 without weighing the impact over the duration of their rookie deal is irresponsible, and frankly something we've rarely done. To take a lesser player at a position of 'need' because we have room for upgrade in 2020 sets us up for long term struggles like we've dealt with. People can argue Haskins was one of those picks while Bruce and Dan were making decisions. Signing Smith was one of those decisions, and admittedly i found myself excited about that move. Terry Mclaurin was not taken for his production in 2019, he blew up. Everything we heard was likely to make the team for special teams, and he has the ability to develop into a solid player. Instead he blew up, but he was not picked with the idea that he starts week 1... or at least that's what we heard publicly. Ismail is looking to be a depth signing, but he's versatile. There's nothing to say he doesnt push Martin for LG this year, but I think the bigger plan is him being a versatile backup at a position we have had as a major concern for the last decade.


I will say that i'm not that familiar with the guys we got later in the draft, so i'll be looking into them more over the next few days. Not saying 100% that this is the case with them, just something we need to keep in mind when analyzing Rivera and Smith making their draft picks.

 

[SilentThreat]

I'm going back and watching Gibson and this kid really has me kind of excited. When I'm watching highlights of a 'smaller school' guy, I want to see him pop. Not just normal pop, but I want to see plays where he looks like a man playing among boys. When you see Gibson's highlights, that's what I see. When he's against a DB, there are not a lot of contested catches. He's usually running free having created separation. When guys are trying to tackle him, he's beating a lot of them. He's big, he's strong, and he's fast enough to finish the job. I think he can be a versatile weapon for us. People said he's like a poor mans Christian McCaffrey, and I can see it. I don't know if he's quite that dynamic at this point, but I see the vision.

 

[DieselPwr44]

I thought Martin handled himself well when he got time last year. It was probably a factor in letting Flowers walk.
We still have Pierschbacher from last season(G/C), Vujnovich(G) along with Parris,Christian,Schweitzer and Lucas at the OT spot to compete.

Now with Charles and Ismael, that looks like a good group that can compete for spots in the lineman's room.

Here's the thing though....why isn't anybody ever open to the idea that some of these young guys could actually grow/develop? It's like if they don't show out in their rookie season,fans are ready to throw 'em out on the street.

I just don't get that.

 

[Bulldog]

Other than Round 5 when Belichick’s husky was making our picks I liked the effort by the FO.

Young will be IMO the best player to come out in 2020 and that Burrow and Tua and all the quarterback noise will die down as Chase and Jeff Okudah dominate in the NFL over time.

Now we are learning that Tua might not play at all in 2020 to give his hip more time. Nothing but questions here.

Gibson and Golden have good size and are physical football player, something this club needs more of.

Both should help Haskins in 2020.

With size, speed and excellent hands I don’t know what the draft critics were finding wanting in Gibson.

If the Patriots or Cowboys had taken him it would have been called an inspired selection

The Charles pick was a point of confusion for me as right before ESPN was flashing a trade notice in re the Skins and I thought they were moving down.

Then the Williams trade was announced and when Goddell was shown he quickly announced the Charles pick and Riddick said there is their LT

Again Round 5 was forgettable, instead of taking a TE the Redskins reached for two guys that likely would have been 7th rounders or undrafted free agents.

 

[Bulldog]

I didn’t view CB as the kind of weak spot the draftniks did.

We signed Kendall Fuller, signed Ronald Darby and have Moreau coming back.

All three of these guys are starting caliber.

Moreau played very well when liberated from the coaches attempts to make him into Fuller and let him play on the outside.

That is where he belongs.

These three guys are 24, 26 and 24.

Could we use a 29-30 year old veteran to provide some leadership and insurance?

Yes, and we may still do that.

But taking a rookie in Round 5 or 6 at CB was not likely to bolster us much for 2020.

 

[Elephant]

I'm going back and watching Gibson and this kid really has me kind of excited. When I'm watching highlights of a 'smaller school' guy, I want to see him pop. Not just normal pop, but I want to see plays where he looks like a man playing among boys. When you see Gibson's highlights, that's what I see. When he's against a DB, there are not a lot of contested catches. He's usually running free having created separation. When guys are trying to tackle him, he's beating a lot of them. He's big, he's strong, and he's fast enough to finish the job. I think he can be a versatile weapon for us. People said he's like a poor mans Christian McCaffrey, and I can see it. I don't know if he's quite that dynamic at this point, but I see the vision.

And anyone wanting to see how a player plays in big games, with everything on the line, check out the winning drive of the 2019 AAC Championship game against Cincinnati.

On that 10 play drive, down 24-23, here is the play by play. Look at the one constant on that drive.

• 1st & 10 at MEM 25
  (4:06 - 4th) Brady White pass complete to Antonio Gibson for 14 yds to the Memph 39 for a 1ST down
• 1st & 10 at MEM 39
  (3:43 - 4th) Patrick Taylor Jr. run for 3 yds to the Memph 42 Patrick Taylor Jr. fumbled, recovered by Memph Scottie Dill
• 2nd & 7 at MEM 42
  (3:00 - 4th) Brady White pass complete to Kenneth Gainwell for 26 yds to the Cincy 32 for a 1ST down
• 1st & 10 at CIN 32
  (2:35 - 4th) Kenneth Gainwell run for 3 yds to the Cincy 29
• 2nd & 7 at CIN 29
  (2:25 - 4th) Antonio Gibson run for 9 yds to the Cincy 20 for a 1ST down
• 1st & 10 at CIN 20
  (2:15 - 4th) Antonio Gibson run for 1 yd to the Cincy 19
• 2nd & 9 at CIN 19
  (1:50 - 4th) Antonio Gibson run for 11 yds to the Cincy 8 for a 1ST down
• 1st & Goal at CIN 8
  (1:26 - 4th) Antonio Gibson run for 1 yd to the Cincy 7
• 
  (1:26 - 4th) Timeout CINCINNATI, clock 01:26
• 2nd & Goal at CIN 7
  (1:18 - 4th) Antonio Gibson run for 1 yd to the Cincy 6
• 
  (1:18 - 4th) Timeout CINCINNATI, clock 01:18
• 3rd & Goal at CIN 6
  (1:14 - 4th) Brady White pass complete to Antonio Gibson for 6 yds for a TD, (Two-Point Conversion failed )

 

[Win4us]

Pretty safe to say that if RR doesn’t promote Kyle Smith to GM, another team will.

 

[Knightingale]

I really like the potential in this years draft. Count me as someone on the Chase Young train.

I think I echo a few others in here when I say that what this team misses is true blue-chip-all-pro talent. The kind of talent that can get you to a Superbowl.
I don't think trading down for multiple picks would have accomplished that. Yes, a nice haul might have got us some nice players, but we need more than that in my opinion. We need that transcendent player who transforms a unit. Chase Young has the potential to be one of those.

I also think the McLaurin has that kind of potential too.

And that would be two more than we had this time last year. Having one on both sides of the ball would be a huge step forward.

I'm also pretty bullish on Haskins going into this year. I'm not saying he'll be a star, but he looked like he was making strides in the latter games of last season. I really liked the top half of the draft that chased some weapons for him, and I'm intrigued by the Moss signing too. I like the thought of a young QB with a core of young weapons around him. If they can grow into something good, and if the D can be elevated by Young's presence, then we can be well on our way to contention again.

In some ways I'm perfectly ok with being mediocre again as long as our youngsters show development. A high draft position next year would be good with me to continue this rebuild. I'm already just seeing this as a development year, and have to admit that I'm kind of excited about it. Win or lose.

Can't be worse than last year surely?

 

[Bulldog]

NFL people are looking at the Redskins draft and saying we made the no brainer pick of Chase Young.

But the truth is top 10 picks bust out regularly in the NFL.

Already we are hearing that Tua May not play at all in 2020 due to recovery from the hip.

Will the Dolphins see a real return on that pick?

I think the jury is out.

There were all kinds of talking heads that thought the Redskins should take Tua at #2 or in trade down because he’s a quarterback and this a quarterback league, yada, yada, etc.

In 2015 the year we took Scherff other top 10 picks like Kevin White, Marcus Mariota, Vic Beasley, Jameis Winston and Ereck Flowers were either busts or considered not worthy of having their fifth year options picked up.