Another NFL Draft has come and gone, and my dear beloved Redskins had a solid, thoughtful, and productive draft.
We had the #2 overall pick…. and, well, we picked Chase Young, but more on him later.
This was not a normal draft — Roger Goddell called out the picks from his home — it was the strangest draft ever, I was not expecting much, but they pulled it off very well. Kudos to the NFL.
The Cincinnati Bengals did the right thing in drafting Joe Burrow with the #1 overall pick.
The Miami Dolphins drafting Tua and using their other picks to build around him was smart. I think Miami has finally found the right coach in Brian Flores with whom to build something special for years to come.
The Green Bay Packers drafting Jordan Love was the shocker of the first round. The story repeats itself; echoes of 2005 when the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers, whose draft stock was plummeting from possibly being selected as one of the top overall picks — to end up getting drafted at #25 overall by Green Bay. Even though Bret Favre was still considered to be in his prime….drafting a quarterback that high sends a weird message. It is evident to me that a decision has been made to begin the process of replacing Rodgers.
And for the Redskins….
We didn’t draft a quarterback this year, which doesn’t really mean much, and It seems that the coaching staff are all in on Haskins, or at least for the next season, but expect Kyle Allen to push him hard.
This was not a good draft for Tight Ends, and we did not draft any this year to replace Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis, but we did end up signing Thaddeus Moss as an undrafted free agent TE from LSU, (Randy Moss is his father)….. Don’t know much about Moss — all I know is that he had some issues staying healthy, but all his coaches raved about him. So, we shall see how he fares.
Trent Williams was finally traded to the 49ers for a 5th round pick this year and a 3rd in 2021 — Reuniting him with Kyle Shanahan. I wanted us to get two picks out of Trent for this 2020 draft. Maybe a 3rd and a 4th this year and a 3rd in 2021 — or a 4th and a 5th rounder this year and a 3rd next year. I felt like we gave up a Pro Bowl elite tackle for peanuts, but at least this whole trade drama is over, and it will not be looming around and clouding training camp (if there is one), or the season for that matter.
All in all, we made thoughtful picks, and it seems the front-office, including Head Coach Ron Rivera and our unofficial GM Kyle Smith, were on the same page, which has not been the norm for many years around Redskins Park.
Here is a quick breakdown on the Redskins 2020 NFL Draft:
1st round
#2 overall-Chase Young DE Ohio State: The second year in a row that we took an Ohio state player in the first round, and they are both from the DC area. Young is considered to be an immediate impact player. For what is worth, we should be an elite defense, based on all the first-rounders and young talented players we currently have on our defense.
2nd round: We had ZERO picks
3rd Round
#66 Overall-Antonio Gibson RB Memphis: Listed as a running back, but runs routes like a receiver — I heard Kyle Smith was hight on Gibson. This pick is very intriguing, especially knowing how Scott Turner used McCaffrey in Carolina, He is joining a crowded and very talented backfield with Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, JD Makkisic and Bryce Love.
4th Round
#108 Overall-Saahdiq Charles OT LSU: It looks to be a depth pick and a developmental player.
#142 Overall-Antonio Gandy-Golden WR Liberty: He was highly rated. He seems to physically fit what the Redskins were looking for in terms of receiver. TV talking heads were also high on him but thought he fell to the 4th round because this draft was loaded with receivers.
5th Round
#156 Overall-Keith Ismael C San Diego State (Trent Williams pick): This is another depth and developmental pick. Offensive line depth issues have plagued us for multiple seasons, and it seems we are finally starting to address those issues in this draft.
#162 overall-Khaleesi Hudson OLB Michigan: This is another depth and developmental pick with special teams in mind.
6th round: We had ZERO picks
7th Round
#216 Overall-Kamrem Curl S Arkansas: Safety and special teams depth.
#229 Overall-James Smith-Williams DE North Carolina State: This is another depth and developmental pick. We must have Defensive End depth in case we lose Ryan Kerrigan next season.
Rod Rioja 