Two days after the last day of the 2019 NFL draft, the general consensus in the DMV is that the Washington Redskins did a good job in the event. Leaving Nashville with 10 new guys, for the most part, team President Bruce Allen and his staff came away with players that make sense for a team that has had significant issues at certain skill positions in recent history.
There was a question mark regarding a pick or two… as in the team’s fourth-round selection, a running back. But, always a ‘Best Player Available’ (BPA) advocate, this reporter doesn’t hate that pick if RB Bryce Love (Stanford) was the BPA on the Redskins’ board at the time. Besides, the draft is a gamble anyway. It doesn’t help to second-guess it all now and it will be known soon enough how smart the selections were.
That said, the Redskins final inventory of drafted rookies for 2019 were:
Round 1 (15): QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
Round 1 (26): Edge Montez Sweat, Mississippi State
Round 3 (76): WR Terry McLaurin, Ohio State
Round 4 (112): RB Bryce Love, Stanford
Round 4 (131): G Wes Martin, Indiana
Round 5 (153): C Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama
Round 5 (173): LB Cole Holcomb, UNC
Round 6 (206): WR Kelvin Harmon, NC State
Round 7 (227): CB Jimmy Moreland, James Madison
Round 7 (253): Edge Jordan Brailford, Oklahoma State
The list above is comprised of a promising batch of players and props are deserved by Washington’s personnel/scouting staff. The players are talented and for the most part, the positions they play are valuable.
One prominent website that feels even more positive than “promising” about Allen & Co.’s batch of youngsters is Pro Football Focus. In fact, the outlet awarded the Redskins a grade of “EXCELLENT” overall.
This is a rank they reserved for only Washington within the NFC East Division. And in the league, it was given only to five other of the 32 teams: the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers and the Arizona Cardinals. Kudos to the Redskins’ war room.
Here are the PFF team’s remarks regarding the Burgundy and Gold’s draft:
Day 1
While there was speculation that they might have to trade up to get Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, Washington stayed put at No. 15 and still got their guy. Haskins finished the pre-draft process ranked 10th on the PFF draft board. Drawing striking similarities to Sam Bradford, Haskins was fantastic throwing at the short and intermediate levels in his lone year as a starter at the college level.
“Getting him here at 15 is an absolute steal; one of the steals of the draft. He has a lot of promise.” – Pro Football Focus’ Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner
Washington’s second pick in the first round, which they traded for by sending the No. 46 overall pick and a 2020 second-rounder to Indianapolis, was not as highly regarded from PFF’s brass. Former Mississippi State edge defender Montez Sweat, the No. 46 overall player on our board, is freakishly athletic but didn’t wow as a pass rusher on film.
Day 2
Terry McLaurin’s production doesn’t tell the whole story, as he was just one part of a loaded Ohio State receiving corps. He put on a show with his deep speed and route running at the Senior Bowl and finished as PFF’s No. 68 overall player in the class – nearly 30 spots ahead of his teammate Parris Campbell.
Day 3
Washington picked up what could be a big steal in the draft in former NC State wide receiver Kelvin Harmon at pick No. 206 on Saturday. Harmon’s production at NC State was off the charts, but there are legitimate concerns as to whether he can separate enough to win in the NFL. He ranked 81st on PFF’s final big board.
The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles both received an “ABOVE AVERAGE” for their drafts and the Dallas Cowboys received a grade of “BELOW AVERAGE.” Only time will tell if any of this will translate to wins and losses in 2019 and beyond.