With wide receiver Kelvin Harmon missing the 2020 season due to suffering a torn ACL while training this summer, the Washington Football Team (WFT) will be looking for someone to emerge and pick up where Harmon left off last season. The team struck gold with their third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft WR Terry McLaurin. McLaurin put together a salient season solidifying himself as a building block for this unit. WR Steven Sims Jr. also showed playmaking ability in the team’s offensive passing attack.
Washington’s four-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft Antonio Gandy-Golden has the talent and ability to solidify himself as a player that can be counted on in their offense. The Liberty standout stood near the top of his draft class when it comes to production in his senior year.
When watching his college tape, the first thing that jumps off the screen is his massive catch radius due to his size along with his outstanding ball tracking skills. For a bigger-bodied guy, he has excellent body control with his ability to make the jump-ball catch. The Georgia native’s hands are consistent and he catches everything with ideal technique.
Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze and receivers coach Maurice Harris drew praise regarding AGG as they played a significant role in transforming him from a solid receiver with NFL potential into a NFL-caliber player. His hard work on refining his abilities is another one of his infectious traits.
AGG’s sure hands and great catching skills allow him to fit in nicely among a unit that caught 63.1 percent of their passes in 2019. Gandy-Golden may not be the fastest but has proficient footwork when it comes to running routes to defeat press coverage. He also isn’t afraid to be physical by using his hands to create separation.
A considerable amount of Washington’s woes in the passing game came from team inconsistencies in pass protection and overall coaching. The WFT was offensively unable to dictate defenses due to their lack of creativity on offense. Washington in 2019 was dead last in the NFL in passing yards per game (175.8). The team ranks 29th averaging 5.9 yards per pass attempt.
If offensive coordinator Scott Turner can construct an offense that can maximize on opportunities along with continuing the growth of Gandy-Golden, the WFT could find themselves much more explosive in the passing game which in turn leads to scoring more touchdowns.