Draft Recap: Washington Redskins

Paul Perdichizzi Posted On July 16, 2016

Over the last two years the Redskins have gone through a pretty major overhaul from the top down. Two years ago they hired Jay Gruden to be their new head coach and last offseason they hired Scot McCloughan to be their new general manager. After years and years of spending freely and recklessly in free agency, the Redskins new approach has been to build through the draft and fortify the lines on both sides of the ball. Last season the culture change and shift in philosophy paid off, with the Redskins going 9-7 and winning the NFC East. Prior to the draft this season, it seemed as if the Redskins would have a very nondescript free agency period, signing Vernon Davis to be their backup tight end, in addition to re-signing many of their own free agents such as Junior Galette, Chris Thompson, Will Blackmon, Mason Foster, Duke Ihenacho and extending star tight end, Jordan Reed. Then right before the draft, they made a move that was reminiscent of their old ways, signing superstar cornerback Josh Norman, who unexpectedly became an unrestricted free agent, when Carolina rescinded the franchise tag. The Norman signing though made sense as it filled a big need and helped solidify the secondary in a major way.

In the draft, the Redskins spent their second (Sua Cravens), third (Kendall Fuller), fifth (Matt Ioannidis) and one of their seventh round picks (Steven Daniels) on the defensive side of the ball as they continued to shore up their biggest weaknesses. With their first, sixth and seventh round selections, Washington went to the offensive side of the ball and added three skill players that could provide immediate or long term fantasy value. Let’s take a closer look at each one of them below.

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Josh Doctson, WR (Round 1, Pick 22 overall)

Doctson, at 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, was drafted out of TCU. He offers the total package at the receiver position with his combination of speed, size, athleticism, and jumping ability. I believe Doctson is better than any other receiver in this class at high pointing the ball and adjusting his body to make the catch. He is able to create separation at the catch point and has strong hands as well. While some question his route running ability, I think he can run the full route tree if asked and will not be limited in that regard. He silenced critics about his speed, running a 4.43 at the NFL Combine. In addition, he is an aggressive, willing blocker on the perimeter and all reports are that he is an endless worker, who is always trying to craft his skills. The only small concerns for me are that he enters the NFL as an older rookie at 23-years-old, could add a little more strength to his frame and he does not have game breaking speed to regularly be a true vertical threat. His game reminds me of Keenan Allen, but I believe his athletic upside is even higher.

Doctson enters a crowded depth chart this season with veterans DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garçon as the starters and second-year player Jamison Crowder locked in as their slot receiver. While the landing spot does not seem ideal at first glance, his long term value should not be questioned if you are a believer, like me, in Doctson. Both Jackson and Garçon are free agents and either one or both may not be back next season. I think it is highly possible, Doctson is the number one wide receiver next season, with a chance to develop into a star receiver and a fantasy WR1 or WR2. Doctson should be chosen between second and fourth overall in all rookie drafts, with only Ezekial Elliot, clearly ahead of him in any dynasty rookie rankings.

Nate Sudfeld, QB (Round 6, Pick 187 overall)

Sudfeld, drafted out of Indiana, has the prototypical size and frame for an NFL quarterback at 6-foot-6 and 234 pounds. He is a traditional pocket passer that can make NFL throws. He has above-average arm strength and accuracy but lacks consistency. At times his decision making leads him to make mistakes that he must clean up if he wants to be successful at the NFL level. Sudfeld was one of the quarterbacks that intrigued me most as a late round developmental quarterback, who I thought had upside to be more. He enters a depth chart, where Kirk Cousins is locked in as the starting quarterback and Colt McCoy as the backup quarterback. Sudfeld should make the roster as the third quarterback this year but has a chance to develop into more than just that by Year Two. Cousins is going to play this season under the franchise tag and last year was his first good season of his career. It will be interesting to see how Cousins performs this year and if he is the long term answer at the position for them. McCoy is at best, a backup quarterback that by next season Sudfeld could push for that role.

Keith Marshall, RB (Round 7, Pick 242 overall)

Marshall, drafted out of Georgia is one of the more polarizing rookies to enter the league this upcoming season. Once upon a time, he was one of the top high school recruits in the county and was more highly regarded at Georgia than Todd Gurley. During his first season at Georgia he exploded onto to the scene with 759 yards and eight touchdowns as a backup. Unfortunately that was the highlight of his career at Georgia as the rest of his years there he was rarely healthy, tearing his ACL and suffering ankle injuries. In addition, the emergence of Gurley and Nick Chubb as stars, kept Marshall down on the depth chart, even when he was healthy. At 5-foot-11 and 219 pounds though, Marshall offers a rare blend of size and speed that few can match. He showed his elite straight line speed at the combine when he ran a 4.31 in the 40 yard dash. Marshall also offers the ability to plant and make good lateral cuts and possesses good footwork. His concerns are his lack of patience to let the holes develop, involvement in the pass game, his durability, and lack of overall production in college.

Marshall enters a depth chart with many questions and a chance to quickly emerge. Matt Jones, will enter his second season as the clear starter, while Chris Thompson is locked in as the third down pass catching back, but besides those two, there is little else. Jones had an up and down rookie season but showed signs of promise. The Redskins lack of fortifying the running back position in free agency with a veteran or using an earlier pick in the draft, leads me to believe they believe Jones can be their starter. Even with that said, Marshall, as a seventh-round pick will have a great chance to make the roster and is really intriguing in all rookie drafts, since Jones is not well established. I am a firm believer that draft capital carries a lot of weight in terms of how many chances and how quickly a team is willing to give a real opportunity to that player. Therefore, the range of outcomes for Marshall is very broad, as he could push Jones for significant carries this year and be the Redskins starter by next season or he could get cut and not even make the roster this season. Even with all that, I still believe Marshall will be taken in the second round of all rookie drafts and is high-risk, high-reward selection. If you are a Jones owner, I think it would be wise to try and get Marshall in the second round, but if you are not, I would not feel comfortable taking him until the third.

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