Redskins Draft: Why the lack of Emphasis on D-line?

The Washington Redskins lost two starters off their defensive line from 2015. They released defensive end Jason Hatcher and did not re-sign nose tackle Terrance Knighton. So the thinking entering the 2016 NFL Draft was that the Skins would add more talent to the D-line early in the draft.

However, after the first two days of the draft the Skins had chosen not used one draft pick on a defensive lineman. When asked about this, head coach Jay Gruden stated that he liked the defensive linemen they had. But the interesting thing is who mentioned as defensive linemen.

Here is what Gruden said:

"“I feel good about the line we have.” said Gruden. “We got Kerrigan, Galette, we’ve got Preston Smith, Trent Murphy, Paea, Ricky Jean, we’ve got Chris Baker, Kedric. We’ve added some other guys. Corey Crawford is a young player an up and coming player. I feel good about the depth that we have.”"

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Notice that Gruden referred to Ryan Kerrigan, Junior Galette and Preston Smith as defensive linemen. Obviously there are times when those guys play with their hand on the ground as defensive ends in the Redskins four man front nickel packages. But in the 3-4 base defense they are outside linebackers.

Is Jay Gruden saying that the Redskins will play more 4-3 than 3-4 or is it that he simply sees no difference between these guys standing up as linebackers or with their hand on the ground as defensive ends? I don’t think he does because he said that Trent Murphy is a defensive lineman now, not a linebacker.

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But honestly my question isn’t with the edge rushers like Kerrigan and Galette any way. My question is about the interior defensive linemen. Because besides Chris Baker and perhaps Ricky Jean-Francois as a reserve, pretty much the entire unit struggled in 2015.

Stephen Paea was a free agent bust last season. Is it possible that he could emerge in his second year in the system? Yes. But how can his performance last season give Gruden much optimism for 2016? The Redskins signed free agent Kendall Reyes but he’s been trending down in recent years with the Chargers.

The Redskins could have taken defensive tackle Andrew Billings in round four. But passed on him and opted to trade out of the round completely. They did take Matt Ioannidis in round five and I like him a lot. He’s got some nice potential and could become a solid contributor.

Next: Redskins 2016 Draft Grade - WR Josh Doctson

But based on what transpired last season, one would think the Skins would have use one of the early picks on D-line. With Knighton gone, who will start at nose tackle? Sure there are a lot bodies to throw in the mix but besides Baker is there a future star among them?

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