Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Assessing Redskins First Round Options: Nose Tackle Da’Ron Payne

By Jacob Camenker

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Da'Ron Payne #94 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts to a play during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Da'Ron Payne #94 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts to a play during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 01: Da’Ron Payne #94 of the Alabama Crimson Tide catches the ball for a touchdown as Chad Smith #43 of the Clemson Tigers defends in the second half of the AllState Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 01: Da’Ron Payne #94 of the Alabama Crimson Tide catches the ball for a touchdown as Chad Smith #43 of the Clemson Tigers defends in the second half of the AllState Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Overall

There’s no doubt that drafting Payne would come with some risk. We’ve seen great athletes flop in the NFL before. Payne will have to continue to learn to leverage his athletic advantages into on-field results in order to become a quality three down starter at nose tackle.

At the same time, it’s quite possible that Payne, if available, would be the best player on the board. The most glaring hole for the Redskins comes at the nose tackle position, and there doesn’t figure to be many receivers or running backs worthy of being chosen with the No. 13 pick. So, Payne could end up being one of the best, if not the best, option for the team.

Imagining Payne working with Allen and Ryan Kerrigan is a lot of fun. Greg Manusky could get aggressive with the way he pressures opposing fronts and thanks to Payne’s versatility, he could move around the defensive line as needed. It would be nice for the team to have an answer at nose tackle for five years, so making this pick would end what has long been a problem area for them.

Next: Assessing value of potential first round corners

At the end of the day, Payne is going to get a lot of attention from the Redskins. He could end up being one of the better defensive linemen in this deep defensive line draft, and seeing the Redskins target him would hardly be a surprise. For that reason, Payne seems to be a very solid first round option for the team, so he’s worth keeping an eye on in the coming months.

Home/Commanders Draft News