The Washington Redskins have a big hole at the nose tackle position. There are a few options out there for the team to target leading up to the 2018 season.
Getting a nose tackle is something that the Washington Redskins should be focused on. For the better part of the past five years, the team has lacked a quality starter at the position. Too often, the team has had to rely on Ziggy Hood to play out of position at the nose when he is better suited to be a 3-4 end. The Redskins can’t continue to let this happen moving forward, so adding a player there makes a lot of sense.
As it stands, the Redskins haven’t done that. The only thing they have done is brought in Johnathan Hankins for a visit. There’s no doubting that Hankins would be an upgrade at the position, but nothing appears to be imminent on that front. And there could be a reason for that.
There are a few solid nose tackle options left on the free agent market and in the draft. Let’s have a look at all of them and which would make the most sense for the Redskins, starting with Hankins.
Analyzing Johnathan Hankins as an option
Of all the players available on the free agent market, there may not be one who better fits what the Redskins need than Johnathan Hankins. Last offseason, the team did express some interest in him before he signed a three year deal with the Colts. Instead, the team elected to sign Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain to the roster and that has certainly backfired.
While McGee is a run stuffing specialist and McClain doesn’t fit in the 3-4 defense, Hankins would be an ideal fit in the defense and is a two-dimensional player. Hankins has 12 sacks during his five year career, but in his second year, he proved to be an excellent interior rusher and racked up seven sacks. Hankins can push the interior linemen, which is ideal for the nose tackle position in the Redskins defense. He doesn’t have to get a lot of sacks, but if he can create disruption inside, he will open up opportunities for the rush linebacker and Jonathan Allen to get to the quarterback.
Beyond this solid ability as a pass rusher, Hankins has been an upper level run stopper during his career. Last season, Hankins totaled 44 stops anchoring the middle of the Colts defense and he was really a strong, all-around player. That’s how he earned the No. 20 overall ranking for defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus.
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Hankins would have a chance to continue his success in the Redskins defense. Hankins is only going to turn 26 on March 29, so Jim Tomsula will still be able to work with him and improve him. Given that Tomsula is arguably the best defensive line coach in football, Hankins could continue to get better and become an elite level nose tackle. It also helps that Hankins can play the end position in the 3-4 defense as well, so he will be versatile across all defensive fronts.
The only concern with Hankins is his monetary value. If there were no hold ups with money, Hankins likely would have joined the Redskins after his first visit. As it stands, he is still available, and he could be content to wait until late into free agency before signing a deal, as he did last year. A team with cap space will eventually offer him a contract, and it’s possible that the Redskins could be that team. But for now, they are trying to make smart, money-conscious decisions, and Hankins’ asking price might be too high.
That said, the Redskins may eventually budge and offer Hankins a bit more to join their team. Hankins would be a perfect fit, and if they can land him at $9 million a year, they will have a chance to field a very competitive defensive unit. For that reason, Hankins remains a quality option for the team.
Analyzing Da’Ron Payne as an option
One of the reasons that the Redskins may not feel compelled to sign Hankins is because there are some strong potential starters who will be available for the team in the 2018 NFL Draft. The 2018 draft has a handful of quality defensive tackle prospects, and they are a couple of nose tackle prospects who will certainly go in the first round.
Da’Ron Payne is one of them. The Alabama product went a bit under the radar playing alongside fellow early-round talents Minkah Fitzpatrick, Rashaan Evans, and Ronnie Harrison. But still, Payne was a big force on the team’s defensive line, and his athletic ability is off the charts.
At the Combine, Payne had a terrific performance and did a lot to establish himself as the potential top nose tackle in the class. Payne ran clocked a 4.91 second 40-yard dash with an insane 1.67 second 10-yard split. This is coming from a man who weighed in at 311 pounds. Even better, Payne was great in the movement drills and looks like a strong player for the next level.
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Payne’s on-field performance backs up the solid numbers he put up at the Combine. He was phenomenal during the Alabama run to the National Championship game, and he had some strong performances. On one drive against Clemson, Payne logged a defensive interception and made a move to get outside and brought it back 20 yards. Later, on offense, Payne caught a touchdown pass after running a short route from the backfield. He was a force on both sides during that contest, and it was one of his best games of the year.
The only concern with Payne is that his pass rushing production doesn’t always match his ability. Payne only has three sacks in three seasons, but he has produced good tackling numbers, including a career high 53 in 2017. Payne’s athleticism demonstrates that he should have a chance to become a solid pass rusher, and it could be that the other talented members of the Alabama defensive line recorded sacks that Payne was mostly responsible for. In fact, it’s likely. That’s why numbers are sometimes misleading.
Payne would be an excellent option with the Redskins’ first round pick if they don’t add a player at the position before the draft. He could be one of the best players available anyway, so he should definitely be on the Redskins radar.
Analyzing Vita Vea as an option
The battle for the top nose tackle spot in the 2018 NFL Draft is currently between Payne and Vita Vea. While I happen to be a bigger fan of Payne, there is a case to be made for Vea as a potential first round pick, and a possibly a top 10 pick.
Calling Vea a big man would be an understatement. In fact, he is massive. At the Combine, Vea weighed in at a whopping 347 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame, and he managed to run the 40-yard dash in a mere 5.10 seconds despite his size. That’s frankly incredible, and would have done a lot to improve upon his stock had he not been injured in his second run.
Speaking of the injury, that is a minor concern for Vea, but it won’t affect his draft stock. He just tweaked a hamstring running and will be completely fine. Still, teams looking into Vea may want to just check his medical history a bit closer and examine him a bit more. This is solely because bigger players can sometimes have trouble recovering from leg injuries. But again, this minor malady shouldn’t impact his stock as he doesn’t come with any major medical red flags.
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In terms of skill set, Vea, like Payne, should be an excellent run stuffer at the next level. At Washington, Vea recorded 39 and 43 tackles in his final two seasons, and he actually chipped in with a combined 8.5 sacks over those final two seasons. He was an anchor for the defense, and he was considered to be one of the team’s best players.
Despite the pass rushing production, there is a chance that it may not translate to the NFL level as well. Vea will be relying on his strength and size to push around interior offensive linemen. That is completely fine, and he will definitely have success doing it in the run game. But, he won’t be as athletic by comparison at the NFL level. But no matter what, Vea should be a quality starter at the NFL level.
Verdict
In truth, the Redskins can’t go wrong by landing one of these talented nose tackles. They’ve had a weakness at the position for the past two seasons and with their defense on the verge of being a top 10 unit, they have to land one.
Arguably, the best and safest option for the Redskins would be to ink Hankins to a deal. He’s the most proven of the three players, he’s still just 26, and adding him would allow the Redskins to select another top prospect in the first round of the draft. If the team signed Hankins and nabbed a falling prospect like Minkah Fitzpatrick, then they would land two starters while only using their cap space and a draft pick. So, that would be the best option.
If the team continues to deem Hankins too expensive, then I would prefer the team to take Payne over Vea. I think Payne has a higher ceiling and still has some untapped potential left. At the worst, he would be an upgrade over Ziggy Hood and at the best, he could be one of the league’s better nose tackles. Payne is definitely going to succeed as a high-level nose tackle, but I think his floor is just a bit lower than that of Vea.
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But again, the Redskins can’t go wrong with this decision. All they have to do is get one of these players, and they will be set at the nose tackle position for at least the next five years.