Washington Redskins CB Greg Stroman could be the steal of the draft
By Ian Cummings
Look at his stats alone, and you won’t see a seventh-round pick.
Three years as a starter in the Atlantic Coast Conference at Virginia Tech. Nine interceptions, including four in his senior year. Twenty-six pass deflections; twenty-one in his last two seasons. According to Pro Football Focus, quarterbacks who threw against Stroman registered a measly 26.8 passer rating. In a Power Five conference.
Statically, Greg Stroman has the resume of a lockdown cornerback.
So why did Stroman slip to the Washington Redskins in Round 7? His size is the first, and only thing, that stands out. At 5-foot-11, 182, he certainly has room to add muscle to his frame.
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This lack of size hasn’t hurt Stroman’s career with the Hokies, however; he’s been a reliable, durable force on that defense for three years, and one would think that traits such as coverage ability and athleticism would be weighted more heavily than a mere measurement.
Nevertheless, more likely than not, Stroman was just a few pounds from a fourth-round grade, at the very least.
The Washington Redskins gladly swiped up Stroman in the seventh round. Possessing a need at cornerback, the Washington Redskins, in Stroman, picked a player who, with his size, could fit very well into the slot. Stroman’s short-range quickness and nimble feet give him an edge over the competition, and in the NFL, it shouldn’t be surprising when we see Stroman blanket receivers early on.
Of course, the NFL is a physical game, and it’s worth wondering if Stroman, a local product out of Stonewall Jackson High School, can hold up. But 61 tackles, nine interceptions, 26 pass deflections, and 127 punt returns later (four of which went for touchdowns), Stroman is still standing.
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Don’t dismiss Stroman as a seventh-round pick. It’s not about the pick. It’s about the player. Greg Stroman is a player with natural coverage ability, and with an NFL training regimen, he could very well gain that weight that kept him from rising higher on the draft board. It’s too early to say, but in Greg Stroman, the Washington Redskins might have gotten the steal of the 2018 NFL Draft.