Washington Redskins rookie Shaun Dion Hamilton has starting talent

The Alabama line is long and winding.

For many college football programs, greatness is the exception. Lost in the mix of student-athletes who play for a time before moving on to a different walk of life, only a select few display the talent and the relentless passion to play the game professionally. Only a few are truly great.

And then there are programs like Alabama. Where greatness is the expectation.

In this regard, it makes sense that the Washington Redskins have established a pipeline with the Alabama Crimson Tide. More often than not, the products of the Crimson Tide exemplify the blueprint of a successful football player. Saban’s line had produced a bevy of NFL linebackers, from Rolando McClain to Dont’a Hightower. From Reggie Ragland to C.J. Mosley.

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And in 2018, that line produced one more.

Shaun Dion Hamilton hasn’t had a straight path to the NFL. At 6-foot-0, 235, Dion Hamilton has always had the size to be a game changer. He has the speed to cover the field on the second level, and he has the intangibles to command the defense. A former four-star prospect out of Montgomery, Alabama, Dion Hamilton’s talent coaxed offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Florida State. But when he received an offer from Alabama, he inevitably went with the nation’s premier college football program.

Dion Hamilton’s career was marred by injury, but in 2016, he was able to put up stellar numbers, amassing 64 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, and two interceptions. He showcased the potential he had in the middle of the defense as an all-around contributor, as a quarterback of the unit. But health issues plagued him, and an ACL tear and a broken patella tendon combined to plummet his draft stock in less than a year.

Dion Hamilton has been healing ever since the draft process started. He has suffered no setbacks, and when healthy, he is the kind of talent that can start in the NFL. “When healthy” is the key phrase. And it’s far from a guarantee that Dion Hamilton stays the course and ends up being ready to contribute in 2018. The Washington Redskins have rehabilitated two oft-injured players in two years: Junior Galette and Phil Taylor. With any luck, they can bring about the same results for a younger player.

Dion Hamilton is on the way. And we know what kind of player he can be when he is available. Availability is the most important ability of any player, and once Dion Hamilton has that, then he can continue the line of greatness that the University of Alabama has generated. He has big shoes to fill. But after being picked in the sixth-round, he’ll have a chip on his shoulder.

Next: Redskins post-NFL Draft roster projection

That just makes the great players greater.

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