Why the Redskins should still have Johnathan Hankins on their radar

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 26: Johnathan Hankins #95 and Jon Bostic #57 of the Indianapolis Colts tackle DeMarco Murray #29 of the Tennessee Titans during the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Hankins is a young and effective defensive tackle

Hankins, who stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 325 pounds, represents the prototypical one-gap, space-eating defensive tackle that can consistently stuff the run. He became a Redskins free agent target before this year’s draft, to improve a defense repeatedly gashed by running backs over the past two seasons.

The former Ohio State product, however, was seeking a deal that averaged $8 million a year, per Mark Tyler of Hogs Haven. He left Redskins Park without a contract after the team was only interested in a one-year commitment. The Redskins’ courtship of Hankins then cooled after the team drafted University of Alabama defensive tackle Daron Payne, who was picked to satisfy the role the organization earmarked Hankins to fill. Earlier interest expressed by other teams vanished quickly after they acquired players and/or draft picks to meet their defensive tackle needs.

While Hankins’ sustained stay on the league’s unemployment rolls may have resulted from an overestimation of his market value, Hankins’ current availability is still baffling. At 26 years old, he has yet to reach the prime of a career that has already yielded valuable production at one of the league’s most coveted positions. The league’s commentariat is equally stumped, offering little, if any, answers to Hankins’ conundrum and why the league apparently has little use for a talent like him.

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