It’s never too early to talk about draft season.
The first week of college football is already in the books, and as we inch closer and closer to opening week of the NFL’s regular season, every team still has it’s questions. For the Washington Redskins, there are still obvious needs. Because of this, you should know some of the top collegiate players that the Redskins could select to fill these needs come the 2019 NFL Draft.
With recent draft picks and free agent acquisitions, the defensive line should be fully stocked, so I don’t expect the Redskins to target anyone there early. That means some of college football’s top players are out of the question, like Ed Oliver, Raekwon Davis, and Christian Wilkins.
However, Preston Smith is in the last year of his contract, meaning that outside linebacker is very much a need, until otherwise dealt with. I personally view the Redskins five biggest needs, in order, as interior offensive line, cornerback, inside linebacker, wide receiver, and edge rusher. Therefore, the majority of the players on the list primarily play those positions. Without further introduction, these are ten players you should watch as future Redskins prospects.
No.10 – TE Noah Fant – Iowa
Jordan Reed is a fantastic tight end, if he’s healthy. The issue is, that may be the biggest “if” in the NFL.
Reed has failed to play in 16 games in a season, and only has only managed to play 18 of 32 possible games in the past two years. The best ability is availability, and if Reed is never available, than all he’s doing is taking up salary cap and bringing false hope to Redskins fans.
If Reed doesn’t play 12 or more games this season, I’d imagine the team would have to restructure his contract, and if they can’t, then they’ll move on. Enter Noah Fant.
Fant is similar to Reed in a lot of his game. He’s in excellent athlete, who presents a size mismatch for safeties, and a speed mismatch for linebackers. However, what separates the two is Fant’s ability to block.
Redskins fans know, Jordan Reed may be the worst blocker to ever play the game of football. Fant isn’t a world beater, but he get’s the job done. He does a good job in Iowa’s power and zone run schemes, and while his technique could still use some work, he’d be an immediate upgrade. I’ve long loved Reed, but if he can’t produce for the team, then it’s time to look for another option. Fant is a little raw, and lacks a ton of production, but all the measurables are there, as well as the motor and ability to block.
No. 9 – LB Mack Wilson – Alabama
After taking Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson in 2017, and Daron Payne and Shaun Dion Hamilton in the most recent draft, why stray away from Nick Saban’s ‘Bama boys?
Mack Wilson is the smartest linebacker of the class. He progressed throughout the course of last season and played extremely well in the college football playoffs. In the semi-final, he registered six tackles with a pass deflection and a pick six, and in the National Championship game, he exploded for 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. Wilson is in line to be the next great Alabama linebacker to move on to the NFL.
Wilson is relativly small for a linebacker, standing at just 6-foot-0 and weighing in at about 230. He has a high motor and he’s athletic enough to make plays sideline to sideline, but he struggles to get away from offensive lineman once they engage and out their hands on him. He occasionally misses tackles and makes poor reads, but these things can easily be corrected with proper coaching.
No. 8 – CB Amani Oruwariye – Penn State
Some may disagree with my thought of cornerback being one of the Redskins biggest needs, but Josh Norman has seen some decline in play, and he’s also entering his thirties, making around $15 million a year. Quinton Dunbar is a great story, but I don’t think he’ll ever be a top cornerback in the NFL, and Fabian Moreau still needs to show he’s as good as people thought he was leading up to the 2017 Draft.
With that being said, if a top cornerback prospect is available for the Redskins at their selection, I think they should go for it. There are a couple options here. Levonta Taylor, Lavert Hill, and Michael Jackson are all good players, but Penn State’s Amani Oruwariye has better measurables than all of the above. I believe the Redskins will love his blend of size and length.
Oruwariye will is a senior this year, which means he is on the older side, but he has great ball skills, mixed with body control that could’ve made him a great receiver if he went that route.
Oruwariye has adequate speed, but lacks short area quickness and will need to cover that with good technique. He’s best when he’s up in press and able to get his hands on the receivers, allowing him to use his long arms and contest the ball in the air. He’s always a willing tackler in the run game. Oruwariye has the tools to be a lockdown corner in the NFL with some refinement to his technique.
No. 7 – ILB Devin White – LSU
If Mack Wilson is the smartest of the three top linebackers, and Paddy Fisher is the biggest and the strongest, where does Devin White compare?
He’s the fastest.
The Redskins have one of the NFL’s fastest linebackers in Zach Brown, and pairing him with LSU’s Devin White could be a lethal combo. White has the speed to cover running backs, tight ends, and receivers. His athleticism makes him an excellent blitzer, and enables him to make plays from one sideline to the other with ease.
While White possesses rare athleticism, he’s still very raw. He relies more on his athleticism and ability to recover than he does his instincts and film study. He needs to work on reading his keys and being where he needs to be with his brain, then using his athleticism to make the play.
White is on the smaller side for linebackers, so he can struggle to get off blockers, but as long as he can sure up the mental aspects of the game, there’s no reason White can’t be a good player at the next level.
No. 6 – WR N’Keal Harry – Arizona State
N’Keal Harry is a threat, plain and simple. He’s a threat to score whenever the balls in his hands.
Harry is a terrific 50-50 ball catcher. When the ball comes his way, he makes the odds feels almost 80-20. He has a dominant frame at 6-foot-3, 216, and he uses it to his advantage. He understands how to bully smaller corners, and he possesses excellent body control. He’s also an excellent athlete, and while he may not light up the 40-yard dash with a 4.3, he posses dangerous speed to get behind safeties. Even though he has the body of a true X-receiver, I believe he can play any receiver role, and he also brings value as a returner.
Most tall receivers are good 50-50 ball catchers, but lack the ability to do much else. That’s where Harry separates himself. He has excellent vision and his run after the catch ability is lethal. Whether it’s a screen, or a simple underneath route, Harry has the speed, vision, and acceleration to take it to the house. He’s a load to tackle and possesses all the required tools to succeed in the NFL. As long as he can clean up his route running, there’s no reason Harry can’t dominate the NFL like he does college football.
5. WR D.K. Metcalf – Ole Miss
Ole Miss possesses a trio of future NFL wideouts. D.K. Metcalf might not be the most productive, but he’s the best prospect in terms of physical traits. He’s 6-foot-3, 225, with legit 4.4 speed. Similar to N’Keal Harry, Metcalf is an excellent 50-50 ball receiver, but also brings value in other situations.
The size and speed combination is scary, like Calvin Johnson scary. He’s too big for small and fast corners, and too fast for big and long corners. He’s the definition of a mismatch, and with a good season and an electric combine, Metcalf is a safe bet to be one of the first three receivers taken, if not first.
Metcalf doesn’t run a plethora of routes, and will need to expand that once in the NFL, but the routes he does run are excellent, as he moves quickly in and out of his breaks. He has a good release off the line of scrimmage by combining his arm length and speed with good hand usage to fight off press corners. Metcalf will be a difference maker in the NFL, and if it wasn’t for Ole Miss’ crowded receiver room, he’d probably be one of the nation’s leading statistical receivers.
No. 4 – ILB Paddy Fisher – Northwestern
A physical specimen to say the least, Northwestern’s Paddy Fisher stands at 6-foot-4, 240. That is massive, compared to the other top level linebacker prospects.
That size doesn’t slow him down, either. He may not be the elite athlete that Mack Wilson and Devin White are, but Fisher’s no slouch. His ability to make tackles all along the field is incredible, especially when you include his ability to get off blocks and lay the wood. He’s a defensive end playing linebacker, extremely well.
Fisher plays with good technique, and is excellent in zone defense. He can occasional get turned around in man defense, but didn’t get asked to do it all that much at Northwestern. Fisher was victim to the occasional missed tackle, whether it was by simply running past the ball carrier, or because he fell for a head fake.
Once he learns to break down and stay home, Fisher should be fine. Fisher has the highest upside of any linebacker in the 2019 draft class and would give the Redskins size in the linebacker room.
No. 3 – OLB Nick Bosa – Ohio State
Outside linebacker is a weird position to view as a need, or so I’ve been told. However, my reasoning is this: Preston Smith is in the final year of his contract, and if he has an excellent year, he may ask for more money than the Redskins are willing to pay. He also may have a down year, and convince the Redskins that he’s no longer the right man for the job. Obviously, this pick is made with the idea that Smith is no longer on the roster at this point next year.
But don’t worry. Nick Bosa is far from a downgrade.
Nick Bosa has an excellent blend of strength and athleticism. He’s flexible enough to bend the corner, and has the size to play inside or outside. In the Redskins scheme, however, he’d play outside linebacker.
If the Redskins are in a position to pick Bosa, that means the year was a disappointment, and they’ve ended with a top five pick. If that’s the case, and Preston Smith has departed, it will finally be time to get Ryan Kerrigan a running partner. A combo of Bosa and Kerrigan would be devastating and a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators. Bosa is the kinda of defensive player the franchises are built around.
No. 2 – OL Tyler Biadasz – Wisconsin
The hole at left guard has haunted the Redskins for years. They have their starters for the foreseeable future at every other position along the front, but the left guard spot has hindered the unit as a whole.
If the Redskins are in a position where they can afford to take an interior offensive lineman in the first round, then they should do it. Left guard is the weakest position on the roster and Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz is a perfect fit. He’d immediately boost the Redskins front into one of the league’s elite. They’d have youth and strength along the interior, along with two bookend tackles. Both the run and pass offense would benefit, and the team would finally complete the Hogs 2.0.
I don’t expect the Redskins to take an interior offensive lineman in the first round unless they’re coming off a good season and don’t see any other glaring needs on the roster. With that being said, I also didn’t expect them to pass up on Vic Beasley and Leonard Williams for Brandon Scherff, and that turned out quite nicely. While Beasley and Williams both became good players, I wouldn’t trade the consistency Scherff has brought for either. Biadasz is a great player, and would give the Redskins their most talented offensive line in the past 25 years.
No. 1 – CB Greedy Williams – LSU
With Norman getting older, and his contract getting more expensive, why not draft his eventual successor? Greedy Williams has me more hyped than I’ve ever been for a cornerback prospect. Corners are tricky to evaluate because success is extremely difficult to maintain at their position. However, Williams’ size, length, speed, and ball skills are all elite. He was a corner created in a video game, and has the attitude (and name) of a true No. 1 cornerback.
Williams shines in press man, as he’s aggressive at the line of scrimmage but has the athleticism to stay with receivers both up and across the field. He’s still young, and very raw. He needs to perfect his technique, as he spends too much time chasing receivers. In college, he can get away with it due to his natural speed, but in the NFL, he’ll get left behind.
Williams leaves some to be desired in the run game, but with the right motivation, he should be able to clean it up. Williams has things he needs to work on, but he has the tool set to be the NFL’s next shutdown corner, something that could help the Redskins in the future.