The Redskins will have a lot of choices to make, come draft day in 2019. Will a quarterback be among the new additions to the team?
The important distinction to be made in the case of picking a quarterback is this: Will the Washington Redskins pick a quarterback in Round 1, or in the later rounds?
There’s a myth that the 2019 NFL Draft doesn’t have any quarterbacks worthy of going in Round 1. This is false. Justin Herbert has emerged as a solid QB1, and other high-profile college quarterbacks like Drew Lock, Dwayne Haskins, Brian Lewerke, and Will Grier could sneak into Round 1 if things go their way. All have the tools to do so (Jarrett Stidham has been lumped in with this group, but he’s clearly not ready to join this tier yet).
Behind those front runners, there are a number of promising developmental quarterbacks available as well. Stidham has some potential, in a physical sense. Tyree Jackson is a sight to behold with a cannon arm. Daniel Jones is a sleeper from Duke who was on the rise before suffering an injury in Week 2. Ryan Finley, out of NC State, has shown promise.
The Redskins, if they were to pick a quarterback, would likely use a flier on the latter group; The potential first-round quarterbacks are intriguing, but Alex Smith will still be under contract for three more years after 2018. Thus, picking a young understudy to learn could be of benefit.
Enter a familiar name: Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien. The nephew of Redskins great Mark Rypien.
Brett Rypien Player Breakdown
Rypien won’t go in the first round. But if he continues to show growth off of last year, he could sneak into Day 2. He’s had a stellar 2018 campaign so far, and if he keeps it up, he could go the way of his uncle, and find a starting role in the NFL.
Rypien’s flashes are impressive, and despite his slightly undersized frame, standing at 6-foot-2, 203, there’s reason to believe he could have starting potential down the road. He has an incredibly quick release with fluid mechanics. He displays good footwork in the pocket, keeping a wide base and staying on his toes. If pressured out, he can make plays with his legs and take advantage of lanes. He’s not *fast*, but he is mobile, for a quarterback’s standards.
As a thrower, Rypien has a relatively elastic arm, and at times, he shows flashes of stellar anticipation. He can hit players in stride at all three levels, and he’s not afraid to take chances and push the ball down the field. He brings a gunslinger mentality that keeps the offense humming.
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There are some concerns with Rypien. He has an average, not great arm, and although he can put zip on it, he will force some deep throws, and overshoot them as a result. He has a tendency to float touch throws too far as well; he’s still working on how to diversify his throwing arsenal.
Read progressions are a stable work in progress for Rypien, as they are for most quarterbacks, and at times, he can get overconfident and make ill-advised throws under pressure, showing off the dark side of that gunslinger mentality. Consistency is big for any quarterback, and Rypien, in this sense, is no different.
Keep in mind, however, that many of these accuracy and decision-making issues stem from Rypien’s 2017 campaign. As you’ll see in the next slide, he’s displayed monumental growth from year to year. Now the question is simple. Can he stay consistent and put the accuracy issues in the rear view mirror for good?
Brett Rypien 2018 Performance Update
Heading into the 2017 season, Rypien was one of the sleepers to watch in the college quarterback crop. In his first two seasons with Boise State, he threw for 6,996 yards, 44 touchdowns, and only 16 interceptions. In 2017, a breakout was expected for the quarterback with the eye-grabbing surname.
The breakout didn’t happen. Rypien threw for under 3,000 yards, and notched only 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. His completion percentage lingered around 62.6 percent, and on tape, many of the same issues from years past revealed themselves again.
Rypien’s regression in 2017 slowed the hype train heading into 2018, but through three games, Rypien has fired up the engines once again. In the first quarter of the college football regular season, Rypien has 1,047 yards, 10 touchdowns, and no picks. His completion percentage is up from 62.6 percent to 71.4 percent, an outrageous number for any quarterback.
Many of the accuracy and arm concerns that plagued Rypien in years past have remained hidden in 2018. The Broncos signal caller has been smart, decisive, and electric early on, and if he continues to use his traits to produce like this, he could fly up draft boards in the coming months. He plays against Wyoming tonight at 7:00 Eastern Time. Make sure you don’t miss it.
Relevance to the Redskins
As it stands, Brett Rypien is likely to go off the board in the middle rounds. If his play keeps up, Day 2 seems like a trustworthy possibility. Aside from his relation to Mark Rypien, the Redskins could truly use a player like Brett Rypien at the quarterback position.
Alex Smith will be the Redskins starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. He’s started the season strong, and as he continues to gather chemistry with Redskins receivers, he should only get more comfortable.
But there’s a reason the Kansas City Chiefs gave up Smith. He’s 34 years old, slowly heading toward the edge of the shelf, and he does play a limited, albeit winning brand of football.
The Redskins won’t be in the market for Smith’s replacement this year, but with two quarterbacks over 30 years old, and no possible succession plan in place, drafting a mid-round quarterback for Smith to groom for a couple years would do no harm. Perhaps they could use the third-round compensatory pick they’re bound to get from losing Kirk Cousins.
With the Redskins, Rypien would be a quality backup alongside Colt McCoy, and if he worked to refine his reads and mental processing on the field, he could end up being the eventual replacement to Smith. He’d be great at the famous bootlegs that Jay Gruden loves to run. Contrary to popular belief, quarterback development can be a thing in the modern NFL. And if that happened to the second coming of Rypien, the expectations would inevitably be great.