Redskins Saturday Spotlight: Requests from the readers

Exciting Edge Prospects

This draft class is one with a number of exiting edge prospects, ones that the Washington Redskins could use. The reader suggestions did well to characterize that. We’ve already done a Saturday Spotlight article on Mississippi State edge rusher Montez Sweat, but Sweat is just one of several enticing finds. In the end, it really depends on what your preference of style is.

@KABrill21 seems to favor bend in his edge rushers, going with Florida State’s Brian Burns as his choice. Burns is a bit undersized in regards to weight, standing at 6-foot-5, 231, but he makes up for a movable frame with unmovable burst and bend. Bend is a trait everyone searches for in edge rushers, as it allows rushers to cut around less agile linemen and shear their way into the pocket. You won’t see Burns bull rush the tackle like Ryan Kerrigan. Instead, he’ll use his flexibility and savvy to find a way through. He’s not a pure speed rusher, but the Redskins could use him as a player with surefire starting potential, nonetheless.

If you’re still on that “we need a speed rusher” train, though, there is a prospect who better fits that mold. @PeckinsMatt was the one who suggested Florida’s Jachai Polite. Polite is, simply put, an athlete. At first glance, he has a bit of a Junior Galette vibe; he’s fast, he’s quick, and he’s 6-foot-2, 260, with impressive proportional length. He’s fairly raw at the moment, but his speed alone has made him plays at the collegiate level. So far this season, Polite has 9.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks. Clearly on the uptrend, Polite’s raw ability could be the final piece to the Redskins’ revamped defense.

We’ve spent this whole time talking about wild measurables, but sometimes, edge rushers just need to be productive, and relentless. In a sense, that’s what we have with Michigan’s Chase Winovich. Winovich was a favorite in this instance, as he was suggested by both @RawlingsA82 and @bigtrain1525. Winovich would be good value perhaps on Day 2; at 6-foot-3, 253, his size almost mirrors that of Ryan Anderson, who was taken in Round 2 of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Like Anderson, Winovich is a presumed “football player” with a desire to win and to level each opponent he faces in the trenches. Winovich is a hungry competitor on every snap, and it makes a tangible impact on his own quality of play. He’s not bendy, and he’s not overly quick or strong. Winovich just gets the job done. Through 36 career games with the Wolverines, Winovich has amassed 37.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. His most dominant trait is his motor, and while he may not have nearly as much developmental upside as a player like Brian Burns, he would provide value to the Redskins in his own way.