The Redskins need to add some depth to their offensive line and find a quality starter at left guard. It seems that they’re making an effort to do that at the Senior Bowl.
The 2019 NFL Draft is just about three months away, and with the college all-star games in full swing, rumors and team interests are certainly starting to pick up. This is the time of year where teams really start to tip their hand and demonstrate where their interests may lie. And that includes the Redskins.
So far this offseason, it seems that the Redskins are interested in adding a young quarterback, and they reportedly have interest in Duke’s Daniel Jones. Now, it appears that they are also interested in adding some help on the offensive line, at least based on what the team has been doing at the Senior Bowl.
During the Senior Bowl, the Redskins have been meeting with quite a few offensive linemen. Per Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com, the ‘Skins have already met with three offensive linemen including Kansas State’s Dalton Risner, Oklahoma’s Dru Samia, and Alabama State’s Tytus Howard.
In addition to this, the team’s director of college personnel, Kyle Smith, was watching the North’s offensive linemen closely at practice on Thursday.
#Redskins’ director of college of personnel Kyle Smith getting an up-close look at the North’s O-linemen. pic.twitter.com/ZeL49zno2v
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) January 24, 2019
This would seem to indicate that the team is intrigued by the offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl. And given the team’s lack of depth across the line as well as their long-time hole at left guard, it makes sense for the team to target some of these options in the NFL draft.
Of the group of linemen that the team has interviewed, Risner is probably the most talented. He will have the ability to play all the positions on the offensive line at the NFL level, but he may be better suited for the inside. With the team’s second-round pick, they should look to add Risner, and that’s what I had them doing in a recent seven-round mock draft.
Meanwhile, Howard and Samia are potential sleeper options that could be available on Day 3 of the draft. Samia is a big, strong guard who played relatively well this season at Oklahoma. He’s the type of sturdy blocker who could end up winning a job at left guard or, at the very least, develop into a good backup. Howard is a bit rawer, having played at Alabama State, but his 6-5, 322-pound frame will give him a chance to find a role in the NFL. He could end up being a solid swing tackle and could be a good replacement for Ty Nsekhe if he leaves in free agency.
No matter what, the team’s apparent interest in the offensive line is good news for the team. Here’s hoping they finally try to add enough quality depth to their offensive line and do what they can to avoid being razor thin at the position for yet another season.