For Redskins, 2019 NFL Combine marks next NFL Draft checkpoint
By Ian Cummings
Two important games are in the books, and now, the Redskins have a month to process newly-acquired information, before the next checkpoint on the path to the NFL Draft.
The Washington Redskins 2019 draft journey began with the East-West Shrine Game, where some of college football’s less heralded prospects formed teams and showcased their talents. There were many standouts in that contest, just as there were in the Senior Bowl on Saturday. The hype is building, but it’ll settle for now. Right up until the NFL Combine hits on February 26.
The NFL Combine is the next checkpoint for the Redskins on their evaluative path. While the game film does well to accentuate what a prospect’s positive and negative tendencies are, and how they might fit a given scheme, the combine is all about physical traits, and how players match up athletically in today’s NFL.
Prospects have made lots of money from the NFL Combine in the past, even recent Redskins draft picks. A solid day for Daron Payne helped cement his status as a bonafide defensive lineman in 2018, and current Redskins defensive back Troy Apke, a safety whom many expected to be a late Day 3 pick, inflated his stock with a blazing 4.34 40-yard dash time. He’s still a project. But his combine performance gave him a unique opportunity, and thus, it’s an important date on the calendar, for teams and players alike.
A word of caution should be exercised when discussing the NFL Draft Combine. Players should not be selected based on their combine performance alone. Football, after all, is a sport with incredible details and nuances to pick up on. Physical attributes help players maximize their proficiency in certain areas, but if they don’t know the game, then performing on Sunday, against professionals, is a tall task.
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The combine will provide a test for the Redskins: to balance tape and attributes, and put together the best system for grading prospects. The Redskins need to capitalize on their four early-round picks this year. With a roster lacking in both depth and top-end talent, there is little room for error. The Redskins were able to see prospects in game action with the Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl. Now, after a month of quiet, they’ll have to parse through the noise of the NFL Combine.