Redskins Kyle Smith emphasizes clarity, attention to detail in interview

If the Redskins latest incarnation of the Snyder-Allen front office structure is going to work, more input must be given to some of the less-heralded names on board.

That subset includes Kyle Smith, the Washington Redskins current director of college scouting.

For fans, such a proposition is risky, even with how disorderly things have been with Bruce Allen serving as Dan Snyder’s primary lieutenant. No one has ever seen a name such as Kyle Smith maintain a prominent role in Snyder’s shadow, and even if he has, it’s near impossible to confirm roles, and their extent, in Washington’s front office.

That said, in 2019, the Redskins appear to be committing to a more desirable hierarchical structure, at least for now. In his press conference, which inherently deserves to be taken with a grain of salt, Bruce Allen spoke of the different directors of operations, from Alex Santos at pro personnel, to Eric Schaffer, the team’s contract guru, and then Kyle Smith, a rumored general manager in waiting. Allen alluded to primary roles for all three figures, and with the NFL Draft approaching, Smith’s role is at the forefront.

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Smith’s name was first dropped after the Redskins started having some success in the NFL Draft in 2017 and 2018. Neither class was perfect, as few are, but in those two classes, Smith’s department helped nab several key contributors, including Jonathan Allen, Fabian Moreau, Montae Nicholson (who admittedly had a very bad 2018 campaign, but shined in his rookie season), starter Chase Roullier, Josh Harvey-Clemons, Daron Payne, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Greg Stroman, and Trey Quinn. Derrius Guice and Ryan Anderson could also emerge in increased roles in 2019, giving Smith’s haul that much more potential.

Not much has been known of Smith ever since his name came up as a possible front office gem. But a recent interview of Smith on Redskins.com, via Jake Kring-Schreifels, shed a little light on his thought process, and how he goes about learning a prospect’s tendencies. This exposure proves that the Redskins could be grooming Smith for a bigger role in the future. Among Smith’s priorities for draft day? Clarity, and an emphasis on attention to detail.

“You’ve got to try to ask certain questions,” Smith said [when talking about scouting a prospect’s personality and drive]. “Talk about their process, what’s your process through the week, how much tape do you watch, how do you take care of your body, what’s your practice schedule, what’s your workout schedule, how do you eat and take care of your body off the field when you go back home? If a guy is really detailed in what they do, and you can tell he’s disciplined then it answers some of the questions for you.”

Smith went on to say that the Redskins can learn a lot about prospects by cross-referencing their personal findings with what they learn from a prospect’s old coaching staff. It seems simple, but this kind of attention to detail is something the Redskins have lacked at times with Bruce Allen at the helm. Smith assures everyone, however, that clarity is at the top of his priority list, and if the Redskins walk into the draft war room not knowing something, anything, then they have a problem.

“When we go through these meetings the next couple weeks, any answers that we don’t have, any clarity that we don’t have, we need to do it, we need to figure it out.”