We’ve long established the reality that the 2019 crop of quarterbacks is relatively weak. It’s the kind of class that lulls teams into forcing a solution, and they may pay the price.
Granted, many of the draft’s top signal callers have their redeeming qualities that could turn them into franchise passers. While Dwayne Haskins lacks mobility and consistent accuracy, he’s a quarterback smarter than his years who broke records in the Big Ten. While Drew Lock has major footwork issues, his athleticism and leadership qualities make him a desirable signal caller for NFL suitors. Then there’s Kyler Murray, who, for all the risk he provides, possesses elite arm talent and speed, two franchise traits that can’t be taught.
Teams can convince themselves that their guy at quarterback is in the 2019 NFL Draft, and their confidence could prove to be a smart investment, in time. But the evaluations, if they’re done right, are always fairly honest. And right now, 2019’s quarterback class, no matter how one might butter it up, has a lot of question marks.
For the Washington Redskins, who have a uniquely bad quarterback situation and a pick squarely in the middle of the first round, trading up for a passer could be a death knell, as could waiting for the crumbs that are left. Thus, while the Redskins are rumored to be one of the teams scouting early-round quarterbacks in 2019, it might be better for them to sit this one out, and use their early picks to stock up on much-needed skill position talent instead.
The Redskins would ultimately roll with Josh Johnson or Colt McCoy for a year, but they would benefit from a developmental year in 2020. With an early pick in 2020, they’d be able to cash in on what appears to be a stronger quarterback class, with names such as Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa, Jake Fromm, Jacob Eason, and other possible risers.
So how would the 2019 NFL Draft shake out for the Redskins if they decided to “embrace the tank”? That’s the question we’ll look to answer in the coming slides.
Round 1 – WR D.K. Metcalf – Ole Miss
Whoever your franchise quarterback ends up being in the future, you need to get him a dynamic threat at wide receiver. Josh Doctson has his perks, as subtle as they may be, and Paul Richardson separates whenever he manages to stay on the field. But a No. 1 receiver has to be available, and able to win in different ways.
Enter D.K. Metcalf, a wide receiver who can win in all the ways.
Metcalf will be overlooked by some because of his underwhelming college statistics. He only logged 39 receptions in his first year as a full-time starter, and in 2018, his season was cut short due to a neck injury; he was on pace for around 50 catches, 1,000 yards, and ten touchdowns.
Therein lies Metcalf’s greatest strength; he’s a dynamic weapon. At 6-foot-4, 225, he can win with his size and length, but he’s also a superb athlete, and it shows both vertically and laterally. Metcalf is quicker than most 6-foot-4 receivers, and he shows a lot of nuance with his route running, able to use head fakes at the line of scrimmage to deceive opposing cornerbacks.
You might hear all this, and you might be concerned about Metcalf’s speed. Don’t be. His speed shows up on the limited tape he has, and his projected 40-time ranges from 4.46 to 4.58. From now until the combine, people will debate about Metcalf’s speed, but the debate should already be over. Metcalf’s shown on tape he has what it takes.
With Metcalf, the Redskins would add a supremely high-upside receiver who they can keep in the stable at a cheap price for a year, before adding a high-caliber quarterback later on. When the team’s next quarterback would theoretically get here, Metcalf would be waiting, ready to make plays.
Round 2 – OG Chris Lindstrom – Boston College
This pick was a bit of luck; I didn’t expect Chris Lindstrom to be available at this point. But with how deep this class is on the offensive interior and at other positions, anything can happen.
Thus, in this simulation, Chris Lindstrom fell to the Washington Redskins, and it’s a good thing for them, because Lindstrom is a plug-and-play starter at offensive guard.
Listed as the No. 1 interior lineman in the 2019 NFL Draft by three of five Draft Network writers, Lindstrom wins with a myriad of traits, from his solid athletic profile, to his well-tuned hand placement, to his brute strength in the battles of the trenches. At 6-foot-4, 305, Lindstrom has the size the Redskins like at guard, and at Boston College, he was utilized in rollout and play action concepts often, giving him some experience for what Kevin O’Connell’s offense might look like (If the Redskins ever truly give him the keys, that is).
His name also consistently auto-corrects to Windstorm. It’s been a pain for me as I write this, just as I imagine playing against him will be. But the quarterback who gets here in 2020 will be thankful to have an offensive line with no holes, and two maulers in the middle.
Round 3, Pick 1 – EDGE Ben Banogu – TCU
Offense has been prioritized. Now it’s time to move to the defense, where positions like edge rusher, inside linebacker, and safety hang in the balance.
I was going to go safety with this pick, but the edge options had been almost picked clean earlier, and if a competent rusher wasn’t picked at this juncture, it might not have ever happened. So with their first pick in the third round, with Preston Smith’s fate yet unknown, the Redskins select TCU edge rusher Ben Banogu.
If you’re a fan of uber-productive defensive ends, Banogu is your guy. After logging three sacks and ten tackles for loss in one season with Louisiana-Monroe, he transferred to TCU. He was forced to sit out a year, due to transfer rules, but when he came onto the field, he made the wait worth it for TCU.
Banogu, in his two seasons with TCU, amassed 17.0 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss, including 18.0 in his final season. He also added seven forced fumbles to these totals, two at UL Monroe, and five during his time in the Big Twelve.
Banogu’s only an average athlete, and he doesn’t have much bend, so his upside is limited in some respects. But he’s fairly quick for being 6-foot-4, 245, and he has a diverse set of moves he uses on opposing offensive linemen. The fine details work well enough for some, and Banogu’s on his way to fundamental proficiency. Whether he gets there, and if he amounts to anything when he does? Uncertain. But every mock draft is a different scenario. In this one, the edge position was mined a bit too early, and this is the result.
Round 3, Pick 2 – S Darnell Savage Jr. – Maryland
Edge rusher? Check. Now it’s time to add to what might be the most cloudy position on the Redskins defense: Safety.
With D.J. Swearinger gone and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s future with the team uncertain (He wasn’t very good in his short time with the team), the Redskins have a hole at both safety spots. In a sense, nothing’s changed; it’s been that way for the good part of a decade now.
Montae Nicholson can still come back and resurrect his starting role, if given a chance by the team. But after his assault incident, the former fourth-round pick is undoubtedly in hot water, and new start might come sooner than a starting job. Thus, the Redskins are back to their middling ways at safety. But it can end in this draft. With their third round compensatory pick, the Redskins selected Maryland safety Darnell Savage Jr.
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I took a gamble with this pick. I’d planned to pick Savage earlier in Round 3, but at the time, the Redskins needed edge depth, and Banogu was next off the board. Luckily, Savage was still available, and he’s the pick.
The thing Savage does best? Tackle. He’s a heat-seeking missile in the heat of the moment, always searching for contact to be made. The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs listed tackling at Savage’s best trait, and 170 tackles over three years as starter only reinforce the notion for Savage.
Savage isn’t just a tackler, however. He has very good athleticism, and his aggressive mentality, while possessing its drawbacks, allows Savage to make plays on the ball when presented the opportunity. Savage fits the mold of a versatile NFL safety who’s willing to get dirty in the box and able to cover downfield. The local kid would make for a nice fit, and a possible early starter, in Ashburn.
Round 5 – TE Josh Oliver – San Jose State
The Redskins will likely cling to Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis for another year, even if their combined cost-effectiveness is below average. Both are good players, particularly Reed, who can still separate on his own, but their cap numbers are cumbersome, to say the least.
Those cap numbers might not go away, but neither will the talent if both players stay in Washington in 2019. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that long-term, Reed and Davis will be insufficient. Because of that, it’s important that the Redskins add a tight end in a very deep class.
That tight end would be afforded a bit more time to develop if Reed and Davis stay, so with the Redskins first pick in the fifth round, San Jose State’s Josh Oliver was selected over other enticing options like Foster Moreau and Dax Raymond.
Some people might want a pure blocker with this pick, to compensate for the shortcomings of both Reed and Davis. But Josh Oliver is an able blocker in his own right, and he brings the same receiving upside that Reed and Davis have used to thrive. With their futures uncertain, Oliver could be brought in to carry the torch.
Statistically, Oliver’s prowess as a receiver stands out right away. In his final season with the Spartans of San Jose State, Oliver logged 709 yards and four touchdowns on 56 catches. He wins with a 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame, and his stellar athletic ability allows him to do more with his opportunities. He’d be able to rotate in right away with the Redskins, and his athleticism makes him a potential full-time starter down the road. Just another future weapon for the team’s eventual franchise quarterback.
Round 5, Pick 2 – QB Easton Stick – North Dakota State
Ah, yes. The quarterback selection. It had to come somewhere for Washington in the 2019 NFL Draft. The only question was when.
Some view the Redskins as a quarterback-needy team that should prioritize the position in Round 1. In a weak class, however, this can lead to unintended, and lingering, consequences. With their team is such an inflexible position, cap wise, the Redskins can’t afford to whiff on their first-round selection in 2019. And with no can’t-miss quarterback prospects available at No. 15, it might simply be best to wait.
And so they waited, and got some talent at other positions. Now, in the fifth round, with the top-end players filtered out, it’s time to address the quarterback position. Easton Stick is the pick, and he brings a good amount of upside, but gives plenty of work to whoever the quarterbacks coach ends up being.
Stick’s athleticism immediately stands out when watching his play. He has the mobility that west coast teams look for in their signal callers, and his arm is subtly versatile. That said, Stick is a raw quarterback, in the sense that pinpoint accuracy is still inconsistent, as he doesn’t yet know how to control his arm, and his on-field progressions are very much a work in progress. His flashes are bright, but consistency yet eludes.
Stick would be the perfect addition for the Redskins in 2019: A relatively high-upside signal caller who can sit behind a stopgap starter for a year, then compete for the starting job in 2020, presumably with a first-round pick. There’s a saying that gets tossed around about quarterbacks; that you only draft starters and future starters. With the Redskins fragile situation, they can bend that rule a bit, as their priority is to simply add a healthy passer to the roster. But Stick offers some upside, and he could exceed expectations in the right situation.
Round 6 – CB Justin Layne – Michigan State
Cornerback is one of the most important positions in football in today’s game. Impacting the passing game is of the utmost importance. Edge rushers pressure the quarterback directly, but cornerbacks pressure the quarterback in their own way: If they’re good enough, they keep him from throwing.
Finding a cornerback who’s “good enough” might be hard in Round 6, but the draft was nearing to a close, and the Redskins still needed to add a player at that position. Josh Norman is soon to be 31 years old, and while the depth is decent behind him, with Greg Stroman exceeding expectations in year one, a cornerback with upside could be added, to improve future prospects at the position.
That’s where Michigan State’s Justin Layne comes in.
Layne’s frame immediately stands out. He’s 6-foot-3, with long arms that helped him be one of the more disruptive cornerbacks in the Big Ten last season. In his final season with the Spartans, he earned a reputation as a sticky, physical, tenacious cornerback, logging an interception and a whopping 15 pass deflections in 12 games. That’s a very good amount of ball production for a developmental cornerback, and it speaks to Layne’s upside. Learning from Norman, he could reach new heights in the NFL.
Layne won’t be asked to start. Norman still holds one slot down, and one would hope Quinton Dunbar will able to return to full health over the course of an offseason. But no matter the case, Layne offers something right away with his range as a cornerback. Despite going up against big names like N’Keal Harry and Terry McLaurin, Layne, per Pro Football Focus, logged an 89.5 coverage grade in 2018, while allowing a passer rating of just 71.2. This pick could be a gem in the rough, and it comes at a key position.
Round 7 – OT Trey Pipkins – Sioux Falls
There are a few positions I view as “must-draft” positions for the Redskins. Quarterback is one, although waiting until later might be the best option, long-term. Wide receiver is another. So is interior line, and offensive tackle as well.
It might not appear to be the case, but the Redskins tackle situation is slowly deteriorating. Trent Williams is only getting older. Morgan Moses had a bad 2018 season. And behind them, the depth is unsatisfactory. Geron Chrisitan still has time to develop, but working back from an injury in 2019 won’t do him any good. Ty Nsekhe is even older than Williams, and there’s no guarantee he re-signs.
On paper, the Redskins have two starters at offensive tackle. But read between the lines and it becomes clear: It might not be that way for long.
Trey Pipkins fits the profile as a good developmental player for the Redskins. He has a long frame at 6-foot-6, 304, but he needs to add weight. He’ll have a chance to do so over the offseason. Little things bode well for Pipkins’ chances. He didn’t allow a sack in thirteen games in his final collegiate season, per his team’s official site.
It’s worth noting that Pipkins’ team site still lists him as a freshman, despite having his junior season stats available to the public, so measurements for his height and weight were acquired at draftscout.com. He’s got the size the Redskins like on the outside, and his projected 40-time suggests him to be a decent athlete, at the very least. With a need for depth, the Redskins just need to add someone, and they could do worse than Pipkins.
With that, the Redskins 2019 NFL Draft is concluded. Let’s take a look at this edition’s spoils:
Offensive Haul: WR D.K. Metcalf, OG Chris Lindstrom, TE Josh Oliver, QB Easton Stick, OT Trey Pipkins
Defensive Haul: EDGE Ben Banogu, S Darnell Savage Jr., CB Justin Layne
Most Confident Pick: Round 2 – Chris Lindstrom
Least Confident Pick: Round 3 – Ben Banogu
By waiting on a quarterback, the Redskins were able to nab two starters on offense in the first two rounds, while solidifying their defense in Round 3. Embracing the tank isn’t the optimal choice for many, but setting aside a year to develop young talent and prepare for the induction of a new franchise quarterback later on could be beneficial for the team. Will they do it? That’s another story. But it’s a theoretical that can’t be ruled out. Have thoughts about this mock? Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments below!