The 2019 Redskins Draft: Why Day Three is Very Important

The 2019 NFL Draft has arrived and the Redskins will be adding new players to their roster as the league takes another step closer to the 2019 regular season.

The Washington Redskins need to have better success on day three of the draft and Saturday could start a positive trend.

In recent seasons, the Redskins have been mired in mediocrity with records that hover mostly around the break-even point. The solution for better success centers on players and coaches who can improve on previous seasons and a front office that puts them in a position to field a winner. One of the recipes for a winning organization is to have consistently productive drafts each season.

The first two rounds are typically focused on blue-chip players who can start immediately and have a positive impact. The third round is usually devoted to players who can start within the first season and have an impact by no later than their second season in the league. No one can dispute the importance of the first three rounds in any draft, but the success of any organization is not limited to those rounds only.

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Rounds four through seven tend to be overlooked by so many in the media and fans often tune out on the third day of the draft. That is a mistake. The purpose of the latter rounds is three-fold. Rounds four through seven should focus on team depth, finding hidden gems, and adding special teams standouts. It can be argued that adding specialists (kickers, punters) is a late-round function as well, but let’s talk about the three-fold expectations.

Team depth has been a huge issue for the Redskins over the last two seasons. The 2017 and 2018 seasons were consumed by numerous injuries and a lack of depth. Injuries are certainly a part of the game, but it doesn’t mean the season is lost. The Philadelphia Eagles lost their franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, late in the 2107 season. It didn’t ruin their run to a Super Bowl title several weeks later. Having depth can save a season and expectations can still be fulfilled. In the last ten years, the Redskins have rarely added the kind of depth that allows them to build on any success. There have been some fine draftees after the first three rounds. From 2010 to 2016, players like Perry Riley, Niles Paul, Bashaud Breeland, Martrell Spaight, and Ryan Grant provided the team with some good value. Honestly, this list needed to be several times longer and it is one of the primary reasons for the lack of depth over the last two years.

Finding hidden gems in rounds four through seven should be the goal of every team. From that same time frame (2010-2016), the Redskins were able to draft Kirk Cousins, Alfred Morris, Chris Thompson, Jamison Crowder, and Matt Ioannidis. They have proven to be more than just late round depth additions. Each of these players have experienced various levels of success. Ioannidis recently re-signed with the Redskins and this 2016 fifth-round pick has quickly become a stud on the defensive line. Thompson has remained with the team and is generally considered to be one of the better third down running backs in the league, and is a genuine receiving threat out of the backfield. The Redskins need to continue finding gems on day three of the draft if they want to find consistency from their late-round picks.

Finding special teams standouts should be of the utmost importance in rounds four through seven. Special teams play can be the difference in winning or losing close games. Unfortunately for the Redskins, a survey of the drafts from 2010-2016 reveals very little impact for the special teams unit from the latter round draft picks. Special teams play has long been a thorn in the side for the team and that obviously needs improvement.

Redskins best targets on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. dark. Next

Don’t think day three of any draft is unimportant. Teams that have good levels of success in the final day of any draft will see positive results on the playing field. The Redskins have five draft picks (before trades) in rounds five through seven on Saturday. The opportunity exists to add players who will have solid impacts in the future.

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