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Redskins: Five bold predictions for Thursday’s preseason debut

By Ian Cummings

NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 9: Shaun Wilson #38 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 9, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Buccaneers defeated the Saints 48-40. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 9: Shaun Wilson #38 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 9, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Buccaneers defeated the Saints 48-40. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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DURHAM, NC – NOVEMBER 10: Cole Holcomb #36 of the North Carolina Tar Heels tries to stop Daniel Jones #17 of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on November 10, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC – NOVEMBER 10: Cole Holcomb #36 of the North Carolina Tar Heels tries to stop Daniel Jones #17 of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on November 10, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

No. 5 – Cole Holcomb leads the Redskins in tackles

Redskins coaches have been constantly talking up Cole Holcomb, and it’s not because his full name is surprisingly symmetrical, or because he has an epic Rob Ryan impersonation.

No, the Holcomb hype is exclusively related to football, and how he’s apparently good at it. He has the size at 6-foot-1, 240, and he has the speed, running a 4.48 at the North Carolina Tar Heels pro day. He has the athleticism, and coaches rave about his instincts and tackling ability as well.

We haven’t seen a down of Holcomb’s play at the NFL level yet, but it sounds like he’s a complete prospect at the inside linebacker position. He fell to the fifth round for a reason, and his performance in preseason might shed light on that reason, but with the extended opportunity he’s likely to get as a reserve player, and with the traits coaches have seen in him, Holcomb could very well deliver on the hype.

There are other Redskins linebackers waiting to prove themselves. Shaun Dion Hamilton is young and enticing. Josh Harvey-Clemons can be a disruptive chess piece. And Jon Bostic is the experienced veteran. On Thursday, however, Holcomb will outperform all of them on the box score, with his supposed combination of game speed and strength.

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