Redskins Saturday Spotlight: Seven-round mock, building an elite defense

North Carolina State has done a good job of developing late-round edge talent in recent years, and this season, they have another potential steal in James Smith-Williams.

Smith-Williams is a solid athlete with good explosion and length, and he has many of the raw traits necessary to succeed at the next level. Smith-Williams can be considered fairly underdeveloped, and he’ll need to go to a place where he can be coached up over time to fully realize his potential.

Smith-Williams’ development has been severely stunted by recurring season-ending injuries, and while he’s played a bit this season, he’s still been dealing with nagging injuries from game to game.

That place might not be with the Redskins at the moment, but at the very least, Smith-Williams, much like Jordan Brailford in 2019, provides about as much upside as you’re ever going to get from a late-round pick. There’s uncertainty involved, but the addition comes with a low amount of risk, and it could prove to provide suitable returns.

Thanks for reading our latest mock draft! We’re still looking for questions for a future midseason draft mailbag, so feel free to ask your draft-related questions in the comments section below!