Redskins Saturday Spotlight: Top ten prospect big board in Round 1

For a defense that needs help just about everywhere, getting a guy who can play just about everywhere isn’t a bad strategy. In my recent full NFL first-round mock draft, I had Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons going to the Dolphins at pick No. 17. In reality, however, Simmons could go even earlier. Here’s what I wrote about Simmons in my mock draft:

"It’s rare for a prospect as versatile as Isaiah Simmons to enter the NFL Draft with that experience already under his belt. As The Draft Network’s Carter Donnick stated in a recent mock draft, Simmons “can play pretty much everywhere on defense”. For a team that needs help pretty much everywhere on defense, this is a no-brainer. At 6-foot-4, 235, Simmons has excellent size for his versatile role, and while he still needs to fill out his frame for the NFL, the shell is there for Simmons to out-measure any and all offensive skill players that come his way. That statement only has more impact when you realize that Simmons has the athletic traits to match most offensive skill players. He’s a very fluid and explosive player, and while he needs general refinement, from a mental standpoint, he has the upside that teams bank on in the earliest parts of the draft."

The Redskins have some young players at linebacker who could end up filling out major roles in the future, but Simmons is more than a linebacker. He can be a game-breaking chess piece for a defensive coordinator who uses him the right way.