The draft process never ends for the Redskins, and this week, the Senior Bowl represents a crucial juncture.
Each year, some of college football’s top talents do battle against comparable prospects at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. It’s an opportunity, not just for the players to elevate their stock, but for teams like the Washington Redskins to get an up-close look at positions of need they might be looking to address.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some intriguing prospects for the Redskins to watch at five specific positions of need: Tight end, linebacker, wide receiver, defensive back, and offensive line. That draft process keeps on going.
Tight End
The Redskins should consider themselves essentially devoid of tight ends on their current roster. Jordan Reed’s contract, combined with his ongoing medical uncertainty, makes him a likely offseason casualty, and the same can be said for Vernon Davis, given his contract value. Jeremy Sprinkle may be maxed out as a depth player, and while undrafted rookie Hale Hentges showed some promise late in the season, he hasn’t earned an increased role yet.
Tight ends can provide valuable versatility and mismatch generation in the modern NFL, as playoff standouts such as Travis Kelce and George Kittle have shown. This year’s tight end class is vastly unproven, but it also possesses exciting upside, and one of these Senior Bowl tight ends could end up following a meteoric rise similar to that of Kittle or Kelce. Recent Senior Bowl tight ends who’ve gone on to succeed at the NFL level include Mike Gesicki, Evan Engram, and O.J. Howard.
The Redskins have the situational circumstances to incubate tight end growth: New tight ends coach Pete Hoener brings with him an impressive track record with Carolina, and Dwayne Haskins developed an affinity for tight end targets later on in the year, despite the lack of reliability at the position. With any luck, one or more of these players will have a chance to give Haskins the safety blanket he needs to expedite his growth in 2020.
Senior Bowl Tight Ends to Watch
North Team
Dayton TE Adam Trautman: The Dayton Flyers benefitted greatly from Trautman’s combination of athleticism (speed between 4.7 and 4.8) and a 6-foot-5, 251-pound frame. Trautman hit career marks in production in his final season, logging 70 receptions for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s a dangerous receiving threat with blocking ability, and he’s easily one of my favorite sleepers at the tight end position. If he shows out, however, he won’t be a sleeper for long.
Purdue TE Brycen Hopkins: Brycen Hopkins isn’t as favorable for the Redskins draft range, as he’ll likely be gone somewhere in Round 2, if he isn’t taken at the tail end of Round 1. He’s certainly worth a trade if the Redskins decide he’s the weapon they need, however. Hopkins isn’t as multifaceted as other tight ends, but he fits what the Redskins need, in that he’s a receiving tight end with elite upside. Hopkins mends stellar route running nuance with excellent athleticism and flashes of NFL toughness, and while there are some consistency issues that could send him down to the top of Round 3, he’s exactly what the modern NFL wants in a tight end.
South Team
Florida Atlantic TE Harrison Bryant: Bryant won the John Mackey Award in 2019, given to the best tight end in the NCAA, and his traits back up his statistical prowess. Bryant has good size at 6-foot-5, 242, and like Brycen Hopkins, he has near-elite potential as a receiving tight end. Bryant is an excellent mover for his size, and he has enough nuance and spryness off his stems to gain separation against second and third-level defenders. He’s not a functional blocker at this point, so his usage is somewhat limited, but for Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins, he’d be a great match.
Vanderbilt TE Jared Pinkney: Raw prospects need to sell NFL teams on their starting potential in order to get opportunities, and that’s the kind of pressure that will be on Pinkney this week. Pinkney has excellent size and relative athleticism, consummated in a 6-foot-4, 260-pound frame and a near-80-inch wingspan. He also has plus blocking traits. That said, Pinkney wins primarily with his traits, and not with detail or refinement, which makes the prospect of drafting him both exciting and daunting. For a team with a known tight end developer, Pinkney is a worthwhile investment.
LSU TE Stephen Sullivan: Not a fan of picking a tight end early, with all the other needs on the board? LSU’s Stephen Sullivan might be more your speed. He has the Power 5 pedigree, and he was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, but his career didn’t live up to the hype. He switched from receiver to tight end and only saw modest production at his peak. He’s 6-foot-5, 245, with a massive 85-inch reach, so there’s definitely something there. But how far Sullivan can be developed remains to be seen.
Linebacker
No one really knows what’s going to happen at the linebacker position for the Redskins in 2020. Reuben Foster was once expected to be back after a season’s hiatus, but after recent news of his injury prognosis, his outlook is less clear. Fifth-round rookie Cole Holcomb displayed upside in 2019, as did Shaun Dion Hamilton, but it’s hard to project their development from this point, and a scheme change only complicates matters.
Linebacker is starting to become a legitimate need for the Redskins in the 2020 NFL Draft, and there’s no doubt that Ron Rivera, a former linebacker himself, will have an eye for potential gems to acquire. By extension, Washington should have a presence at the Senior Bowl, as the competition in Mobile is littered with potential diamonds in the rough at the linebacker position.
Senior Bowl Linebackers to Watch
North Team
Utah LB Francis Bernard: A true MIKE linebacker is likely to be on Rivera’s wish list in the 2020 NFL Draft, as is versatility at the linebacker position. Francis Bernard checks both boxes. He’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-0, 240, and he’s not in the upper tier of his position, athletically. But as Pro Football Network’s A.J. Schulte wrote earlier in the year, Bernard has elite instincts and awareness for an incoming prospect. Part of that can be attributed to his age, as he’ll be 25 in his rookie season. That will sap his draft stock a bit, but he can be a great value addition early on Day 3.
Wyoming LB Logan Wilson: Given the Redskins frequent struggles in coverage up the middle of the field, they should prioritize coverage skills in the NFL Draft’s linebacker prospects. Wyoming’s Logan Wilson is a good match in that sense. He has a good combination of size and speed at 6-foot-2, 241, and The Draft Network’s Jonah Tuls compared him to Blake Cashman, a 2019 Jets rookie who quickly took over a starting role and outperformed his draft status. Wilson has the same solid foundation, and that should be more than enough for him to garner interest in April.
South Team
Appalachian State LB Akeem Davis-Gaither: Davis-Gaither is another one of my personal favorites in this class. He’s not the biggest linebacker prospect, standing at around 6-foot-1, 220. But he has superb toughness, smarts, and coverage instincts, and more than enough fluidity and athleticism to go with it. Davis-Gaither’s complete profile will be coveted on draft day, which means he might not last past the second round. If the Redskins feel they want him, they’ll have to make a move. He’d be an instant starter in Washington, and a boon to an uncertain LB core.
Penn State LB Cameron Brown: Similarly to Davis-Gaither, Cameron Brown is a linebacker who excels in coverage. That’s where the similarities end, of course. Brown is 6-foot-5, 230, with a 79-inch reach, and while he offers exciting athleticism and upside, he needs to add strength to be a complete player, and it’s unclear if that would sap some of his mobility. That said, as it stands, Brown offers a nice combination of speed and length, a mix that equates to range at the next level, and he could be an effective coverage specialist.
Wide Receiver
The Redskins have a great foundation at wide receiver with Terry McLaurin and Steven Sims likely taking two starting spots in 2020. They also have good depth with young pass catchers like Kelvin Harmon and Trey Quinn.
That said, the upside of the latter group is limited, and the Redskins could also use a bigger-bodied receiver who can compliment the unique traits of McLaurin and Sims with his own. Luckily for Washington, depth and size are two areas in which the 2020 Senior Bowl wide receiver crop specializes in.
Senior Bowl Wide Receivers to Watch
North Team
Texas A&M WR Quartney Davis: The North Team is loaded with NFL-caliber prospects at wide receiver, so I figured I’d start with my favorite of the bunch: Quartney Davis. A few months ago, I mocked Davis to the Redskins in Round 5. Now, it seems like he’ll go earlier. Davis’ size measured out at around 6-foot-1, 199, at the Senior Bowl, slightly below what was expected. Despite this, Davis has very good length for his size, and he has the short-area explosiveness and foot quickness to be an elite route runner at the next level. His combination of athleticism and nuance gives him versatility, which would certainly be of value to a receiving core that’s still settling.
Baylor WR Denzel Mims: Favorite wide receiver, meet potential favorite wide receiver. Davis is the leader in the clubhouse for now, but Baylor’s Denzel Mims has the upside to surpass him in due time. Measuring in at around 6-foot-3, 209, Mims brings an outstanding mix of length and athleticism to the table. His 78 and 1/4-inch wingspan is the third-longest at the Senior Bowl, and he’s a better athlete than those above him. Mims’ blend of size and speed isn’t just the best at the Senior Bowl, but one of the best in the NFL Draft. He’d be a great get on Day 2.
Ohio State WR K.J. Hill: Terry McLaurin’s collegiate team mate doesn’t have the size that the receivers before him possess, but where K.J. Hill wins is with devastating lateral quickness and release timing. He doesn’t have dominant long speed for a player his size, and this somewhat impeded his production at Ohio State. But Hill can get separation, and that’s ultimately one of the most important things for a receiver prospect.
Notre Dame WR Chase Claypool: Speaking of wingspans, Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool took home the crown there with a whopping 80-inch berth. At 6-foot-4, 230, Claypool offers imposing size for a wide receiver, and he also brings some nuance and physicality to the table. Claypool’s athleticism will be put into question when juxtaposing it with NFL cornerbacks, but Claypool has good mobility nonetheless, and his size presents an automatic mismatch at the next level. He’s not D.K. Metcalf, but he’s impressive in his own right.
SMU WR James Proche: We’re past the North Team prospects worth a look before Round 5, but Mustangs wide receiver James Proche has some appeal later on. He doesn’t have the desired speed for a receiver that’s just 5-foot-10, 196, but Proche presents a high floor as a route runner and catch point specialist. He doesn’t have the athleticism to take on a premier role in the NFL, but his attention to detail and hand strength at the apex will grant him many opportunities.
Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-Golden: He’s not a burner, but Antonio Gandy-Golden wins with dominant focus and physicality at the catch point. It’s a dying niche in an NFL that prioritizes separation, and given Gandy-Golden’s middling athleticism and relative rawness, he’ll likely be a late-round pick in April, similar to Kelvin Harmon last year. That said, Gandy-Golden has one particularly intriguing trait to build off of, one which he consistently produced with at Liberty. That should be enough to grant him a chance in the NFL, but having a strong Senior Bowl showing would do wonders for him.
South Team
Texas WR Collin Johnson: If you value size on the outside and want to go to the extreme there, then Texas receiver Collin Johnson is a guy you’ll want to pay attention to. Johnson is easily the biggest receiver at the Senior Bowl, with a 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame, and a 78-inch wingspan. His size is an undoubtable plus, and he has good relative mobility, although he’ll need to hone his fundamentals to make up for the overall dynamism gap between him and NFL cornerbacks, and separate at the next level.
Tennessee WR Jauan Jennings: At 6-foot-3, 206, Tennessee’s Jauan Jennings is another receiver with good size, and he offers much more dynamic ability after the catch than other pass catchers. He’s not an overly explosive athlete, but he has the toughness and elusiveness to fight for extra yards, and enough freedom in his movement to compete with higher-quality athletes. In a deep class, he likely won’t go until Day 3, where his value is highest.
Defensive Back
Both cornerback and safety are needs for the Redskins, who might only return Quinton Dunbar and Landon Collins in their starting lineup. The Senior Bowl batch of defensive backs is a bit unproven, in terms of starting talent, but there is undeniable upside present. Here are some of the most exciting prospects.
Senior Bowl Defensive Backs to Watch
North Team
Notre Dame CB Troy Pride Jr: Troy Pride got off to a strong start at the Senior Bowl, standing out in an otherwise inconsistent cornerback group. He has the athletic traits to set a foundation for himself; he’s 5-foot-11, 193, with explosive speed and closing acceleration. Pride can stand to bulk up a bit more, and his lacking length prevents him from being physical at the line. But Pride’s mobility traits provide him with a high floor in coverage, and in the middle rounds, he’d present very good value.
Wake Forest CB Essang Bassey: The Redskins could use another cornerback who projects well in the slot, as their starting situation is up in the air at that position. Wake Forest’s Essang Bassey is a player who could fit into that hole nicely. Bassey is a bit undersized at around 5-foot-10, 191, but he has very good ball skills, evidenced by 45 pass deflections and five interceptions over four seasons. He too must bulk up to become a more complete player, but his ability to generate momentum-shifting plays is very enticing.
Nebraska CB Lamar Jackson: No, not that Lamar Jackson. This Lamar Jackson is a cornerback, although he is similar to the Ravens’ likely MVP candidate, in that he has all the necessary physical tools to succeed. The younger Jackson is 6-foot-2, 206, with an all-encompassing 78-inch wingspan, and he also offers great speed for his proportionate length. Jackson is raw, as a few rough reps early on in Senior Bowl practices have shown, but if he can be united with a coach who can develop his traits, he has legitimate starting upside on the boundary.
Southern Illinois S Jeremy Chinn: The Redskins have an outstanding need at free safety, assuming Ron Rivera decides not to give Montae Nicholson a second-second chance in 2020. Jeremy Chinn is an excellent fit at that position, as he has a rare 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame, and offers effective closing speed and range to go with it. Chinn’s ball production with the Salukis only accentuates his game-changing potential. If he can prove he belongs against FBS competition, look for him to get Day 2 consideration.
South Team
Oklahoma State CB A.J. Green: No, not that A.J. Green. This A.J. Green is a cover man, specifically designed to defeat his veteran mirror and arch-nemesis. Okay, the storyline isn’t that dramatic. But Green’s amalgamation of traits is. Green has very solid length at 6-foot-1, 190, and he offers tantalizing lateral burst and foot quickness. Green needs to work on being more consistent, but he has the physical traits to mold, and the moxie that all boundary cornerbacks need to stay on edge.
Pittsburgh CB Dane Jackson: Jackson was one of the unequivocal winners on Day 1 of Senior Bowl practice. He’s been a bit buried by the depth of the cornerback class thus far, but he has a promising profile which could provide good value in the middle of the draft. Jackson is 5-foot-11, 180, with decent length. Where he truly makes his money is with his athletic traits. Laterally, he’s very agile, with fluid hips and good balance, and his movement allows him to capitalize on passes with his excellent ball skills. If he can maintain his play through Senior Bowl week, he can be a quick riser.
Lenoir-Rhyne DB Kyle Dugger: Here’s another FCS prospect for you to know. Lenoir-Rhyne’s Kyle Dugger made enough waves in his Division II career to earn a Senior Bowl invitation. As P.J. Green wrote for Pro Football Network back in September, Dugger has the size and versatility to be a safety-linebacker hybrid, and with his upside, he’s sure to go early on Day 3, at the very least.
Offensive Line
Help wanted: Big guys who can block.
The following applications are under review.
Senior Bowl Offensive Linemen to Watch
North Team
Michigan OG Ben Bredeson: There are two things every NFL offensive lineman unequivocally needs to succeed: Strength, and severity. Linemen with the mauler trait have the capacity to withstand frequent chaos in the trenches, and Michigan’s Ben Bredeson has those qualities. He doesn’t fit the Redskins draft range, as he’s a likely second-round pick, but a reinforcing Senior Bowl showing could change things, and make him a potential trade-back candidate.
UConn OT Matt Peart: Talk about length. Matt Peart came in with the second-highest wingspan among all Senior Bowl offensive linemen, measuring in at just over 86 inches. Length is a valuable tool in the trenches, as it allows linemen to establish an anchor and keep a defensive lineman’s hands off them. Peart has that, and while he needs to work to add strength at the NFL level, he has a potentially dominant blend of length and functional athleticism, through development.
Houston OT Josh Jones: Much like Peart, Josh Jones is a prospect with impressive athletic ability as a lineman, but a need to fill out his frame. Jones isn’t nearly as long as Peart, and he’s only 311 pounds despite being 6-foot-5. But linemen have succeeded at Jones’ weight, and he has the mobility to maximize his traits. That said, Jones is incredibly raw, and he’ll need the right coach to unlock his potential. In a deep tackle class, he could be a value grab later on, but that selection also comes with added risks.
South Team
LSU OL Lloyd Cushenberry: Lloyd Cushenberry has quickly been catching on in draft circles. Those who kept themselves updated with Cushenberry weekly in the season were aware of his prowess, but with the added publicity of a National Championship and the Senior Bowl, Cushenberry’s stock is going through the roof. Cushenberry is an exciting developmental prospect on the interior, with outstanding athleticism, attitude, and a menacing 83-inch wingspan. He projects to go in the void between the Redskins first and third-round picks, but if they can find a way to get him, and if they end up needing a starter at guard, it would undoubtedly be worth it.
Saint John’s OG Ben Bartch: The Senior Bowl is a testing ground for FCS prospects who aim to prove that they can compete against a heightened level of competition. Ben Bartch has passed the test so far. Bartch has a very good combination of anchor and athletic mobility, and he compounds it with a chip on his shoulder that only a Division III prospect can have. If Cushenberry is too expensive for the Redskins, Bartch is a guard with starting upside who’d be a bit more affordable.
South Carolina State OT Alex Taylor: Wondering who Matt Peart lost out against in the length competition? It’s this guy. Alex Taylor. Taylor clocked an absolutely insane 88-inch wingspan during measurements. He needs a ton of seasoning still, and he might be too big of a project for some NFL teams to take on. But with the way he moves, compared to his length, he has great upside as a blindside blocker, and if he can show marketable improvement over the course of Senior Bowl week, he can make teams more bullish on his upside.