Redskins prioritizing versatility in the 2020 NFL Draft

Through five rounds of the 2020 NFL draft, the Redskins selected one player whose position is secure.

Chase Young will play defensive end and should be starting day one. The other five Washington Redskins draft picks may all be contributing in positions at which they are not currently listed.

Third-round pick Antonio Gibson was listed as a running back on the draft board, but played both running back and wide receiver at Memphis. He will almost certainly log more snaps as a wideout for the Redskins.

Saahdiq Charles will be given every opportunity to win the left tackle postion, and there is some reason to believe he may be able to be effective there. But the last time the Redskins took a college tackle with less than ideal arm length and tried him out briefly at tackle, they ended up moving him to guard, and Brandon Scherff has done well for himself on the inside. Charles may be playing left guard before the end of 2020.

Late in the fourth, the Redskins took Antonio Gandy-Golden, who played wide receiver at Liberty. Gandy-Golden is very big — 6’4″, 223 — and has truly excellent hands. But he is also slow and not a fluid runner. He may win contested balls but will have a very hard time getting separation from NFL corners. The Redskins had some marginal success converting a similar athlete – Niles Paul – to tight end.

Paul was a wide receiver coming out of college. He was not quite as big as Gandy-Golden, but a bit faster. Gandy-Golden shows better ball skills. Paul developed into a serviceable tight end and a special teams standout. Since the Redskins have passed on several highly-rated tight ends in this draft, I would not be surprised to see them experiment with Gandy-Golden lining up inside. The key will be whether he can maintain his modest speed if he puts on twenty pounds. A 4.6 forty time for a wideout is a problem. For a tight end, we’re talking Travis Kelce speed. That’ll work.

More interior line help came in Round 5 from San Diego State center Keith Ismael. To say that he may end up playing a fair amount of guard for the Redskins is not much of a stretch. Centers typically are able to fill in at guard.

Michigan’s Khaleke Hudson played at numerous positions in college. But at 5’11”, 224, it’s hard to see him being anything more than a specialty player as an NFL linebacker. But he has great speed — faster in the 40 than new teammate Gandy-Golden. You know where his measurables put him? Physically, he is very similar to Jamal Adams. It would be a stretch to assume Hudson can play like a consistent Pro Bowler, but don’t be surprised to see Hudson play a hybrid safety/linebacker position in the pros.

That’s the nature of the game today. Bill Belichick showed everyone. Versatility rocks. And the Redskins seem to be looking for players who can play multiple positions.