Redskins select Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-Golden in Round 4

With their fourth-round compensatory selection, the Washington Redskins have selected Liberty wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden.

The Washington Redskins selected Memphis gadget player Antonio Gibson in Round 3 on Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft, but that selection alone wasn’t going to solve their need for offensive weapons. The Redskins still needed options at wide receiver and tight end, and now, with their second fourth-round pick, they’ve addressed that.

With the No. 142 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Redskins selected Liberty wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden. Gandy-Golden will join a crowded receiver room that already houses players like Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims, the aforementioned Gibson, and 2019 sixth-round pick Kelvin Harmon.

Gandy-Golden most resembles Harmon, out of the previous group; he’s not a burner, with just 4.6 speed on record. But at 6-foot-4, 223, he’s a very well-built target, and he has some explosiveness vertically, with a 36-inch vertical logged at the NFL Combine.

Gandy-Golden is a physical player who thrives in contested situations, and he also has some twitch to his game as a route runner. His contested catch prowess was his most advertised trait, however, as he produced at a high-clip with the Flames. His production didn’t miss a beat when Liberty switched to FBS football; in 2018, Gandy-Golden logged 1,037 yards and ten scores on 71 catches. In 2019, Gandy-Golden amassed 1,396 yards and ten more scores on 79 receptions.

It’s unclear if the Redskins could’ve made a better selection at wide receiver; Donovan Peoples-Jones would’ve provided far more athletic upside, but Gandy-Golden checks the production box and has a higher floor to this point. He doesn’t have the versatility that was coveted in Antonio Gibson, but he could function as an X-receiver in a similar mold to former Panther and Ron Rivera draft pick Devin Funchess.

It’s also worth noting that Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall was on the board here, and he would have perhaps filled a greater need for the Redskins. But Washington still has four more picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, with two in Round 5 and two more in Round 7. They’ll have chances to add more talent, and for the time being, they haven’t yet made an egregious value move.