Grading the Washington Redskins picks from the 2020 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 2: RB/WR Antonio Gibson, Memphis
This was certainly an interesting pick. It’s one that makes sense, but in the third round, it was anticipated that the Redskins would target some offensive line help, a tight end, or maybe one of the top receivers.
Instead, they went with Antonio Gibson. It wasn’t a poor pick by any means. But it will certainly be intriguing to see how they use the versatile player from Memphis.
Like a few players that have come out of Memphis in recent seasons, there has been a debate about whether or not Gibson is a running back or a receiver. He’s 6-0, 228 pounds, so he could play either position at the next level. And it sounds like Ron Rivera and Co. think that he could play the Christian McCaffrey-type role in Scott Turner‘s offense.
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Gibson isn’t likely to be as good as McCaffrey, the former top-10 pick who is currently the NFL’s best running back. But if he can add that versatility and playmaking speed to the Redskins offense, that would be a win.
During his collegiate career, Gibson only had 77 offensive touches. Of those 77 touches, 14 of them turned into scores. That’s pretty impressive. And while he was a bit of a one-year wonder, it just speaks to his 4.39 speed and the fact that any time he touches the ball, he will be able to take it the distance.
Having Gibson along with Terry McLaurin and Steven Sims will give the Redskins offense some serious weapons. And the versatility of Gibson and Sims will certainly confused opposing defensive coordinators, especially if one of them comes across the formation pre-play or on a jet sweep. Turner will have fun getting creative and using these players to make life easier for Dwayne Haskins.
That said, this was still a bit early for Gibson, so I’m going to dock the team a bit for that. Overall, this is an average selection that could end up being a boom or bust pick. But giving Rivera’s past track record of developing hybrid running backs and receivers into quality playmakers, I like the team’s chances.