Grading the Washington Redskins picks from the 2020 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 2: OT Saahdiq Charles, LSU
Just minutes after trading Trent Williams to the San Francisco 49ers, the team selected a player that could be his successor, Saahdiq Charles.
The Redskins are taking a chance here on a player who is very, very talented but comes with some off the field concerns. He played very well when on the field last year at LSU, but he missed six games as a result of disciplinary issues, something that was a frequent problem for him with the Tigers.
That said, the ‘Skins seem to believe in Charles. And after being drafted by the Redskins, Charles seemed very appreciative of that, as detailed by ESPN’s John Keim.
Saahdiq Charles: "I wasn't sure where I would go, but I ended up in the right spot. They believe in me. For that I'll give the Redskins' organization everything I've got."
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 25, 2020
So, that’s already a positive. He’s willing to work to prove the team right. And when looking at what Charles was able to accomplish on tape, it’s easy to see why the Redskins like him so much.
Charles is a natural mover at tackle. He’s athletic, he plays with good technique, and has the requisite size (6-4, 322, 33-inch arms) needed to be a quality player on the outside at the next level. He’s going to need to get stronger at the next level. He did have some issues getting pushed back by bigger more physical defensive ends. But even in some of those situations, he did enough to slow his roll backward thanks to his good technique and always tried to fight to stalemate as hard as he could.
The off-field concerns are obviously something to watch. But given that Charles would’ve probably been a Day 2 pick in this draft and maybe even a top-50 player had he not had any issues, this seems like a solid gamble for the team. Charles could be a starter early in his career and even if he’s just a swing tackle as he builds up strength in 2020, that’ll be fine too.