Evaluating the Redskins draft picks: Offensive tackle Saahdiq Charles

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BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 13: Saahdiq Charles #77 of the LSU Tigers guards during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

What Saahdiq Charles does well

When watching Charles play at LSU, there certainly is a lot to like. And if it wasn’t for a couple of issues (more on those later), he probably would’ve been a Day 2 pick and could’ve even gone in the second round.

The first thing about Charles that’s noticeable is his athletic ability. The tackle is quick on his feet and moves very well considering his frame. He stays with quicker edge rushers well on the outside and has a knack for getting out of his stance quickly and mirroring his opposition.

Second, Charles’ technique is rock-solid. He’s not always perfect with his hands, but he reacts very well to pass rushers coming his way. Because of his agility, he’s able to mostly stay square while blocking which leads to him effectively stalemating opponents. He may not run them over every time, but he demonstrated the athleticism needed to stay with some of the SEC’s best pass rushers during his college days.

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This technique also gives Charles the opportunity to square up against some of the more powerful rushers he faced. He didn’t always find success against these players, but his excellent technique at least gave him a chance to do so. And that piece of the puzzle can’t be overstated.

Charles plays loose. He’s flexible. He’s agile. He knows how he’s best suited to win at the point of attack. Considering that he’s just 20 and has only four years of experience playing on the offensive line, he should only continue to get better at the next level.

And in the unlikely event that Charles doesn’t pan out at tackle in the NFL, he has the athletic ability and blocking skills needed to be an excellent guard. While the Redskins will certainly be hoping he can find a home at left tackle, they will have options if things don’t work out well or if they end up with a top-five pick next season and Penei Sewell is the best player on the board. That’s looking way ahead into the future, but there are options with Charles, which will be important.

So, on tape, Charles shows a lot of good that make him a solid choice with the 108th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. But why was he available that late? There are good answers to that question as well.

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