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Top dark-horse receivers that could make the Redskins roster

By Jacob Camenker

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Isaiah Wright #2 of the Temple Owls runs onto the field prior to the game against the Tulane Green Wave at Lincoln Financial Field on November 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Isaiah Wright #2 of the Temple Owls runs onto the field prior to the game against the Tulane Green Wave at Lincoln Financial Field on November 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 16: Isaiah Wright #2 of the Temple Owls runs onto the field prior to the game against the Tulane Green Wave at Lincoln Financial Field on November 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 16: Isaiah Wright #2 of the Temple Owls runs onto the field prior to the game against the Tulane Green Wave at Lincoln Financial Field on November 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Isaiah Wright

It’s important to pay particular attention to the 2020 undrafted free agents the Redskins added at the receiver position. The reasons for this are simple. First of all, the 2020 NFL Draft was considered to be deep at the receiver position. So, some players that typically would’ve been Day 3 picks fell to the ranks of the undrafted.

Secondly, the Redskins brought in only a handful of undrafted free agents this season. They signed just four, and all of them came on the offensive side of the ball. That was a smart move by the team, but it also demonstrates that they picked and chose their targets very carefully.

Isaiah Wright was one of them. The Temple receiver was one of the first players the ‘Skins targeted and they were able to land him. And he’ll have a chance to emerge as a roster dark-horse this summer.

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At Temple, Wright put up solid numbers. His best season came in 2017 when he notched 46 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns through the air and added 188 rushing yards and a score on the ground. In each of his final three seasons at Temple, he caught at least 33 passes and totaled 12 receiving touchdowns and demonstrated that he could be a capable and versatile playmaker on offense.

The versatility is Wright’s biggest strength. Early in his career at Temple, Wright worked as a running back more than a receiver out of necessity. He found success in that role and averaged 6.3 yards per carry on 67 carries as a freshman and a sophomore. After that, he played more as a receiver, but he can still handle the ball out of the backfield.

As a pass-catcher, Wright was solid. He has good athletic ability, a nice 6-2, 220-pound frame, and he is very good at gaining separation and running routes. He’ll need to improve his hands at the next level, as he had too many drops at Temple, but that can be coached up. Wright was one of the biggest NFL Combine snubs and if he had a chance to run there, he may have worked his way into the later rounds of the draft.

We saw Ron Rivera and Scott Turner place an emphasis on versatile offensive weapons when they drafted Antonio Gibson in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. If Wright can prove to be another hybrid-type player who can also make an impact on special teams, he should easily find a way to stick around in Washington. With Hall out of the picture, he well may be the top-ranked sleeper at the receiver position right now.

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