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FanSided

Re-grading the Washington Football Team’s 2018 NFL Draft performance

By Ken Johannesen

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 06: Daron Payne #94 of the Washington Redskins walks off the field after the game against the New England Patriots at FedExField on October 6, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 06: Daron Payne #94 of the Washington Redskins walks off the field after the game against the New England Patriots at FedExField on October 6, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 06: Daron Payne #94 of the Washington Football Team walks off the field after the game against the New England Patriots at FedExField on October 6, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 06: Daron Payne #94 of the Washington Football Team walks off the field after the game against the New England Patriots at FedExField on October 6, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Round 1

In the first two rounds of the 2017 draft, Washington selected two defensive players from the Alabama Crimson Tide. The “tradition” continued when the front office picked Alabama’s massive defensive tackle, Daron Payne, in 2018. The stout defender was considered to be a top ten prospect by some scouts, but no lower than a top twenty pick.

In his first two seasons, Payne has been a force and will often take on two or more offensive linemen — typically with a great deal of success.  He has batted down five passes, recovered a fumble, produced 7.0 sacks, recorded nine tackles for a loss, generated 112 combined tackles, and posted a dozen quarterback hits. In other words, Payne brings the pain.

Tapping into the Alabama defense has certainly brought forth many jokes in recent years, but the results are solid and this draft pick in Round 1 was superb.

Grade: A

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