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Washington Football Team: Kyle Smith needs a promotion to GM

By Jacob Troutman

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith of the Washington Football Team speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) *** Local Capture *** Kyle Smith
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith of the Washington Football Team speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) *** Local Capture *** Kyle Smith /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 26: Montez Sweat #90 of the Washington Football Team celebrates an interception for a touchdown along with Chase Young #99 during the fourth quarter of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 26, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 26: Montez Sweat #90 of the Washington Football Team celebrates an interception for a touchdown along with Chase Young #99 during the fourth quarter of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 26, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

The Drafts

Kyle Smith assumed the role of Director of College Personnel in June of 2017. Which means he has had a key hand in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 NFL Drafts. Lets take a look back.

In 2018, the Washington Football Team selected Daron Payne with the 13th pick in the draft. Later, with the 163rd pick, they selected Tim Settle. Those are two key pieces on a really good and growing defensive line. Cam Sims, who has showed promised this year, was also an undrafted free agent that year.

There were his misses in that draft, Derrius Guice was a swing and miss, Geron Christian is still a work in progress, Troy Apke is probably just a special teams ace and the rest of the picks are forgetful.

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However, given it was his first draft, it was a solid first installment.

With that said, the 2019 draft was where the tide turned for the method to Washington Football Team’s team building. There was the well-documented swing-and-miss on QB Dwayne Haskins but just a few picks later, the Washington Football Team traded up to select DE Montez Sweat. And as a side note, we all know who really picked Haskins, anyways Happy Thanksgiving everybody (hint, hint).

It doesn’t stop there with that draft, superstar WR Terry McLaurin was selected in Round 3, they selected a quality LB Cole Holcomb in Round 5, a solid possession WR Kelvin Harmon in Round 6 and a budding nickel CB Jimmy Moreland in Round 7. Steven Sims Jr was picked up as a UDFA as well.

The jury is still out on RB Bryce Love and LG Wes Martin, and Ross Pierschbacher has been a forgettable pick, however, the draft featured top-end talent combined with late-round finds that build the core of your team.

The 2019 NFL Draft for the Washington Football Team was a very impressive draft and Kyle Smith was right at the center of it.

In the most recent draft, Smith had just been promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel, and it is without question his fingerprints were all over this draft. Let’s recap, for those of you who do not remember.

To start, he and Rivera were given a layup. Some will say it should have been Justin Herbert but Chase Young was and still is the right pick. OK, you have another sure-fire franchise cornerstone. That is good enough, right? Wrong.

On their next pick, they selected Antonio Gibson. Yeah, the same guy who just scored three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys, that guy. Injuries took away the rookie seasons of fourth-round selections LT Saahdiq Charles and WR Antonio Gandy-Golden but the coaching staff is very high on both.

Center Keith Ismael has served as good depth, while LB Khaleke Hudson has been great on special teams, making the tackle on the Cowboys fake punt. The steal of their draft seems to be seventh-round pick Kamren Curl, who has stepped up in a big way with the injury to Landon Collins.

Then they finished off the draft with a pick on former North Carolina State standout DE James Smith-Williams, who has been good on special teams. The 2020 draft class features again top-end talent, combined with late-round finds and pieces of depth. Again building the foundation. And just like the previous two drafts, they found a quality receiver in free agency in Isaiah Wright.

What is even more impressive about the 2020 draft class for the Washington Football Team? In a shortened offseason due to the pandemic, every single player made the final 53-man roster. Every single one.

There have been some misses in Smith’s drafts sure. But almost no draft is perfect. And the hits are starting to become more like home runs and not singles. And, the team is finding more late round guys to help shape their roster.

Kyle Smith has proven to be a quality evaluator of College talent. Especially, in the 2019 and 2020 drafts, the tide has definitely turned. And both were done without second-round picks, an impressive feat!

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