Five prospects the Washington Football Team should draft after Senior Bowl
4. DL Elerson Smith, Northern Iowa
Look, the Washington Football Team doesn’t necessarily need help on the defensive line, but building depth even in areas of strength is never a bad thing.
Plus, the team is likely to let Ryan Kerrigan and Ryan Anderson walk this offseason, so the depth positions beyond Montez Sweat and Chase Young on the edge are up for grabs.
Elerson Smith had a phenomenal showing in the Senior Bowl. The Northern Iowa product didn’t get to play during his senior season after the Missouri Valley Conference canceled its season, but his freshness showed in this game.
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Smith was able to get into the backfield on numerous occasions. It started early when he got a hit in on Kellen Mond. From there, he never slowed down and showed good motor and athleticism on the edge. Smith has a huge 6-foot-7, 245-pound frame, and he used that length to get into the backfield countless times.
Washington could certainly tap into Smith’s athletic ability and develop him behind Young and Sweat. At the very least, grabbing him on Day 3 to challenge James Smith-Williams for the top backup role behind the duo would be sensible.
Of course, drafting a player on the defensive line is predicated on the team filling their other needs in free agency and earlier in the draft, but no matter what happens, Smith should be on Washington’s radar. He played well enough in this game to heat up his draft stock a bit.