Washington Football Team 7-round mock, trading up to the seventh pick
By Ian Cummings
Round 2, Pick 51 – UCF FS Richie Grant
This is why keeping that second-round pick in the trade-up with the Lions was so important.
The Washington Football Team’s defense is almost there. We saw the flashes of dominance in 2020. Chase Young was the piece that completed the front four, and behind that defensive line, a top-five statistical unit flourished. Even so, there are still a few corners to round off. Washington needs to solidify its linebacker group. They could use more security at cornerback.
Most of all, however, they need a true free safety. Few 2021 draft prospects fill that role better than Richie Grant.
Grant will be 24 years old by the end of his rookie year, but he comes as an immediate, high-upside fix at the free safety position. Standing at around 6-foot-0, 200 pounds, Grant has the size, explosiveness, instincts, and fluidity to be a versatile, rangy threat on the back end. He possesses the ball skills and closing speed necessary to be disruptive at the catch point, and he can also deal devastating hits with his physicality in the box.
Grant was one of the best players at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, routinely standing out with his superior athletic and mental traits. Once an early Day 3 sleeper, his floor is now firmly set in the second round. If he makes it to Washington’s pick at No. 51 overall, he’ll be hard to pass up as one of the final pieces to a truly elite defense.