Washington Football Team: Post-free agency seven-round mock draft

Round 1 – Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle

Usually, Jaylen Waddle doesn’t make it to the Washington Football Team’s first-round pick. This time, however, he did. This pick adequately serves the purpose of emphasizing that wide receiver is still a need, even with Curtis Samuel signed.

With Samuel, the Washington Football Team has a versatile, dynamic player who they can move around from the slot. But they don’t have a third receiver to compliment the Ohio State duo. On size alone, you might think Waddle would be relegated to the slot as well. However, Waddle has a fairly universal skill set. He’s not just the speed receiver that many write him off as.

On top of his speed, Waddle also has impressive suddenness with his routes, as well as otherworldly explosiveness into open space. His separation ability dictates that he doesn’t often find himself in contested situations, but when he does, he has the vertical bounce and hand strength to come up big in those scenarios.

Personally, I have Waddle as my WR1 and a top-five prospect in this class.

With Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Jaylen Waddle, Washington’s offense would have three primary receivers with sub-4.4 speed. And all three receivers have positive receiving traits beyond their pure speed. You want an offense that’s unpredictable and dynamic? This is a great start.