Top 10 offensive tackles Washington Football Team could add in 2021 NFL Draft
9. Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State
Another FCS tackle the Washington Football Team could consider is Dillon Radunz. During the draft process, Radunz’s stock has been on the rise and he can largely thank a terrific showing at the Senior Bowl for that.
In Mobile, Alabama, Radunz was a force to be reckoned with in practice. During the event, Radunz was tough to get past. He showed good footwork and movement skills to stay in front of the player that he was trying to block. He also showed good functional strength in one-on-ones and rarely let anyone get past him.
That combination is part of what earned Radunz the Senior Bowl’s Practice Player of the Week award. In 2020, the recipient of that award was quarterback Justin Herbert. He went on to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Radunz will necessarily do as well as Herbert out of the gate, but it did demonstrate that he has top-notch skills and practice habits. That should help him make the jump from the FCS to the NFL, as difficult as that may be.
It’s worth noting that Radunz’s performance in Mobile lined up largely with what he showed on tape at North Dakota. He’s rock-solid, steady, and finds ways to win by using good technique and staying square to the player that he’s blocking.
If Radunz had played at a bigger school, he may have had a chance to be higher on these rankings. Unfortunately, the postponement of the FCS season didn’t give him a chance to showcase improvements in 2020. His Senior Bowl performance did give him a nice stock up, though, and it seems likely that he’ll come off the board in the second round at the latest.
Radunz could end up being a solid value at the 51st pick if he’s available for the Washington Football Team. He could either learn for a year behind Lucas and Moses or replace Lucas as a starter if he’s ready to do so in ’21.
Either way, Washington would be getting a hard worker to create some competition. That’s something that Ron Rivera loves.