The 2021 NFL Draft is now in the books, and the Washington Football Team has added 10 new players to the fold.
Originally, the team was slated to make just eight picks during the draft, but evidently, they liked what they saw on the board late in the draft, as they traded a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for two additional selections.
With 10 rookies joining the fold, there will be one question dogging the minds of Washington Football Team fans this week.
How did the Washington Football Team do in the 2021 NFL Draft?
The answer to this question isn’t necessarily one that we’ll know right away. However, based on the values of each of their picks and the perceptions surrounding each player ahead of the draft, judging which picks look good and which ones look like reaches at this time is possible.
Of course, we won’t know until we see these guys on the field what their true ceilings are. Remember, few were high on Kamren Curl last year, and he was Washington’s second-best rookie behind Chase Young last year.
So, without further ado, here’s a look at the grades for Washington’s 2021 draft with the event officially over.
Washington Football Team grades for Day 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 19: LB Jamin Davis, Kentucky
When Christian Darrisaw was still on the board with the 19th overall selection, many assumed that Washington would pick the Virginia Tech offensive tackle there. However, they opted to go with Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis instead in a move that will bolster the defense.
Davis is athletic, has a 6-foot-4 frame, and put together a terrific final season at Kentucky. He was a big-time riser during the draft process and the fact that Ron Rivera, a former linebacker, signed off on him tells you everything you need to know about his upside.
Davis was considered to be a potential top-25 pick, so he fit the range for Washington. Considering how well he fits in on defense and that he fills a big need, he should be a solid pick for the team.
Grade: B+
Obviously, Davis’ grade will match the Washington Football Team’s grade for Day 1 considering that they didn’t make any draft-day maneuvers to acquire a second pick.
Washington Football Team Day 1 draft grade: B+
Washington Football Team grades for Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft
Round 2, Pick 51: OT Samuel Cosmi, Texas
This was a really nice value for Washington. Cosmi could have been an early Day 2 pick, and there was a chance for him to go late in the first round if a team fell in love with his athletic skill set. Instead, he lasted until the 51st pick.
Cosmi has a big 6-foot-5 frame and flashed upper-echelon talent and athleticism at Texas. He is a bit raw and inconsistent, but since Washington doesn’t need a starter right away, they can afford to have him compete as a swing tackle and eventually battle to replace one of their free-agents-to-be, Cornelius Lucas or Morgan Moses.
Cosmi was a great value, and if John Matsko can get the most out of him, he could be a steal. There’s a lot to like about this pick.
Grade: A
Round 3, Pick 74: DB Benjamin St-Juste, Minnesota
There’s a lot of upside with St-Juste. He has a 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame and he is very versatile. The team listed him as a defensive back when he was drafted, and while he has the size needed to be a big, physical corner, he could cross-train at safety, which is something that he did a little bit of at the Senior Bowl.
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For now, St-Juste will compete for a the third cornerback job with Jimmy Moreland. If he can’t win that, he may serve as a super-sub in the secondary and will replace the departed Fabian Moreau as the team’s top backup at the cornerback position.
Though St-Juste has a big frame and solid athletic ability, he was a bit of a reach as he only played 18 college games while battling some injury issues early in his career. Many anticipated that he would be a Day 3 pick, but Ron Rivera mentioned that a team wanted to trade up for St-Juste, so we won’t fault him too much for pulling the trigger a bit early.
Grade: C
Round 3, Pick 82: WR Dyami Brown, North Carolina
Brown seems like a great fit with this Washington offense. He’s fast and profiles as a true downfield threat. In each of the last two seasons, he has surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark and averaged more than 20 yards per catch.
Brown still needs to work on his route running a bit, but Washington needed another downfield threat at receiver. Brown will provide that and fits the style of offense that Ryan Fitzpatrick likes to run. If Fitzpatrick develops chemistry with him, Brown could become a productive receiver sooner than his draft slot indicates.
And of late, the WFT’s third-round picks on offense have been great. Perhaps Brown will continue that trend.
Grade: A-
Washington landed two players a bit later than they were expected to go and took one player a bit earlier than many anticipated. All of the players they selected had upside and filled needs, so that’s a nice bonus for them.
The middling St-Juste grade will drag this down a little bit, but largely, there’s reason to be excited about Washington’s Day 2 haul.
Washington Football Team Day 2 draft grade: B+
Washington Football Team grades for Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 124: TE John Bates, Boise State
This is probably one of the more interesting picks of the draft for Washington. Bates wasn’t a big name, and he was expected to be a mid-to-late Day 3 prospect. So, the pick was a bit of a reach on paper.
That said, Bates has solid hands and is a good blocker. He’s not an explosive game-breaking threat, but he can play a role as a No. 2 tight end for Washington. The only question is about what his upside is overall.
Maybe tight end coach Pete Hoener will be able to turn Bates into a surprising weapon. After all, he did that with Logan Thomas last year. Still, this pick was probably the biggest reach they had in the draft, so it will be downgraded.
That’s not to say it won’t pan out. However, if Brevin Jordan or Zach Davidson become better multi-faceted threats than Bates, there will be questions about this pick down the line.
Grade: D+
Round 5, Pick 163: S Darrick Forrest, Cincinnati
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Forrest is the exact type of prospect that Ron Rivera will love. He’s experienced and played in 39 games during his Cincinnati career. He was a key special teams player and earned a captain role at Cincy.
Forrest also was productive and had 146 tackles with five interceptions in his final 23 college games over the span of two years. He is a high-floor player who will be a quality ackup and special teams player at the very least.
Is there anything not to like with Forrest? Well, he fits the strong safety mold more than the free safety mold. He admitted as much. With Kam Curl and Landon Collins already on the roster, it’s worth wondering how Forrest fits in, but he should make the team as a depth piece.
Grade: B-
Round 6, Pick 225: LS Cameron Cheeseman, Michigan
The best long-snapper in the draft, Thomas Fletcher, came off the board just a few picks before this. That’s why Washington went out and drafted Cheeseman. They also needed a long snapper after letting Nick Sundberg walk.
There’s nothing exciting about drafting a snapper, but Cheeseman is 6-foot-4, has played in 39 games, and has one of the better names in the draft. That’s a solid combo altogether. Maybe they could’ve waited until Round 7 for a long snapper, but there were only 34 picks left in the draft at this point.
We won’t penalize them too much for the choice, but we won’t give it anything more than a C-level grade since the upside is low to non-existent.
Grade: C+
The first half of Day 3 was probably the weakest part of the Washington draft, but they made up for it in its other phases.
Washington Football Team Day 3, Part 1 draft grade: C
Washington Football Team grades for Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft (cont.)
Round 7, Pick 240: EDGE William Bradley-King, Baylor
Washington did a great job of adding depth and competition with their three seventh-round picks. Bradley-King was a productive edge rusher at Arkansas State and had 3.5 sacks during his transfer season at Baylor before getting drafted.
Bradley-King has a solid 6-foot-4, 248-pound frame and should battle for a backup role behind Montez Sweat and Chase Young. This was an underrated need for Washington, so grabbing someone to address it was a sensible move.
Grade: A-
Round 7, Pick 246: EDGE Shaka Toney, Penn State
Doubling up on the edge wasn’t something that many expected Washington to do, but Shaka Toney was still on the board. He was a productive pass rusher at Penn State and logged 20 career sacks with at least five in each of the last three seasons.
Toney will add some nice athleticism to the edge, so he could find a role to play in Washington. Between him, Bradley-King, James Smith-Williams, and Casey Toohill, the team’s competition for the backup spots behind Sweat and Young are strong.
Grade: A
Round 7, Pick 258: WR Dax Milne, BYU
The competition at receiver will be strong as well. Milne was a standout at BYU last year and was the preferred target of Zach Wilson. He’s not overly athletic and doesn’t have any eye-popping traits, but he found ways to get open and catch the ball.
Milne is an ideal add with the penultimate pick of the draft, as he could fight for the fifth or sixth spot on the receiver depth chart or stick around for a year on the practice squad. Washington landed a player that can compete for a role, and while nothing is guaranteed for him, the value was certainly there with him.
Grade: A-
Washington hit a home run with Kam Curl in Round 7 last year. At least one of these guys could do the same thing, so kudos to them for adding more talent to the team at bargain-barrel pricing.
Washington Football Team Day 3, Part 2 draft grade: A
Washington Football Team overall grade
For all of the hushed murmurs of Ron Rivera gaining too much power or of Marty Hurney being a poor hire, the two, plus Martin Mayhew, appear to have done a very good job of leading Washington through this draft class.
Washington addressed its biggest needs with its picks. They added a linebacker, offensive tackle, and a receiver to check three of the five biggest boxes. While their pick at safety, Forrest, may not be the perfect fit for the team at free safety, he still was a solid pickup and the squad should be well-positioned to have their rookie emerge as contributors.
Some will question the decision not to select a quarterback, and that is fair. That said, if they didn’t want to trade up for Justin Fields or Mac Jones, there was no reason to select another QB. They have a couple of young quarterbacks developing behind Ryan Fitzpatrick in Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke. Maybe one works out, maybe they don’t.
Either way though, the team has options at quarterback this year, and while a young, exciting quarterback would be nice to have, this team is still rebuilding. They can take their time finding the right option, as they were already ahead of schedule from where they were last year.
There were some minor bumps in the early stages of Day 3, but the depth that Washington added should create competition that will only benefit the team. They added versatility and athleticism to their roster as well. This should all pan out.
This was a very good building draft for Washington on paper. We’ll see how it pans out on the field, but for now, we’ll give them a high mark for their efforts in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Washington Football Team 2021 NFL Draft Grade: B+
Agree or disagree with our grade? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.