Washington Football Team: Way-too-early 7-round 2022 mock draft
By Ian Cummings
Round 4, Pick 111 – Washington OL Jaxson Kirkland
One of the biggest impending free agent conundrums for the Washington Football Team is Brandon Scherff. In a somewhat perplexing move, Washington assigned the franchise tag to Scherff. Now, they risk losing him after just one year if they can’t come to an agreement on an extension — an extension that would likely pay him top dollar well into his 30s.
If you want my take, here it is. As good as Scherff is — and he is very good — it might have been more cost-effective for the Washington Football Team to spend that franchise tag money elsewhere, if they’re not able to re-sign Scherff to a long-term deal. And when you can get a cheap mauler like Jaxson Kirkland in the 2022 NFL Draft, that point holds strong.
Kirkland is an exciting prospect, especially for the Washington Football Team, who craves versatility with it offensive linemen. Kirkland has 25 games of starting experience at right guard, and four games of starting experience at left tackle from the truncated 2020 season. At left tackle, Kirkland earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors, proving his mettle at multiple spots.
Standing at around 6’6″, 311 pounds, Kirkland has an interesting body type. He doesn’t have elite athleticism or proportional length, but he’s fairly serviceable in both areas. And his mauler mentality shines through on plenty of reps. With his solid physical baseline and intense urgency as a blocker, Kirkland could potentially bridge the gap at guard if Scherff ends up leaving.