Washington Redskins: Evaluating the Wide Receivers

In other non-Robert Griffin III’s knee news, it is officially the off-season for the Washington Redskins. In the next week(s) we’ll go position-by-position, evaluating each player’s 2012 season, projecting their future and concluding if the position is an area of need. In film study, we’re able to go back and pinpoint the “weak-links” and players that have potential to improve in the future.

Here’s the the league’s upcoming important dates (for non-post season teams) in the moth of January:

January 15	–	Deadline for underclassmen to petition for special eligibility for the 2013 NFL Draft.

January 19	–	East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida.

January 24-25	–	Regional Combine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii

January 26	–	Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.

Evaluations post-film study (ordered by talent level):

Pierre Garçon H/W (6-0, 212) D.O.B (8/8/86): Garcon missed some time during the regular season due to a toe injury. However, he still managed to snag 44 catches for 633 yards and 4 touchdowns. He averaged 14.4 yards, which led the position of receivers with 15 or more catches. Garcon proved his worth as a legit #1 receiver with his precise routes, ability to haul in tough catches and his break away speed. Garcon’s speed is a rarity. It’s easy to find straight liners, but Garcon has both lateral and vertical speed. Not to mention, his burst and patience during route running is second to none. Garcon’s on-field aggression and passion is a tremendous asset. And his ability to block down the field helped produce statistically, the 2nd best running back in the NFL. Grade: A | Upgrade needed? No

Joshua Morgan H/W (6-1, 220) D.O.B (6/20/85): Morgan led the Washington Redskins’ receiving core with 48 receptions in 2012. He’s been labeled as a possession receiver and lived up to the bill in that regard. Morgan is a physical football player who enjoys doing a lot of the “dirty work” underneath and blocking in the run game. Coach Mike Shanahan has raved about Morgan’s potential saying “he has incredible upside.” Towards the end of the season, Morgan developed more burst. However, on film, there were a few times each game that Morgan struggled to separate from defensive backs. In addition to dropping a few balls in key situations. In all, Morgan is a talented receiver that has a future with the football team. But he still has work to do in order to prove he’s a legit #2 receiver. Grade: B | Upgrade needed? Maybe but not an off-season priority

Santana Moss H/W (5-10 189) D.O.B (6/1/79): Moss made it a point to lose weight in the off-season, displaying the Moss of old in mini camp. Washington intended to bring in a upgrade in the off-season, but Moss proved that he could still play at a high level. In limited action lining up in the slot position, Moss had 41 receptions for 573 yards – leading the group with 8 touchdowns. Moss averaged 14 yards a catch. He’ll be 34 years old when the 2013 season starts, but Moss is still capable of making plays. However, his snaps will continue to be limited, as it helped him stay fresh in 2012. Moss came up clutch often this season, but he also fumbled the ball in a few key situations as well. Moss is the elder of the group and his knowledge, without a doubt, has had an impact on the younger players. This is a spot the Redskins should seek to upgrade. He’s the only pure slot receiver on the football team. Washington needs a “utility receiver” that can line up in slot, outside and even the back field. A Randall Cobb or Percy Harvin type of player. Grade: B | Upgrade needed? Yes, it’s an off-season priority

Aldrick Robinson H/W (5-10 181) D.O.B (11/24/88): Robinson was somewhat of a one trick pony in the 2012 regular season. But, that one trick worked. Problem is, as Redskins’ fans saw with Anthony Armstrong, defenses can easily figure out how to stop that one trick. He finished the season with 11 receptions for 237 yards and 3 touchdowns. Robinson averaged 21.5 a catch. He’s a vertical guy that’s only proved to be capable of making plays on the outside. With his measurables, you would like the player to be able to do more than that. He has the talent. Now it’s all about if he can develop an ability to do more. He came out of college as a raw prospect, so this is understandable. Going into year three, he doesn’t have much wiggle room for mistakes. Grade: C | Upgrade needed? Maybe, but needs to continue to develop

Leonard Hankerson H/W (6-2 211) D.O.B (1/30/89): We did a mid-season scouting report on Hankerson with screenshots of film here: “What is wrong with Leonard Hankerson?” To Hankerson’s credit, he did have a better second half of the season. Hank ended the season with 38 receptions for 543 yards and 3 touchdowns. He averaged 14.3 yards a catch. Hankerson has talent, but he’s very inconsistent. He’s a big receiver that doesn’t like going across the middle and using his full frame to catch footballs in traffic. It would be naive to think he’ll ever drop those bad habits. He did improve his down field blocking ability, which is great. But I’m not sure if that will be enough for him to continue to generate playing time on this football team. Grade: C – | Upgrade needed? Yes

Not enough stats:

Dezmon Briscoe spent majority of the season on the inactive list. He had a memorable drop against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but so did every other Redskins’ receiver. He’s the youngest receiver on the roster and his measurables are comparable to Leonard Hankerson’s. In the pre-season, Briscoe shined. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for him.

Physically Unable to Do Anything List:

Brandon Banks won’t be on this team next year. He was used a lot in option game, but again, this is why the Redskins have to get a utility receiver in the off-season.