The 2016 NFL Draft kicks-off on Thursday. Below we’ll rank defensive players by position with a focus on the Washington Redskins. All ranks are off personal film study. Between rounds of the draft we’ll update the lists and dig deeper for you to use as a guide.
(* denotes out of reach players)
Defensive Line:
*Joey Bosa, DeForest Buckner and Sheldon Rankins
- Chris Jones, Mississippi State
- Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
- Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech
- Jarran Reed, Alabama
- Kevin Dodd, Clemson
More: Austin Johnson, A’Shawn Robinson, Andrew Billings, Jonathan Bullard, Willie Henry, Jihad Ward, Adolphus Washington, Kenny Clark, Sheldon Day and Maliek Collins (DEEP DL Draft).
- I wouldn’t be surprised if the Redskins don’t take a defensive lineman round one. It’s such a deep group — they could wait. They could also trade back and still get a solid player. Scot McCloughan’s resume consists of 21 total first round picks (including his time as a scout w/GB). Of those 21 first round picks, only four were defensive linemen. Really, you could say three because Bruce Irvin was drafted as a Linebacker. He’s drafted more OL (7) and tends to place more value on skill positions (CB, WR, RB, TE). McCloughan does tend to favor Seniors round one, which makes me wonder if that puts Chris Jones a little lower on his list. But, in my opinion, he’s a premier lineman in this draft because he’s one of the more talented rushers. Vernon Butler probably tops the “makes sense list.” A player that fits the bill also is Jonathan Bullard. But there’s so many talented lineman, I don’t think the team can go wrong.
EDGE:
*Leonard Floyd
- Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
- Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
- Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State
- Noah Spence, Kentucky
- Shaq Lawson, Clemson
More: Alex McCalister, Yannick Ngakoue, *Jaylon Smith (injured), and Stephen Weatherly
- I don’t think there’s a true first round EDGE guy in this draft. However, you’ll see several go round one just because it’s a premium position in the NFL. I’m high on Jordan Jenkins from Georgia. I spoke with several guys who watched him each day at the Senior Bowl and they all told me his pass rushing skills are underrated. He’s a very savvy player. At the least, he’s an excellent edge setting backer. Calhoun is probably the most gifted speed rusher, but he’s kind of one dimensional and is an older player. Ogbah crushed the combine, although it doesn’t always appear on film. Spence is an odd eval because although he’s been productive, he’s not a natural bender and tested pretty bad. Lawson is similar to Jordan Jenkins, but Jenkins is bigger and more athletic to me. I don’t quite understand why Lawson is rated so high.
Linebackers:
- Myles Jack, UCLA (some talk about him possibly dropping)
- Darron Lee, Ohio State
- Reggie Ragland, Alabama
- Joe Schobert, Wisconsin
- Jatavis Brown, Akron
More: Scooby Wright, B.J. Goodson, Terrance Smith, Antonio Morrison, Nick Kwiatkoski and Steven Daniels
- The Redskins may or may not upgrade the ILB position. Joe Schobert is every bit as good as Reggie Ragland, in my opinion. Plus he showed to be more fluid in drills. Jatavis Brown could go higher than people think. Scot McCloughan knows how to find linebackers. I don’t think he’ll reach for one.
Cornerbacks:
*Vernon Hargreaves, Jalen Ramsey, Williams Jackson (assuming the sure-first round guys are out of play)
- Kendall Fuller, VTech
- Eli Apple, Ohio State
- Mackensie Alexander, Clemson
- Cyrus Jones, Alabama
- Xavien Howard, Baylor
More: Deiondre’ Hall, Jonathan Jones, James Bradberry and Brian Poole
- With the addition of Josh Norman, the Washington Redskins probably won’t have to take a corner too high. However, they will likely still draft one. McCloughan tends to draft two DBs a year. I still love the Cyrus Jones fit for the Redskins. His added ability to return punts would be a plus.
Safety:
*Jalen Ramsey
- Karl Jospeh, WVU
- Sean Davis, UMD
- Darian Thompson, Boise State
- Keanu Neal, Florida
- Jeremy Cash, Duke
Guy I like: Miles Killebrew, Jalen Mills, Kevin Byard, KJ Dillion and Deon Bush
- I think this draft is deeper at Safety than recent years. Karl Joseph is a poor-man’s Earl Thomas, but I understand the fears about his playing style. He never missed a game in college prior to getting injured last year — and that happened in practice. However, where he differs from Earl — he’s a lot more physical. Being less physical has helped Earl Thomas stay healthy, for the most part, at his size. But Karl is a premier safety in this draft. Scot McCloughan could also be looking for his next Kam Chancellor — Sean Davis, Jeremy Cash and Miles Killebrew could be that.
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