The Washington Redskins made three selections on Day 2 of the 2014 NFL Draft. After moving back from 34 overall in a trade with Dallas, the Redskins picked up an extra third round pick (78 overall). Washington selected Stanford linebacker Trent Murphy in the second round (No. 47 overall). They added Virginia tackle Morgan Moses (No. 66 overall) and Nebraska guard Spencer Long in the third round (No. 78 overall).
Quick Analysis:
- Trent Murphy, 23, (6-5, 250) started 42 of the 44 career games in which he played at Stanford, starting the final 41. He amassed 160 tackles (102 solo), 32.5 sacks and two interception returns for touchdowns. As a senior in 2013, Murphy was named a consensus All-American, first team Pac-12 selection and ranked second nationally with 1.07 sacks per game. Murphy isn’t explosive but has a high motor and some nasty to him. Scouts consider him to be an ornery player. However, he disappointed me at the Senior Bowl. He looked very average. Taking him 47 overall was a bit of a reach, in my opinion, for the Redskins. But there was a lot of reaches in the first three rounds of this draft. They gave up 34 overall to allow Dallas to draft a pass rusher in DeMarcus Lawrence who has more upside than Murphy.
HC Jay Gruden on Murphy: “You know nickel packages get pretty extravagant now-a-days. Coach Haslett has a lot of plans for him, but coming in right now, he’s going to line up obviously at outside linebacker, back up Ryan [Kerrigan] and Brian [Orakpo] and provide us with some depth at that position. Anybody knows about the 3-4 you need to have depth at linebacker because those guys are working their tail off. They’re dropping the coverage, they’re rushing the passer, so it’s very important this day and age with the no huddle that you keep guys fresh and you’re able to filter in guys in and out and make sure you can continue to get after the quarterback. We felt like anytime you can add a good pass rusher with the resume Trent has, it was a great opportunity and we couldn’t pass it up.”
- Morgan Moses, 23, (6-6, 314) started 42 of the 48 career games in which he played at Virginia, 30 at right tackle and 12 at left tackle. As a senior in 2013, he received All-ACC honors while helping Kevin Parks become the Cavaliers first 1,000-yard rusher in a season since 2004. Moses is a heavy footed waist bender. He has enough athleticism to be a move lineman and get to the second level. He has issues with leverage and over-pursuing while run blocking. He’s a good player with upside. He fell for a reason. I don’t think he was a “steal,” but just excellent value. This was the best pick of the night for Washington, in my opinion.
HC Jay Gruden on Moses: “He is a great kid and like I said, [we’re] very interested in guys that… there is a lot of people that are close, there are a lot of good football players in college football, and when you are making a decision, I think the overwriting factor has to be what kind of person he is, what kind of work ethic does he have, accountability and all that good stuff that I have been talking about. Is the game important to him? And it is important to Morgan. I think he has got a lot of room to develop, I really do. He can develop some foot quickness, but the one thing you can’t coach is his length and his size, and then you throw a little work ethic in there that he is going to get better every day and when he starts, when he plays will be to be determined, but we are excited to work with a young, big, athletic kid like Morgan.”
- Spencer Long, 23, (6-5, 320) started in all 33 career games in which he played at Nebraska. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2013 while helping the Cornhuskers finish third in the conference in rushing yards per game (215.7). He’s another intense, hardworking player. He’s just a solid prospect. After starting six games in 2013, he tore his MCL and missed the remainder of the season. He’s not much of an athlete and will struggle against quick defensive linemen. This was another reach to me. But again, there’s been a lot of perceived “reaches” early in this draft. There was other quality guards on the board at this point. So the pick was certainly surprising.
HC Jay Gruden on Long: “We feel good about his recovery. We do a lot of work on medical research on all of these players, and he has passing marks, so we feel like he’s going to come in and be healthy and ready to go. Tough, tenacious offensive linemen are hard to find – big, physical guys that love football. That’s kind of the motto. All three of these guys that we drafted have football as one of their top priorities in life. We know that they are going to come in here and battle and compete every day. You have to love what you do. We feel that all three of these guys love what they do and will contribute sooner than later.”
Washington’s early draft philosophy looked familiar:
When the Washington Redskins dismissed former Head Coach Mike Shanahan, chains were thought to be lifted off in-house talent evaluators. I’m taken back to a quote from General Manager Bruce Allen during his press conference after firing Shanahan:
“The control will be mine, and it will be working with our personnel department. The personnel department of [Director of Player Personnel] Scott Campbell and [Director of Pro Personnel] Morocco Brown actually do a very good job at what they do. We are going to redefine some of the characteristics that we’re looking for in players. Obviously when we have a new head coach there will be some schematic adjustments that we will make, but that power will be with me.”
“We are going to redefine some of the characteristics that we’re looking for in players,” is the part that really stuck out to me. During the Shanahan tenure, Washington valued high character and seniority in players. “Redefining” characteristics, in my opinion, means to take more chances on pure talent. Taking risks on underclassmen, even. Neither guarantees you a great player. But a good combination of players like that tends to work for teams such as the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
In the trade with the Dallas Cowboys Friday night, Washington received greater value than the trade chart suggests. However, none of this matters if you don’t select ballers. They’ve done this in the past and ended up with average to below average players. The 2011 and 2008 draft classes are prime examples.
All three of Washington’s picks Friday night are fourth/fifth year seniors. They’re all 23 years old. Moses just turned 23, but Long and Murphy will be 24 this winter. None of them require much maintenance — and there’s nothing wrong with any of that. But I think everyone is just in a wait and see approach with this front office. So far, it just seem like these are picks they would have still made with Shanahan as final decision maker.
Day 3 of the NFL Draft:
The Washington Redskins have a pick in each of the remaining four rounds. It wouldn’t surprise me if they attempt to maneuver around again to add another pick or two. I’d like to see the Redskins take a risk on a big receiver like Martavis Bryant. But if they continue with this philosophy of old, receivers like Kevin Norwood or TJ Jones wouldn’t surprise me. I still believe DMV native Brandon Coleman would be an option too. A defensive lineman like Penn State’s DaQuan Jones would be a solid selection for Washington. Corners like Pierre Desir and Walt Aikens would make sense at some point. Jaylen Watkins is another to keep an eye on. One of my favorite players in the entire drat is Jordan Tripp, LB out of Montana, who could play ILB in a 3-4. He appears to fit the mold of what Washington wants. They seem to be placing a premium on length and size in this draft. Larry Webster, Bloomsburg DE/TE, is a guy who I hear they like and fits the bill. He’s an interesting player who could convert to TE.
In all, Washington has an opportunity to continue adding depth and potential impact players in this deep draft. There’s still good talent available.
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