The Washington Redskins addressed some major needs early in free agency in a way that I believe should be applauded. New General Manager Scot McCloughan clearly came in and identified the defensive line as one of the main areas of need. McCloughan went on to add Ricky Jean-Francois, Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton and Stephen Paea to bolster the team’s defensive front. McCloughan also added two young players in the secondary with Safety Jeron Johnson and Cornerback Chris Culliver. They did all of this without spending much money, which is pretty impressive. It’s clear that Scot McCloughan has implemented a plan and is in the driver’s seat of Washington’s retooling process.
Quick Free Agency Notes:
- I really like the signing of former Chicago Bears’ Defensive Lineman Stephen Paea. The Redskins have struggled to push the pocket with their defensive front every since they moved to the 3-4 alignment. Getting Paea, who was one of the best interior pass rushers in 2014, should help provide that immediately. He’s a guy who is really just scratching the surface of his potential.
- The addition Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton finally gives the Redskins a big run-stopping presence up front. He’s probably a two down player, although, he’s capable of pushing the pocket. Whenever he’s on the field, teams will have a tough time running at him.
- Chris Culliver provides the Washington Redskins with another young and talented press corner opposite Bashuad Breeland. The risk with Culliver is he’s had some off-field issues. But if he’s able to stay out of trouble, the Redskins have themselves a nice, young tandem moving forward.
- Jeron Johnson will likely start at Strong Safety for the Redskins. He’s a guy we’ve discussed for a while now. Johnson only has one career start, having played behind two All-Pro Safeties in Seattle. However, he’s consistently shown an ability to play great man coverage and be a sound tackler.
NFL Draft Notes ( some based on conversations with scouts and other sources):
- The buzz surrounding Missouri edge rusher Shane Ray is that teams do not consider him a top-10 player. This was the feeling prior to his pro-day last week. After failing to propel himself with a quality showing at his pro day, this feeling still exist. Ray could easily go top-10 with the expectation of edge rushers flying off the board. But there’s a good chance he falls out the top-10. One player who could steal his draft spot is Kentucky’s Bud Dupree. There’s a good buzz around him.
- The Washington Redskins like Alabama WR Amari Cooper. From my understanding, they really like him. That’s not to say they don’t like WVU’s Kevin White or that they’re hoping to take Cooper at 5-overall. It’s just something worth monitoring. I would not be surprised to see them draft a WR that high.
- Don’t be surprised if USC WR Nelson Aghlor goes round one. There’s a quiet buzz on him right now.
- The Redskins, in my opinion, need a pure edge rusher. They need someone who can bend the edge and get pressure on quarterbacks. There’s a few scouts I talked to who surprisingly believe if developed correctly, Trent Murphy has traits of being a quality edge bender. On the other hand, some believe he should be fed and move to five technique. Either way, the Redskins need a guy who can beat Tyron Smith and Jason Peters twice a year. It’s unclear if the Redskins feel that Murphy can eventually be that guy.
- UVA’s Eli Harold appears to be one of the more polarizing edge rushers in this draft among the scout and draftnik communities. It will be interesting to see if the Redskins wait and try to position themselves to get Harold by either trading up or staying at their second round pick. They appear to really like him.
- As we reported on twitter late last week, the Washington Redskins were represented at Miami of Ohio’s pro day and their scout was among those who worked out DB Quinten Rollins at safety. Many scouts believe Rollins would make a better safety than corner, and that the transition would be easier. He’s a former basketball player with excellent ball skills. He also showed last season that he’s capable of being a sound tackler. The Redskins will have to get creative with finding a Free Safety. I think you’re going to see a new trend this year where teams draft Corners that will transition to Free Safety. The opposite is happening in college, and because of that, free safeties are a dying breed. A few names to keep an eye on: Eric Rowe, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Josh Shaw and Byron Jones.
- My educated guess on where the Redskins stand at five overall is that they’d prefer to trade back. There’s several foreseeable options, but I’d give it maybe a 40% chance any trade back happens, as of right now. A few potential trade back options include: the Jets (6), Bears (7), Falcons (8), Browns (12) and Saints (13). A lot of this will depend on where Marcus Mariota goes and if he’s still on the board at five overall. If the Redskins were to remain at five overall I believe they will go edge rusher or receiver.
Updated 2015 NFL Draft Big Board (top-32):
- Jameis Winston, QB, FSU
- Leonard Williams, DE, USC
- Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
- Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
- Vic Beasley, Edge, Clemson
- Randy Gregory, Edge, Nebraska
- Dante Fowler, Edge, Florida
- Davante Parker, WR, Louisville
- Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
- Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
- Danny Shelton, NT, Washington
- Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
- Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Edge, Kentucky
- Shane Ray, Edge, Mizzou
- La’el Collins, OT, LSU
- Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas
- Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, OU
- Brandon Scherff, OG, Iowa
- Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
- D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
- Landon Collins, S, Alabama
- Eddie Goldman, DT, FSU
- Ereck Flowers, OT, Florida
- Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
- Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
- Cameron Erving, C, FSU
- Eli Harold, Edge, UVA
- Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
- Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
- Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
- T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pitt
- Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
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