Redskins 2018 Draft Special Round 1 (Pick 13)

Is it Guice?  Is it Vea?  Is it James?  Is it Ward?  Do the Redskins trade up?  Will the Redskins trade down?  Will all 12 teams in front of the Redskins have aneurysms right when they pick and let Fitzpatrick fall to 13?  There are so many questions about who the Redskins will draft in the first round.  The idea that they will take Guice is gaining tons of traction, as is the notion that they can trade back to recoup the third round pick they gave up for Alex Smith.  Wherever they draft in the first round, the Redskins should heed the old boxing adage of "it's not about how well you throw a punch, it's about how well you take a punch" and draft this DT that will help them stop the run.

Note: All scouting information comes from CBS Sports , NFL Combine Results Page, plus help from Walter Football,  Ourlads, Drafttek, and DraftScout.  Please check these sites out for all the work that they do in informing all of us laypeople about every possible college prospect.

Round 1 (13th Overall Selection):     Da'Ron Payne    DT    (Alabama)
Height: 6'2"   Weight: 311 lbs     40 yrd: 4.95     Reps: 27   Cone Drill: 7.58

Vita Vea looks like the no brainer pick at 13, but all indications coming from Redskins Park make it seem as if the Redskins' front office may be lukewarm about the underdeveloped nature of Vea's game.  Payne is the more polished pick, and with Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson already on the team it makes sense that Bruce Allen would want to take a page out of Lefty Driesell's playbook and make Redskins Park the Alabama of the North.  Payne would bring the run stopping presence and mentality the Redskins need in order to allow Alex Smith the time to operate an offense.  Payne was a Top 20 national high school recruit who weighed in at 350 pounds before slimming down at Alabama.  That may have been a good thing since he started the past two seasons at nose tackle for the Crimson Tide amassing 33 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT, and 4 passes defended during that time.  Scouts note that Payne already plays like a professional, with an impressive level of natural strength and high leadership qualities.  Scouts also highlight his ability to eat up blocks, and teams will need to scheme for him due to his ability to anchor the defensive line and command double teams.  Payne has a high level of athleticism for the position, and he showed signs this past year that he is honing that athleticism into better pass rushing skills.  He also displayed an ability to beat linemen with both power and skill, and he has the ability to range beyond his assignment in order to make plays.  Payne is not without his downsides. His biggest issue is that he does not always get a good jump off the snap, which causes him to lose leverage at the line of scrimmage.  Scouts also note his pedestrian pass rush skills that are easily contained if his first move does not work.  This could limit Payne to playing solely on early downs in order to stop the run.  All players have downsides, however, and Payne's upsides would be a worthy investment of a first round pick by the Redskins.

The Redskins need an answer in stopping the run in order to prevent Alex Smith from having to whip the ball up and down the field to keep pace with the other team.  While Vita Vea may be literally, and figuratively, the bigger name on the DT Draft Board, Payne may be more of what the Redskins are looking for in a nose tackle.  He has a high level of strength and athleticism for a guy his size, and while Vea has about 20-30 pounds on Payne, Vea lacks the consistency found in Payne's game.  There may be less of a learning curve with Payne and Allen having played together at Alabama, and that collective camaraderie is something that has been lacking on the Redskins defensive line for some time.  That sense of unity will be needed to stop a daunting list of running backs this season that includes David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliot, Mark Ingram/Alvin Kamara, Leonard Fournette, Jay Ajayi, Devontae Freeman, a rejuvenated Derrick Henry, and possibly Saquon Barkley if the Giants get froggy with their second pick.  The Redskins will need to win the battles up front in order to prevent these backs from dictating the pace of the game, and drafting Payne to bolster the D-Line will do just that.  It may be tough to justify taking Payne with the 13th pick so there may be a trade down in order to regain the 3rd round pick the Redskins lost in the Alex Smith trade.  But the Redskins should not let perception get in the way of drafting the player that they need.  If no good offer comes the Redskins way to trade out of 13 then they will need to pull the trigger on Da'Ron Payne and have him finally be the anchor of that 3-4 defensive line they have been looking for or so long.

Redskins 2018 Draft Special Round 7 (Pick 241)

It is that time of year again. The time where the NFL reminds all other sports why it does not matter how many CTE lawsuits come at them, their Draft will outdo any other Spring sports programming.  The NFL Draft is less than three weeks away and for the Redskins fan base this year's Draft will be quite a conundrum.  The first 12 picks in this Draft will dictate the Redskins strategy, but it is insane how many iterations there are of those first 12 picks that continue to keep all of HTTR nation guessing.  Will Minkah Fitzpatrick fall to 13?  Derwin James or Vita Vea?  Is Derrius Guice worth the 13th overall pick?  Should we trade back to get an RB later in the first round?  Do we try to recover the 3rd round pick we lost in the Alex Smith trade?  Whatever the answers, it will be a crazy Draft and I attempt to guess who the Redskins will select.  Remember that I assume there are no trades and the Redskins keep all of their picks.  Maybe you should take note because last year was very, very good to me.  I called the Josh Harvey-Clemons selection, albeit one round early.  I said they would go D-Line in the first round.  I said they would choose an RB in the fourth round and not the second, and I said they would go with a center late in the draft.  Some would call that luck, I would call it......luck, but here's hoping this year's choices are just as good.

Note: All scouting information comes from CBS Sports , NFL Combine Results Page, plus help from Walter Football,  Ourlads, Drafttek, and DraftScout.  Please check these sites out for all the work that they do in informing all of us laypeople about every possible college prospect. Without further ado lets begin the 2018 Redskins Draft with the gift that keeps on giving....Derrick Carrier.  Earlier this year, the Redskins traded Derrick Carrier to the Rams for a 7th Round pick that turned into the 241st overall selection and hopefully into this gem out of Army.

Round 7 (241st Overall Selection):  Brett Toth    OT    (Army)
Height: 6'6"   Weight: 291 lbs   40 yd: 5.14   Bench Press: 16 reps    20 yrd Shuttle: 4.75

If you haven't noticed, the Redskins two starting tackles will not be at OTA's due to injury.  Trent Williams and Morgan Moses still need time to heal, and in the meanwhile the Redskins could draft an insurance policy with this pick.  Brett Toth is an athletic tackle that fits well into a zone running scheme.  He looks to move towards the second level, and he has the agility to redirect blocks when they try to come off the edge.  Scouts note his toughness at the point of attack, and they note that he shows good hustle in space.  His 20 yard shuttle time is from his pro day, but that time would have been first by 0.2 seconds at the combine.  There are major concerns with his size and lack of pass protection experience due to Army's offensive scheme, but who better to mentor him than Bill Callahan?  Toth is the perfect 7th Round project pick that could turn into a much needed short term backup for the Redskins.

Trent Williams is not getting any younger, and the only legitimate replacement we have for him is Ty Nsekhe.  Toth will not be ready to replace either of them this year, but he can learn from the best and develop his skills and size to hopefully be ready by next season.  Toth has the intangibles needed to be successful in Jay Gruden's system, and he will have the time in Washington to learn at a more steady pace.  The Redskins desperately need more bodies at the tackle position, and Toth gives some sense of competition to guys like TJ Clemmings and John Kling.  He may not be ready this year, but they do not need him to be.  They just need a return on the investment in 2-3 years, and Toth's skill set may turn out to be a steal for a 7th Round pick.