The 2018 NFL Draft is over but our analysis continues here on Last Word On Sports. Today, the Washington Redskins 2018 NFL Draft review is our focus.
The Redskins added eight new players to their roster during the draft and over a dozen in undrafted free agency, according to Ian Cummings over at FanSided. They also made two trades according to their Twitter account. Let’s take a look at those.
Per Ken Meringolo of SB Nation (via Washington’s Twitter account), the 49ers sent the 59th-overall pick and 74th-overall pick to Washington for Nos. 44 and 142.
Details of the #Redskins–@49ers trade. #HTTR #SkinsDraft pic.twitter.com/59VY39pl7Z
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 28, 2018
The Skins also made a deal with the Los Angeles Rams, sending them the 205th-overall pick and 231st-overall pick for numbers 197 and 256.
Details of the trade with the @RamsNFL #SkinsDraft pic.twitter.com/SzHSzP2XsN
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 28, 2018
Here is a list of the final draft results:
- First round, (13th overall): Da’Ron Payne, defensive tackle, Alabama
- Second round (59th overall): Derrius Guice, running back, LSU
- Third round (74th overall): Geron Christian, offensive tackle, Louisville
- Fourth round (109th overall): Troy Apke, safety, Penn State
- Fifth round (163rd overall): Tim Settle, defensive tackle, Virginia Tech
- Sixth round (197th overall): Shaun Dion Hamilton, linebacker, Alabama
- Seventh round (241st overall): Greg Stroman, cornerback, Virginia Tech
- Seventh round (256th overall): Trey Quinn, wide receiver, Southern Methodist
Washington Redskins 2018 NFL Draft Review
The Best Player: Derrius Guice
Once considered the second best running back in the 2018 NFL Draft, Derrius Guice tumbled until the Redskins selected him with the draft’s 59th-overall selection. Guice may be exactly what the Skins need though, as he is a powerful downhill runner with a ton of upside. After failed attempts at finding a franchise running back (for example, Matt Jones and his fumbling issues), the embattled franchise may have a solid number one runner for the first time in a long time. He’ll pair well with running backs Chris Thompson and Rob Kelley too.
The Head-Scratcher: Geron Christian
Per Andy Benoit over at Sports Illustrated, this pick earned a grade C. Why? The Redskins have two really good offensive tackles in Trent Williams and Morgan Moses. Christian was the Skins third-round pick. It didn’t seem as if they should go tackle in round three with so many other needs that could have been addressed. Washington could have done something different and pleased more people.
The Surprise: Da’Ron Payne
So, this one isn’t really a surprise, unless one takes into account defensive tackle Vita Vea‘s selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just one pick before Washington took Payne. A lot of mock drafts had the Redskins taking Payne, or at least a defensive tackle. The former Alabama defensive lineman is a force and should greatly improve Washington’s run defense day one.
The Steal: Tim Settle
Again, Washington may not have stolen Settle based on draft value and where they picked the former Hokie. But Virginia Tech had two brothers get drafted in round one of the NFL Draft (Tremaine Edmunds at 16th by the Buffalo Bills and Terrell Edmunds at 28th by the Pittsburgh Steelers). Tech’s defensive coordinator Bud Foster is one of the greats in college football. The Skins also more than likely had a plethora of information on the hometown kid Settle. This seems like great depth behind first-rounder Payne.
Most Likely to Turn Heads During Training Camp: Troy Apke
Safety Troy Apke from Penn State is lightning fast. According to his NFL.com draft profile, Apke’s combine numbers are outrageous. At 6’1″ and 200 pounds, Apke ran a 4.34 40-yard dash, bench pressed 225 pounds 16 times, jumped 41 inches in the vertical, had a 131-inch broad jump, finished his three-cone drill in 6.56 seconds and made the 20-yard shuttle in 4.03 seconds. All of those numbers are elite for a player of Apke’s height/weight ratio. He’ll certainly continue to stand out to Redskins brass, even into training camp.
The Rest
After the fifth round, the Redskins proceeded to add depth at linebacker, corner and wide receiver. They went to the Hokie and Crimson Tide wells twice more with selections of cornerback Greg Stroman and linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton. In the draft’s final round, Washington picked up some receiver depth, making Trey Quinn from SMU Mr. Irrelevant as the final pick of the draft.
John Keim of ESPN.com said that Washington “needed more competition at corner” when he broke down the selection of Stroman. Keim also mentioned that Hamilton would be a good future player and said that his knee was about 85 percent healthy. According to Keim, Hamilton is expected to be ready for training camp.
Bottom Line
The Redskins draft is a mixed bag as far as opinions. Overall though, they addressed several needs, targeted players they liked from schools they were comfortable with (as most teams do) and have eight new players to build a future around. They didn’t draft too many players or too few as well, so it seems the draft to be a decent success. Washington could have gone a different direction with their third-round and maybe even first-round picks, as there were better talents on the board but they stuck to their guns on those picks. Let’s hope Payne and Christian turn out. They have a good chance, as Mike Mayock of NFL Network had them both as top 100 prospects.
