2012 NFL Draft: 3 Players the Washington Redskins Should Watch for on Day 2

Since the March 10th trade with the St. Louis Rams, the Washington Redskins have been waiting until tonight to officially call Robert Griffin III their own. 

Now that the first round is complete and RGIII has navigated through the first wave of interviews, ‘Skins fans can finally exhale.

It worked out according to plan, we got our franchise quarterback.  

Now what? 

The Redskins will only have a single pick tomorrow, the sixth pick in the 3rd round. If round one was any indication, Friday should be a pretty busy day.  

There have been rumblings that the team may try and trade back into the second round. Presumably they have some ammunition to work with depending on who wants to move down.  

Jabar Gaffney, Santana Moss and Chris Cooley are all aging veterans that could command middle-to-late-round picks in a trade. 

However, if the Redskins stand pat with their current third-round selection, there are three prospects that may fall down to DC. 

Mitchell Schwartz 

The 6’5” tackle out of California could be available at the 69th overall pick. He’s started at both left and right tackle, bringing with him the ability to backup Trent Williams or Jammal Brown.  

Brown is still ailing from his hip injury, although Mike Shanahan is very optimistic about his recovery. According to Redskins.com, Shanahan recently said, “Right now I feel better about Jammal Brown than I have since I’ve been here.” 

Schwartz provides versatility along the offensive line to support the recent signing of free-agent James Lee. The Cal grad has a high-motor and seals the edge well. Let’s see if there is a run on tackles in the second round since only two were taken in the first.  

Brandon Boykin 

The Redskins have not been shy when it comes to trying to upgrade their defensive backfield. Safety has developed into a log-jam with the recent additions of Madieu Williams, Tanard Jackson and Cedric Griffin.

DeAngelo Hall’s massive contract along with the short-term contracts for the other CBs on the depth chart could force the ‘Skins into taking a corner with their third-round pick. 

Brandon Boykin was projected by many as a second-round pick until he suffered a slight fracture in his right fibula. This setback during the Senior Bowl caused Boykin to miss the combine and may have teams reluctant to take him in the 2nd. 

That would be good news for Washington. Boykin has a great nose for the ball and competes well against larger players despite his 5’10” frame. He is good in zone coverage and plays up in run-support making solid tackles.  

With all of the veterans in the defensive backfield, Boykin would have no shortage of mentors available to him in order to learn the pro game. Hopefully a late injury prior to the draft could allow the ‘Skins to pick up second-round value without a pick in that round.

James-Michael Johnson 

I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it; the Redskins need to draft an understudy to London Fletcher. Thankfully, the team captain re-signed with Washington and will be back for two more seasons. However, the team needs a plan beyond Fletcher’s playing days. 

With Lorenzo Alexander switching over to ILB and the team acquiring former Ram Bryan Kehl, I still believe a contingency plan is in order. If anything were to happen to Perry Riley or Fletcher, Kehl is thrust into major playing time, if not a starting role. Kehl comes to DC with only five career starts under his belt. 

I’m anticipating the Ravens and Steelers to take a long look at the remaining top ILB prospects, Mychal Kendricks and Keenan Robinson, in the 2nd round. This should allow Johnson to hang around the board until the ‘Skins make the 69th selection overall. 

Conclusion 

Without a second-round selection, the Washington Redskins will have to make adjustments to their third-round plans on the fly. But, if the high volume of trades in the first round tonight were any indication, Washington may not be on the clock once the 69th pick comes around.

For more by Scott and his cohorts, check out The Recap.

Follow @scott_i