Washington Redskins Draft Scouting Guide for the 2015 Senior Bowl
The 2015 Reese's Senior Bowl can be a dream come true for new Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan. The event is overflowing with prospects who can help quickly improve last season's 4-12 roster.
Among them are a pair of quality pass-rushers and a scheme-versatile nose tackle. All three would be great fits for a 3-4 scheme needing an infusion of playmaking talent at every level.
Of course, that also includes the secondary. Thankfully, a scrappy press corner could make an impression. So could a natural covering safety.
As for the offense, there are up to six linemen McCloughan and new O-line coach Bill Callahan should keep a close eye on. If nothing else, Washington's decision-makers should be left with no shortage of ideas about how to bolster the group that surrendered 58 sacks in 2014.
Here are the Senior Bowl prospects Washington's scouts should be watching closely ahead of the 2015 NFL draft.
Defensive Line
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Washington's defensive front is talented but underachieving. Veterans such as Barry Cofield Jr. and Stephen Bowen have had trouble staying healthy, and both carry bloated contracts into the offseason.
At the other end of the age spectrum, 2011 draft picks Jarvis Jenkins and Chris Neild are eligible for free agency. Like Cofield and Bowen, they've also had issues staying on the field.
This defense needs some true difference-makers up front. While this Senior Bowl is generally short of those, there will be plenty of potentially excellent 3-4 fits on display.
South team member Grady Jarrett is a particularly intriguing potential fit as the nose tackle for Washington's 3-4 scheme. In particular, the Clemson behemoth suits a scheme that lets the front three attack blockers instead of just occupying them.
Jarrett doesn't have the elite size many often associate with players who operate over the center in a 3-4. Yet the 6'0", 290-pounder seems a natural for a 1-gap scheme, say a Wade Phillips-style 3-4.
Phillips was recently considered an early front-runner for the vacant defensive coordinator post in Washington. He's often deployed quick-twitched, undersized athletes at the heart of a three-man line.
The approach made a star out of Jay Ratliff with the Dallas Cowboys. It also helped Earl Mitchell showcase his potential and talent with the Houston Texans.
Speaking of Mitchell, he's a player Jarrett favorably compares to, according to NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein. He also lists Jarrett's best attributes:
"Jarrett is built like a refrigerator, but he's hardly a stationary player. He lacks the overall size to be considered as a nose by most base 3-4 teams, but he's a perfect shade-nose fit for teams looking for a disruptor in a one-gap, penetrating front.
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Although talk of one of the masters of the 3-4 coming to D.C. has gone quiet, Phillips is by no means the only play-caller who gives a nose tackle more room to attack.
Over on the North team sideline will lurk mammoth beast Danny Shelton. If Jarrett is a one-gap slant-and-go rusher, Shelton is the epitome of the massive space-eater most 3-4 units count as their focal point.
At 6'2" and a generously estimated 339 pounds, Shelton is an intimidating run-plugger. With his leviathan-like frame on the nose, the rest of the Redskins front seven would have more room to make plays.
If Shelton shows good flexibility for a player his size, expect a team that's lacked a dominant nose tackle for too long to get very interested.
Cornerback
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One-time safety Eric Rowe is exactly the kind of physical and versatile defensive back Washington's woeful secondary needs. At 6'1" and 201 pounds, Rowe has the frame to engulf receivers at the line. The Utes star also plays with a violent disposition. He loves to hit.
CBS Sports analyst Rob Rang believes Rowe's future could be at safety. The crossover potential should put Rowe firmly on the Redskins radar.
The team toiled though the 2014 season with past-it old pro Ryan Clark and never-had-it veteran Brandon Meriweather as the last line of defense. Depth is also an issue with 2013 fourth-round pick Phillip Thomas yet to fully convince.
In this context, the defense needs help at both the strong and free safety positions. That need could be too great in a year when the safety classes are thin in both free agency and the draft. So, a conversion project like Rowe makes a good deal of sense.
But that doesn't mean his greater value doesn't lie at cornerback. If Scot McCloughan and head coach Jay Gruden believe it does, Rowe will work as a classic bump-and-run corner.
That's how last year's rookie success Bashaud Breeland plays the game. But 2013 second-rounder David Amerson hasn't quite made the grade.
It doesn't help that veteran duo Tracy Porter and E.J. Biggers have also failed to impress and are set to hit the market. Lump that together with DeAngelo Hall's Achilles injuries and bloated contract, and there's plenty of uncertainty at this key position.
Rowe could become an invaluable sub-package and depth defensive back.
Guard
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The Redskins seem to know they need more size along the offensive line. Scot McCloughan has identified "big guys" in the trenches as a key to success in the NFL, per Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post:
"You’ve got to run the rock, and [larger linemen] usually stay healthier, they’re usually meaner, I don’t know why. But they can get movement up front, so all of a sudden you’re running between the tackles or coming down hill. That’s what you need.
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If Washington's new shot-caller wants a man mountain in the middle, he should pay close attention to how Trenton Brown performs in Mobile, Alabama. The Florida giant uses his imposing 6'8", 360-pound frame to splatter defenders, especially in the running game.
He displays the tendencies of a natural power-based blocker. That could be particularly important following Bill Callahan's arrival. The veteran line guru emphasizes power, per ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim. Meanwhile, Gruden has a noted preference for hat-on-hat blocking.
Brown certainly fits the bill. He also has the ability to play guard or tackle. Although NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein suggests Brown will be limited to the former position on the right side as a pro:
"Brown has the pure size to block out the sun, and unlike some players with his bulk, he knows how to use it. He can plow holes as a run blocker, but can only play right guard in a power scheme. His lack of playing experience and conditioning concerns could hurt his draft stock.
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Brown may be a risk. But he's one worth taking for a team seemingly intent on doing things differently up front next season.
Although there's that glaring hole at right tackle, Washington's O-line needs as much help at guard. For the same reasons Brown should be under consideration, Arie Kouandjio could stand out in Mobile.
The 6'5", 315-pounder is a brute-force trench warrior at his best when driving back interior D-linemen. That's something the Redskins' current guards rarely manage to do.
Shawn Lauvao rated as a disappointment after signing as a free agent last offseason. On the right side, slight Chris Chester is too easily pushed off his spot, particularly in pass protection.
That's not generally something Kouandjio is guilty of. But it's a lack of elite mobility that is most likely to harm his draft stock.
Admittedly, a weakness in that area won't be a problem if the Redskins do indeed move away from the stretch-style zone blocking they've executed since 2010. It's a scheme that demands linemen quickly make it to the second level of a defense to absorb linebackers and safeties.
But even in a scheme more tailored to power concepts, Kouandjio's footwork and agility will be tested. That's why Washington's coaches and scouts should keep close watch over him at the Senior Bowl. The Crimson Tide behemoth has a history of knee issues, having undergone surgery more than once.
Kouandjio fits as a good second- or third-round option for Washington come draft day. But that's provided his knees hold up during Senior Bowl week.
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Safety
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If you're thinking there's been a time in the last five years when Washington hasn't had major problems at safety, you've seen something the majority of fans, writers and pundits haven't.
Whatever the defense looks like under a new coordinator in 2015, the unit needs more athleticism and range at both safety positions. Enter Cody Prewitt as a prospect this team must watch closely at the Senior Bowl.
From a coverage perspective, Prewitt could be a major asset to last season's 24th-ranked pass defense. That's what Washington's coaches and scouts will need to evaluate when they run the rule over the Ole Miss star at the Senior Bowl.
Unlike many safeties, whose respective games are defined by how hard they hit, covering receivers and zones is Prewitt's forte. He's often been entrusted to take away the deep zone for the Rebels defense.
Prewitt's numbers were down slightly in 2014. He snatched just three interceptions, per CFBStats.com. But he was certainly watched more closely by quarterbacks who saw him pick off twice as many passes the year before.
As a ball hawk comfortable with both man and zone techniques, Prewitt is a player who belongs on Washington's big board ahead of the draft.
Pass-Rusher
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The pass rush, or distinct lack of it last season, will rate as a primary concern for whoever is named the team's new defensive coordinator. The Redskins logged just 36 sacks in 2014, and former Pro Bowl rush linebacker Brian Orakpo is headed for free agency.
At least any new play-caller will be able to rely on Ryan Kerrigan. The ex-Purdue ace recorded 13.5 quarterback takedowns in a banner campaign.
Now the task must be equipping Kerrigan with a consistent bookend. That won't be easy considering the team's top draft pick last season, Trent Murphy, didn't meet expectations.
During the latter stages of the campaign, Washington's defense was relying on unheralded players such as Everette Brown, Gabe Miller and Jackson Jeffcoat to try to help Kerrigan.
But one side of this team's 3-4 front could change if Washington's observers like what they see from Owamagbe Odighizuwa. The UCLA powerhouse is a dream fit as a hybrid edge-setter for a multiple-front scheme.
At 6'3" and 270 pounds, he's got natural defensive end size. But a stout frame can't belie Odighizuwa's innate takeoff speed and change-of-direction flexibility.
He has the potential to develop either as a standing rusher, or from a three-point stance, as a player with a body type reminiscent of Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs pressure specialist Tamba Hali.
However, NFL.com draft writer Lance Zierlein quoted an unnamed AFC national scout who makes a different comparison, one offering hesitation about Odighizuwa's pass-rush potential:
"He's not Courtney Upshaw, but he could be used kind of like that. I can see him playing in both 4-3 or 3-4, but he can't be counted on as a pass rusher and you have to know that he will be limited to just being a run stopper.
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Yet despite the scout's note of caution, there is room for Odighizuwa to grow as a pass-rusher. He logged six sacks for the Bruins in 2014, per CFBStats.com.
If nothing else, he's a player who could solidify the run front and provide a different kind of complement to Kerrigan. One who could perhaps add greater versatility to the base packages.
If there's a prospect lurking below the radar in Mobile, it's Harvard's Zack Hodges. He's your typical 'tweener, not quite big enough for 4-3 defensive end but a potential quick study on the edges of a 3-4.
Sports Illustrated writer Chris Burke believes Hodges has to take his chance to shine in Alabama:
"The Ivy League's Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Hodges finished the season with 8.5 sacks and registered 27.0 for his career. At 6-3, 245, Hodges is explosive off the line and might thrive in one-on-one drills during the week. These showcases against higher-profile players are key for the small-school prospects.
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If Washington's crew likes what it sees, Hodges would make sense as a late-round rotational pass-rusher who could be developed into much more.
Offensive Tackle
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La'el Collins just has to command attention from a team needing this much offensive line help. The wide-bodied blocker with an appetite for contact would fit at either guard spot or right tackle in D.C.
But first, Collins will need to show scouts the same drive and suffocating power he's so often utilized for the Tigers. That shouldn't be too difficult for the 6'5", 315-pounder.
Yet Collins won't be the only beefy tackle likely to garner attention from the Redskins. Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke believes Pittsburgh's T.J. Clemmings will rival Collins for title of "best offensive tackle present in Mobile."
Burke stated Clemmings seems like he belongs on the right side. Usually that can harm the draft stock for tackle prospects. But in this case, it could actually make him more appealing.
Washington has to find a player who can man the right side as capably as Pro Bowler Trent Williams operates on the left. Veteran Tyler Polumbus and young players Morgan Moses and Tom Compton hardly delivered encouraging auditions for the role last season.
The Best of the Rest
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There are a clutch of other prospects scheduled for Senior Bowl duty who could catch the eye. Leading the way will be Iowa D-tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat, along with Stanford end Henry Anderson.
Both are two-gap linemen perfectly suited to manning the trenches on a 3-4 front. While Trinca-Pasat belongs over the center, Anderson is your classic 5-technique end.
Given how much the rotation up front could be thinned before the draft, both players should stay on Washington's radar.
The search for larger interior linemen on offense has to include Florida State monster Tre' Jackson. He's a natural at either guard spot or even center. The Redskins certainly need to get bigger at all three positions.
Also worthy of mention are Alabama's athletic offensive tackle Austin Shepherd and Oklahoma's gifted but unrefined linebacker Geneo Grissom. Both are the kind of raw prospects possessing core skills who can get better with quality schooling at the pro level. NFL teams are often rewarded for taking a chance on players of this type.
The great news for Washington is that its coaches and new team-builder Scot McCloughan will arrive at a Senior Bowl loaded with numerous prospects at the positions where the current roster is weakest.
Keen eyes and shrewd judgement should land the team a few potential gems come draft day.
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