Washington Redskins: Identifying the Perfect Draft Replacement for Brian Orakpo

Six years and 40 sacks removed from being the 13th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, Brian Orakpo's career with the Washington Redskins has officially come to a close.

Tagged as Washington's franchise player the year prior, Orakpo signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Tennessee Titans in free agency this offseason. 

But let's be honest. With injuries being a rampant problem for Orakpo during his tenure in D.C., his absence is something the team has long grown accustomed to.

Speaking to ESPN Washington's John Keim, this was something Orakpo openly acknowledged.

"It was disheartening to me and the fans and everyone who wanted to see me perform at the highest level. The injury bug really set me back," he said.

Now, ideally, Trent Murphy would be Orakpo's replacement. He was the team's top pick in the 2014 NFL draft (47th overall) after all. But in 15 games, eight of which were starts, he was underwhelming as a pass-rusher. On the year, he tallied a grand total of 2.5 sacks and 11 quarterback pressures.

Speaking to CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir, head coach Jay Gruden highlighted the areas Murphy needs to improve.

"We have to continue to work on his get-off and some of his strength, [and] I think we can develop that," Gruden said.

Murphy's development aside, though, the 'Skins still need another pass-rusher. Their pass defense was 24th in yards allowed in 2014, and in back-to-back seasons the pass rush has netted just 36 sacks.

Enter Vic Beasley. 

John Raoux/Associated Press

While he was at one time lost in the shuffle of this year's deep class of pass-rushers, Beasley finally garnered the attention his talent has long deserved at the combine.

As NFL.com's Bucky Brooks put it, Beasley put the critics who openly questioned his size, speed and strength on mute:

"

The 6-foot-3, 246-pound edge rusher pumped out 35 reps on the bench press and posted impressive marks in every athletic drill. From his sizzling 4.53-second time in the 40-yard dash to his terrific measurements in the jumps (41-inch vertical, 130-inch broad) to his remarkable shuttle times (6.91 three-cone drill, 4.15 20-yard shuttle), Beasley showed scouts that he is one of the premier athletes available in this draft. Most importantly, he's packed on nearly 15 pounds since the end of the season without losing any speed or quickness, and he displayed more power than most evaluators expected prior to this event. 

"

Now, a stellar performance in shorts is hardly an indicator of NFL success, but Beasley's resume in pads is just as impressive.

At Clemson, he registered 33 sacks and 29 quarterback pressures in 48 games, according to the school's official website. Clemson's career leader in sacks, he was also a two-time, first-team All-American.

In a sense, Beasley is the player Gruden wanted Orakpo to always be—a game-changer. He amassed 52.5 tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups and seven forced fumbles in his collegiate career, and he only started 25 games. Additionally, he returned two turnovers for touchdowns.

For comparison's sake, Orakpo tallied just six forced fumbles in the nation's capital and none the past two years.

Most of all, though, Beasley is durable. He failed to miss a start the past two seasons, and he was given the highest possible grade by ESPN for his durability.

Let's not get it twisted, though. Beasley does have his warts.

As NFL.com's Lance Zierlein notes, he doesn't possess the ideal arm length teams want from their pass-rushers (Beasley has 32 ½-inch arms). Furthermore, citing the need for him to bulk up more, Zierlein pointed out how often Beasley struggles to shed blocks in the running game.

To his credit, Beasley has already made strides to build on this deficiency. His playing weight at Clemson was 235 pounds, but as of the combine, he sports 246 pounds on his 6'3" frame. Put him in the hands of an NFL strength and conditioning coach, and there's reason to believe Beasley's playing weight will be a non-issue in due time.

Knowing that Murphy was Pro Football Focus' sixth-best outside linebacker against the run in 2014, Beasley's run defense can also be worked around. Similar to the way Bruce Irvin and Aldon Smith were utilized as rookies, one can envision the Redskins unleashing Beasley as a situational pass-rusher out of the gate.

Drafting Beasley, Scout Inc.'s 25th-rated prospect, with the fifth overall pick may seem like a reach. But when you take into account his combination of production and potential, he stands to be the perfect draft replacement for Orakpo.