Washington Redskins' Mock Draft and Big Board: Updated Day 3 Predictions

The final day of the 2016 NFL draft should be lineman-heavy for Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan after his ode to the supposed pass-happy nature of football's modern era during Days 1 and 2.

McCloughan continued staying faithful to his board in Rounds 2 and 3, pitching another couple of curveballs by selecting hybrid defender Su'a Cravens and defensive back Kendall Fuller.

But while he sprung some surprises, McCloughan didn't trade for the extra picks he wanted, and he also left some obvious holes unfilled on his roster, notably shunning several talented defensive tackles for a line needing some beef.

McCloughan mustn't forget how he proved in 2015 that success on the gridiron is still built from the trenches up. Fortunately, the best prospects still on the board for the final day will offer a friendly reminder of this simple truth.

There are other needs, though, including running back and outside pass-rusher. At this stage, adding an inside linebacker and a quarterback head coach Jay Gruden can develop would be gravy.

Even without trading for more, McCloughan still owns five picks on the final day. It's enough for Washington's primary decision-maker to find the necessary prospects and put the finishing touches on 2016's roster.

Find out which players McCloughan should target as he goes digging for late-round gems.

Updated Big Board

Al Goldis/Associated Press

Jack Allen could be the interior mauler Washington needs at the heart of its front five.

A lot of quality prospects came off the boards during the so-called "money rounds" on Day 2. But fortunately for Washington, there are plenty of final-day prospects who can provide help at the heart of the trenches.

It's an area McCloughan has so far dangerously neglected, particularly on the defensive side. Yet, as ESPN's John Keim noted, the Redskins believe in the D-line depth of this class.

So McCloughan should be happy with the names he sees left on the boards. 

Washington Redskins' Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Andrew Billings	NT	Baylor
2	Sheldon Day	DT	Notre Dame
3	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
4	Jalen Mills	DB	LSU
5	Jack Allen	C	Michigan State
6	K.J. Dillon	S	West Virginia
7	Willie Henry	DT	Michigan
8	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
9	Connor Cook	QB	Michigan State
10	Connor McGovern	G	Missouri
11	Kentrell Brothers	ILB	Missouri
12	Hassan Ridgeway	NT	Texas
13	Evan Boehm	C	Missouri
14	Roger Lewis	WR	Bowling Green
15	Ricardo Louis	WR	Auburn
16	Joshua Perry	LB	Ohio State
17	Vadal Alexander	G	LSU
18	Christian Westerman	G	Arizona State
19	Charles Tapper	DE	Oklahoma
20	Jonathan Williams	RB	Arkansas
21	Harlan Miller	CB	Southeastern Louisiana
22	Eric Murray	CB	Minnesota
23	B.J. Goodson	MLB	Clemson
24	Alex Collins	RB	Arkansas
25	Ryan Smith	CB	North Carolina Central
26	Joe Dahl	G	Washington State
27	Joe Haeg	OT	North Dakota State
28	Jason Fanaika	DE/OLB	Utah
29	James Cowser	DE/OLB	Southern Utah
30	Scooby Wright III	ILB	Arizona
31	Landon Turner	G	North Carolina
32	Jordan Payton	WR	UCLA
33	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
34	Kenny Lawler	WR	California
35	Josh Ferguson	RB	Illinois
36	Juston Burris	CB	North Carolina State
37	Cole Toner	OT	Harvard
38	Kyle Murphy	OT	Stanford
39	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke
40	Tyler Ervin	RB	San Jose State
41	Miles Killebrew	S	Southern Utah
42	Brandon Allen	QB	Arkansas
43	Joe Schobert	LB	Wisconsin
44	Brandon Shell	OT	South Carolina
45	Tyler Matakevich	ILB	Temple
46	Nick Kwiatkoski	ILB	West Virginia
47	Fahn Cooper	OT	Ole Miss
48	Maurice Canady	CB	Virginia
49	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
50	Dominique Alexander	ILB	Oklahoma
51	Aaron Wallace	LB	UCLA
52	Matthew Ioannidis	DT	Temple
53	Darius Latham	DT	Indiana
54	Deon Bush	S	Miami
55	Sebastian Tretola	G	Arkansas
56	Tajae Sharpe	WR	Massachusetts
57	Tyler Higbee	TE	Western Kentucky
58	Dak Prescott	QB	Mississippi State
59	Jake Coker	QB	Alabama
60	Josh Forrest	ILB	Kentucky
61	Tyvis Powell	FS	Ohio State
62	Cody Core	WR	Ole Miss
63	Mike Thomas	WR	Southern Mississippi
64	Kavon Frazier	S	Central Michigan
65	Ron Thompson	DE	Syracuse
66	Kevin Hogan	QB	Stanford
67	Nile Lawrence-Stample	NT	Florida State
68	Jerald Hawkins	OT	LSU
69	Peyton Barber	RB	Auburn
70	Willie Beavers	OT	Western Michigan
71	Darrell Greene	G	San Diego State
72	LeShaun Sims	CB	Southern Utah
73	Victor Ochi	DE	Stony Brook
74	Cleveland Wallace	CB	San Jose State
75	Stephen Weatherly	OLB	Vanderbilt
76	Jeff Driskel	QB	Louisiana Tech
77	D.J. Reader	NT	Clemson
78	Elijah Shumate	SS	Notre Dame
79	Alex McCalister	DE	Florida
80	Tyrone Holmes	OLB	Montana
81	Jayron Kearse	SS	Clemson
82	DeAndre Washington	RB	Texas Tech
83	Spencer Drango	G	Baylor
84	Ben Braunecker	TE	Harvard
85	Deiondre' Hall	CB	Northern Iowa
86	Zack Sanchez	CB	Oklahoma
87	Kyle Peko	NT	Oregon State
88	Bralon Addison	WR	Oregon
89	Mike Matthews	C	Texas A&M
90	Dominick Jackson	G	Alabama
91	Andy Janovich	FB	Nebraska
92	Ronald Blair	DE	Appalachian State
93	Jerell Adams	TE	South Carolina
94	David Onyemata	DT	Manitoba (Canada)
95	Aaron Green	RB	TCU
96	Ian Seau	OLB	Nevada
97	Antwaun Woods	DT	Southern California
98	Derek Watt	FB	Wisconsin
99	Brandon Doughty	QB	Western Kentucky
100	Vernon Adams	QB	Oregon

Round 4, Pick 120: Sheldon Day, DT, Notre Dame

Michael Conroy/Associated Press/Associated Press

Day's pocket-collapsing skills would be welcome along Washington's defensive front.

McCloughan's obvious fidelity to his own board won't excuse not adding at least one defensive lineman. Remember, the Redskins believe they can get one at this stage, according to Keim.

It's good news for a team woefully soft on the ground in 2015—one that needs a big body for the mixer in the trenches. But it isn't just about run defense. Generating more big plays on the pass rush would be welcome.

Enter Sheldon Day. Notre Dame's cat-quick gap penetrator has the first-step quickness, low centre of gravity and playmaking instincts to live in opposing backfields at the pro level.

Sure, the 6'1", 293-pounder isn't the behemoth you'd usually want for the big-on-big grappling in the melting pot at the heart of the line of scrimmage. But don't get too caught up in 3-4 and 4-3 distinctions and demands.

Day fits in either scheme thanks to his ability as a natural 3-technique. There's room for a lineman who can dominate the guard-tackle B-gap in defensive coordinator Joe Barry's version of the 3-4. Like all one-gap versions of the scheme, Barry's blueprint needs a credible interior pass-rusher along the front.

In fact, the Redskins have been searching in vain for one for a while. Jason Hatcher couldn't deliver after arriving in 2014 fresh off a Pro Bowl campaign. Neither could Stephen Paea—McCloughan's big-ticket item in last year's free-agency period—who went on to record a mere 1.5 sacks in 2015.

Don't expect too much from latest veteran arrival Ziggy Hood, either. The 29-year-old has just 12.5 career sacks since the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the first round in 2009.

Day's got the pass-rushing skills Washington's D needs on the inside. He just needs to stay healthy after being serially dinged up during his time with the Irish. But with a clean bill of health, Day is a game-wrecker.

McCloughan has waited long enough. Now's the time to finally address the state of things up front.

Round 5, Pick 158: Kelvin Taylor, RB, Florida

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Taylor still has steal potential.

Some team that takes a chance on Kelvin Taylor is going to get a steal. Why shouldn't it be the Redskins? After all, Washington has the inside scoop on this backfield gem from his former Gators teammate Matt Jones.

What big No. 31 should have told his employers is how Taylor is naturally shifty, shrewd and imaginative whenever he's toting the rock. He never makes a move that doesn't make sense—cutting on a dime, getting low when he needs to and staying patient to trust both his blocks and the play call.

The absence of field-stretching speed is the worry after he clocked a 4.60 in the 40 at the combine. Injuries are also a concern due to the "ankle and hamstring issues" that often disrupted his time with the Gators, according to CBS Sports' Dane Brugler.

But Taylor's durability rate was never a major problem; nor should the amount of rocket fuel in his feet concern the Redskins. This is a savvy runner who compensates with his intuitive feel for where to take a play.

Washington needs to come out of this draft with a back who can complement Jones. Taylor is the dream fit for a key rotational role.

Round 6, Pick 187: Ron Thompson, DE, Syracuse

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Thompson's potential as a pass-rusher should intrigue Washington.

When you take down opposing quarterbacks just 38 times in a season, you need to find ways of boosting your pass rush. It becomes doubly important when a team shifts an edge-rusher to a new position the way the Redskins have with Trent Murphy.

Head coach Jay Gruden confirmed 2014's second-round pick, an outside rush end during his first two pro seasons, has now been moved down into the meat grinder, per CSNMidAtlantic.com's Rich Tandler:

"

Gruden did note that the Redskins had already added to their defensive line depth this offseason. He confirmed that Murphy, who has been an outside linebacker since being drafted in the second round two years ago, is now with the defensive linemen full time. So they have added a young (Murphy is 25) player into the mix on the line.

"

Sliding Murphy more directly into the trenches reduces the number of edge players at Barry's disposal. The problem snaps into focus when you consider Junior Galette is still recovering from a torn Achilles.

Since most of the pressure in a 3-4 scheme comes from its edge players, the Redskins would be wise to take a chance on Ron Thompson during Day 3. He's got the exact build and natural flexibility to line up on either side of the formation and rush the passer.

Thompson played all over the front during his time with the Orange, including some snaps inside at D-tackle. But as Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has described, this is an obvious conversion project to a role standing up: "Thompson might be slotted as a defensive end, but I see him as an instinctive 3-­4 edge-rusher who can put a hand in the ground in sub-packages."

Thompson would have an excellent chance of making the roster as immediate cover for Ryan Kerrigan, a fit-again Galette and burgeoning second-year rush end Preston Smith, giving this pick tremendous value.

Round 7, Pick 232: Nile Lawrence-Stample, NT, Florida State

Mark Wallheiser/Associated Press

Lawrence-Stample is the big man in the middle Washington's D-line needs.

It's a good thing the Redskins are confident in the depth of this D-line class. It means the team can wait as long as the final round before selecting the big-bodied run-stuffer Barry's front is currently missing.

Fortunately, Nile Lawrence-Stample fits the bill perfectly. In fact, it's a rather tight fit for the 6'1", 320-pounder who offers natural pro-ready nose tackle size.

A defense ranked 26th against the run a year ago and 31st in average yards per carry surrendered can't go into the new season without a big man in the middle. It doesn't matter how little time Washington spends in its base three-man line; the Redskins still need a magnet for double-teams who will block out the sun and create free attack lanes for inside linebackers in the guard-center-guard box.

Lawrence-Stample is a mammoth lane-clogger who keeps blockers on their spots while keeping his linebackers clean. No, he won't feast on quarterbacks, nor will he make a ton of tackles in the backfield.

But Lawrence-Stample will happily do the lonely, unfashionable, but necessary work every successful run defense is built on. Like it or not, the Redskins are going to need someone to do that work in 2016. Ricky Jean Francois won't provide it, nor will Chris Baker, who has always been better at end.

But somebody had better hold things together in the middle. Otherwise, two games against the hated rival Dallas Cowboys, as well as meetings with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers—teams blessed with brute-force O-lines and punishing running backs—will turn into the stuff nightmares are made of for last season's NFC East champs.

McCloughan shouldn't worry about Lawrence-Stample's two-down limitations. He shouldn't worry about the pectoral problem that ruined his penultimate season with the Seminoles.

Instead, Washington's GM should just snap up this hulking, late-round gem.

Round 7, Pick 242: Mike Matthews, C, Texas A&M

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Matthews is a swing lineman who could develop well in Washington.

Mike Matthews has all the traits to go from final-round afterthought to potential valuable contributor in Washington.

First, his versatility has to appeal to a team needing better depth at every spot along the offensive line. Being able to play over the ball, as well as both guard spots, will give this former Aggies road-grader an excellent shot of making and sticking on the roster.

Second, the lineage of being the son of Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews means Mike has the innate traits to make it in the pros. He just needs good coaching—the kind of superior teaching Washington's lineman whisperer Bill Callahan would provide.

Under Callahan's careful tutelage, Matthews would become relevant on the depth chart as obvious competition for incumbent pivot man Kory Lichtensteiger. He'd also work as depth behind starting left guard Shawn Lauvao.

Injuries to both veterans stymied Callahan's plans somewhat in 2015. Washington can avoid similar problems with better options from the bench—options a mauler like Matthews was born to provide.