Top 6 Best-Case Draft Picks for Washington Redskins in 2018 NFL Draft
Adding their quarterback of the future or bolstering a burgeoning front seven? It's the question facing the Washington Redskins ahead of the 2018 NFL draft.
The Redskins will pick 15th in the opening round at the time of writing, so they'll have a good chance to add a day-one starter at any of their main positions of need. Included in the best options is a quarterback built to make all the throws needed at the NFL level.
Of course, Washington would likely only take a quarterback off the board in Round 1 if Kirk Cousins opts to enter free agency. If not, the Redskins would be free to retool other areas, with fortifying a defensive line ready to be one of the league's most formidable among their best options.
The D-line isn't the only unit needing help, though. Washington could use another playmaker at inside linebacker, as well as a more versatile safety. Fortunately, two top prospects should be on the board when the Burgundy and Gold come to make their selection.
Find out which six players represent the best-case picks for the Redskins next April.
Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College
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The Redskins have one game-changing pass-rusher in Ryan Kerrigan, but little in the way of support for No. 91. Harold Landry would be the bookend Washington has been struggling to find for Kerrigan since 2011.
Landry has all the attributes needed to be a consistent menace off the edge at the pro level. He boasts the takeoff speed, long arms and closing quickness to log sacks in bunches.
As a pure athlete, Landry already exceeds Redskins incumbents Preston Smith, Junior Galette and Trent Murphy. The Boston College star's instincts for getting to the passer are also sharper, even if his numbers have nosedived this season.
To underline Washington's need for another dominant edge-rusher, Galette and Smith have combined for 11 sacks this season, the same number Kerrigan has managed by himself.
Landry recorded 16.5 sacks in 2016, but he only has five to his credit in the FBS this year. The drop in production is a worry, but Landry's natural instincts for getting to the passer are keen enough to believe his numbers would rise again with the right coaching at the next level.
Adding Landry alongside Kerrigan, and having the pair bookend Jonathan Allen and late-season pleasant surprise Anthony Lanier, would give the Redskins a swarming front four that offenses would fear.
Roquan Smith, ILB, Georgia
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Drafting an inside linebacker in the first round wouldn't be a mere luxury pick for the Redskins. Instead, it may be an imperative for the NFC East outfit, such is the potential dearth of talent at the position.
Zach Brown proved a steal as a free-agent arrival before injury ruled him out after 13 starts. Brown only joined the Redskins on a one-year contract, but this franchise has to bring him back.
Bringing Brown back is crucial because none of Mason Foster, Will Compton nor Martrell Spaight have proved they can handle a starting job. Injuries and a lack of elite athleticism and size make all three major question marks.
Those questions mean a prospect such as Georgia's Roquan Smith must be on Washington's radar headed toward the draft's first round.
Initially, I was dubious about Smith's meagre 6'1" and 225-pound frame, a view borne from thinking of the Redskins as only a 3-4 team. Yet there's no guarantee Washington will retain the scheme Mike Shanahan employed back in 2010.
For one thing, playing the 3-4 has never led to Washington fielding a dominant defense in eight seasons. There can also be no guarantee about the future of the current staff, one tied to the 3-4.
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has overseen a unit ranked 26th in points allowed and 21st for yards surrendered. Manusky is a member of head coach Jay Gruden's staff, but Gruden's future also has to be in doubt after failing to make the playoffs for a third season out of four.
Smith would fit in Washington, even in a 3-4 system, provided the front was tweaked to include more one-gap principles so the inside linebackers would be covered up. However, his best fit would be on the weak side of a 4-3 unit.
Given how often teams adopt four-man fronts and stay in nickel packages in today's NFL, Smith's sideline-to-sideline quicks and range in coverage would be invaluable. He's a true athlete who would stay on the field for all three downs in the big league.
Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
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The Redskins wisely added a bluechip lineman from Alabama in this year's draft when they took Jonathan Allen off the board 17th overall. Sadly, foot surgery cost Allen his rookie season after just five games.
Allen proved a big miss, but even a small sample showed the difference a true playmaker can provide up front. The same difference is why another Alabama trench warrior, tackle Da'Ron Payne, would be a great pick for Washington.
Payne has the leverage at 6'2" to operate over the ball and play low. Working for Nick Saban in Mobile means Payne is accomplished enough to play multiple techniques along the front, so he'd add scheme flexibility to Washington's playbook.
Like some of the members of the Tide drafted in recent years, Payne is never going to be the feature attraction in a highlight reel. Yet just like Jarran Reed, selected in the second round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, Payne will excel doing the dirty work every defense needs to function effectively.
Reed is a player the Redskins should have drafted, but the decision to pass on him has undermined their defensive front ever since. The feeble efforts to match up with the Dallas Cowboys' beefy offensive line this season can be traced back to the decision not to invest in more young talent up front.
A winning program can only start with the Redskins bossing their own division. It won't happen unless Washington's defense is big and nasty enough to own the line of scrimmage against the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
Putting Payne next to Allen would represent a big step toward building the bully the rest of the East will fear.
Payne should be on the board in the middle of the first round, with Walter Football sending him to the Oakland Raiders 12th overall after previously having him go to Washington one pick later.
Given 2018's draft class will be loaded with quality defensive tackles such as Vita Vea, Maurice Hurst and Christian Wilkins, the Redskins have a great chance to quietly land Payne, arguably the most pro-ready of the bunch.
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Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama
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No position on defense has been waiting for an infusion of genuine game-breaking talent longer than safety. It's a persistent dilemma another Alabama star could solve.
Minkah Fitzpatrick would be a steal for Washington in Round 1, thanks to a diverse set of skills perfect for today's defensive playbooks. Fitzpatrick can play at every level of a unit, making him the perfect weapon for a creative coordinator.
Being able to play single-high safety, in the box or as a slot cornerback makes Fitzpatrick the dream ticket for an aggressive brand of defense. He's physical enough to jam receivers at the line, stuff the run or destroy the pocket on the blitz.
The Redskins haven't had a defensive back with this joker-style set of skills at any point in this decade. Nearly eight years in, Washington's defense still needs help at various spots in the secondary.
Free safety is one such questionable position, despite the presence of D.J. Swearinger. The 26-year-old is better suited as a strong safety anyway, a position also needing help, even if Su'a Cravens hinted he may return to football in 2018, per John Keim of ESPN.com.
Slot cornerback will also need a fresh choice or two if Bashaud Breeland finds a new home during free agency. Breeland leaving would create an opening at one starting spot on the outside. It's a place Kendall Fuller could fill after a sensational second season that has seen him snatch four interceptions.
McKenzie would take Fuller's role next season, but the chances of him being available by the mid-point of the opening round are slimmer than the other prospects on this list.
He'll go fourth-overall to the San Francisco 49ers, according to Luke Easterling of USA Today's DraftWire. Easterling still has Washington taking a safety in the form of Derwin James, yet the Florida State star doesn't boast Fitzpatrick's versatility.
Landing the can-do-all defensive back would be a dream scenario for the Redskins.
Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
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Wide receiver may appear a more pressing concern after the failure to replace DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon in 2017, but drafting a running back in the first round would make more sense for Washington.
Although Terrelle Pryor Sr. proved a bust as a free agent recruited to help the Redskins forget Jackson, Washington still boasts talent at the position. Jamison Crowder continues to make strides as a versatile burner over the middle, while Josh Doctson has showcased some of the big-play potential the Burgundy and Gold deemed worthy of a first-round pick in 2016.
Ryan Grant's sure hands mean the Redskins have enough to work with at wideout. The free-agent class at the position can also offer more riches than the upcoming draft class, with Jarvis Landry of the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers ace Davante Adams names to consider.
Options aren't as bountiful for the Redskins at running back, neither on the roster, nor the veteran market. Of the incumbents, none of Rob Kelly, Samaje Perine or even Chris Thompson can be the dependable and dynamic bell-cow back Washington has lacked for too long.
What the Redskins needs is a legitimate workhorse capable of taking over games and wearing out defenses on a weekly basis. Aside from Le'Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the free-agent market won't offer a lead back.
It means taking a player like Derrius Guice off the board would be a best-case way for the Redskins to finally fortify their running game. The LSU back is a slashing-style runner with the power to thrive between the tackles, as well as the breakaway speed to be a major threat on the edges.
Guice is averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per carry for the Tigers this season, evidence of his big-play talent and ability to handle a heavy workload. The question is will Guice enter the draft?
He has chosen to leave the question open after posting a message about his future at Baton Rouge on Instagram (h/t Christopher Dabe of The Times-Picayune). If Guice declares, there won't be many better options for Washington's first-round pick.
Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
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Josh Allen may be the most sensible of the projected first-round quarterbacks the Redskins can pick next year. He's a physical specimen at 6'5" and 233 pounds, one with the cannon of an arm to make all the throws NFL coaches want to see.
Those are the plus points of Allen's game, but the negatives involve diminished statistical output during 2017. However, ESPN.com's Dan Graziano noted how Allen's "coaching staff and the NFL scouting community seem to blame that on the deterioration of the rest of the Cowboys' roster due to the departures of so many of his weapons prior to the season."
The Redskins will have a strong chance in the sweepstakes to land Allen in Round 1. Almost every mock draft in the land, including Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, has UCLA's Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold of USC as the first two quarterbacks to come off the board.
Allen would only make sense as a first-round pick if Cousins doesn't return. Considering the options are handing No. 8 a third franchise tag in a row or paying top dollar to secure a long-term contract, it's possible the Redskins will be quarterback-needy come draft time.
Washington scored big with two of its last three first-round picks, with Brandon Scherff and a healthy Allen set to be mainstays on each side of the ball. The jury is still out on Doctson, even if his potential is clear.
The Redskins need another instant-impact player from 2018's draft to bolster one of the remaining holes on the roster, with running back, middle linebacker, safety and potentially quarterback the most pressing.
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