Redskins Draft Da'Ron Payne in 2018 NFL Draft; Joins Ex-Teammate Jonathan Allen

The Washington Redskins bolstered their run defense in a big way Thursday, when they selected former Alabama defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne No. 13 overall in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft.

After Payne's name was announced as Washington's pick, Twitter had a lot to say about the former Crimson Tide star on that defense:

Payne didn't put up particularly big numbers during his three seasons at Alabama, recording three sacks and five tackles for loss.

However, that was to be expected considering the Crimson Tide's scheme called for him to try to occupy an opposing guard and center in order to clear room for the team's athletic linebackers to crash down on ball-carriers and make plays.

Still, Payne made his presence felt quite a bit, as Pro Football Focus illustrated on Twitter: 

"He's thick and strong, but he's also a really good athlete, and I see his best football in front of him," an executive told NFL Media's Lance Zierlein.

At the next level, Payne should have a bit more flexibility in terms of how he operates. And at 6'3" and 311 pounds with a terrific combination of strength and quickness, he could live in opponents' backfields like he did against Georgia in the national title game.

"He's as talented a big guy [as] I've seen in a long time," Georgia head coach and former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart told ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough. "He's the one guy that I will put in the Marcell Dareus category that, when you run sprints, he can run with the DBs as well as he can the D-linemen."

Washington's defense finished 21st in yards allowed and tied for 27th in points allowed last season. One reason is because that group couldn't stop the run, allowing the fourth-most yards per carry (4.5) and most yards per game (134.1). 

Putting Payne on the interior of the defensive line, alongside former Alabama star Jonathan Allen, suddenly makes Washington look more formidable up front as it looks to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2015.