Washington Redskins rookie linebacker Cole Holcomb already has the attention of veteran leaders like Mason Foster.
It turns out Jay Gruden is the one who initially saw something in Holcomb.
Eric Shaffer, senior vice president of football operations, revealed the bit of background info, per Redskins.com:
“Jay Gruden does the work, he watches the tape. He’ll have strong opinions [on the players]. He was very instrumental in the Redskins drafting [Matt] Ioannidis and had some really strong opinions on guys this year. I think Cole Holcomb out of North Carolina was one of those guys that Jay really stood up for.”
Holcomb, a fifth-round rookie, impressed in workouts ahead of training camp. Call it a good sign, as he might be asked to play a bigger role than originally expected in the wake of the Reuben Foster injury.
Gruden has been adamant since the draft that it is all about coverage ability for linebackers. Holcomb can certainly do that, so it isn’t too surprising to learn he was one of the guys in the draft room pounding the table for him.
