After the much-needed front office change at the end of 2019, the Washington Redskins are currently operating without a general manager.
They don’t seem to be any worse for the ware, with Kyle Smith, the VP of Player Personnel, heading up the pyramid power chart in the front office. Smith, who was in charge of running the past two NFL Drafts for the Redskins, as well as leading the scouting charge at this year’s Senior Bowl, seems to have his finger on the right pulse and has led some in the building to say that the team “is in good hands,” according to The Athletic.
His work on the draft has also led new head coach Ron Rivera to take notice, and feel comfortable with where things are heading in Washington.
“The thing that really stood out in my mind is just how many of those players have played as starters and competed in meaningful snaps,” Rivera said during an interview Thursday with “The Team” 980 radio station. “It was a big number. You see the big number, and you see how much those guys have played as they did you feel positive about what those (scouts) have done in terms of scouting players, picking players, and those players (becoming) what they anticipated them being.”
It’s hard to argue with the results. ESPN ranked the Redskins as the No. 1 most productive rookie class in 2019, headlined by Terry McLaurin, Dwayne Haskins, and Montez Sweat. Now, going forward, they are set up for another slam dunk in the draft with the No. 2 overall pick, where Smith can either choose to take Ohio State’s Chase Young or trade the pick for a heaping haul.
The team has been relatively quiet when it comes to hiring a GM down the road, but there was mention that they would wait until April’s draft is in the rearview mirror. That gives Smith a couple more months to prove that he’s the man for the job, and a solid draft in a couple months will seal the deal.
