As we inch towards the 2020 NFL Draft with less than a week to go until the clock starts ticking down on the first pick, anticipation has started to grow as the Washington Redskins anticipate to draft Ohio State defensive end Chase Young at No. 2 overall. Beyond the expected selection of Young, Washington will look to continue a growing trend that has been established over the past couple of years — one in which they have been able to identify significant value in the middle and later rounds of the draft, finding productive players who are able to put up numbers on a cheap contract.
Over the past five years, though, in which round have the Redskins been the most successful at identifying talent? That’s a question we set to figure out. Before we get started, however, it seems smart to set down a few basic rules for how to determine a winning round. Of course, finding a productive player in the first round is a heck of a lot easier than finding one in say, the sixth or seventh round; this leads us to add more value to a late-round pick who performs well — say Cole Holcomb — rather than a player who everyone thought would succeed — Montez Sweat. With that being said, here are the groups we are working with.
1st Round:
- Dwayne Haskins (2019)
- Montez Sweat (2019)
- Daron Payne (2018)
- Jonathan Allen (2017)
- Josh Doctson (2016)
- Brandon Scherff (2015)
2nd Round:
- Derrius Guice (2018)
- Ryan Anderson (2017)
- Su’a Cravens (2016)
- Preston Smith (2015)
3rd Round:
- Terry McLaurin (2019)
- Geron Christian (2018)
- Fabian Moreau (2017)
- Kendall Fuller (2016)
- Matt Jones (2015)
4th Round:
- Bryce Love (2019)
- Wes Martin (2019)
- Troy Apke (2018)
- Samaje Perine (2017)
- Montae Nicholson (2017)
- Jamison Crowder (2015)
- Arie Kouandjio (2015)
5th Round:
- Ross Pierschbacher (2019)
- Cole Holcomb (2019)
- Tim Settle (2018)
- Jeremy Sprinkle (2017)
- Matt Ioannidis (2016)
- Martrell Spaight (2015)
6th Round:
- Kelvin Harmon (2019)
- Shaun Dion Hamilton (2018)
- Chase Roullier (2017)
- Robert Davis (2017)
- Nate Sudfeld (2016)
- Kyshoen Jarrett (2015)
- Tevin Mitchell (2015)
- Evan Spencer (2015)
7th Round:
- Jimmy Moreland (2019)
- Jordan Brailford (2019)
- Greg Stroman (2018)
- Trey Quinn (2018)
- Josh Harvey-Clemons (2017)
- Joshua Holsey (2017)
- Steven Daniels (2016)
- Keith Marshalls (2016)
- Austin Reiter (2015)
Now that all of the cards are on the table, where does each round rank in respect to one another? Let’s break that down, starting with No. 7 — surprisingly, the first round of the draft.
No. 7 — Round One
You wouldn’t think that the first round of the draft is where the Redskins might struggle to find the most value, but I think it may be true. That isn’t to say that they’ve failed to draft any meaningful players in the first round; there are several first-rounders still on the roster who produce year-in and year-out. However, the problem here is that Washington has failed to find a complete game-changer in the first round during the past half-decade — someone who can completely change the outlook of your team. Allen, and Payne, and Scherff are all great pieces, but not one of them is a superstar. We’re still waiting to see just what Haskins and Sweat can become a couple of years down the road, but the selection of Doctson in 2016 set the team back a couple of years. The Redskins are fairly set when it comes to young talent on the roster, but most of the players came somewhere after the first round. Hopefully, Washington can turn this narrative around with the selection of Chase Young this year.
No. 6 — Seventh Round
Expectedly so, the seventh round ranks low on our list simply because it is extremely hard to find talent that late in the draft. By then, over 200 players have already come off the board, and you’re really just taking flyers on high-upside guys. That being said, the Redskins have still managed to find a few solid players in the final round over the years, with players like Jimmy Moreland, Trey Quinn, and Josh Harvey-Clemons getting some minutes as of late. Nonetheless, though, unless you hit on a major player this late in the draft, it’s hard to think too highly of it.
No. 5 —Fifth Round
At the very top, the Redskins found two of their bigger draft steals in the past decade in the fifth round with both Matt Ioannidis and Cole Holcomb — two players who had a huge impact on the defense in 2019 and are expected to get even better as their careers continue. But still, after those two players, it’s tough to find anyone else that excites you. Tim Settle? Fine. Jeremy Sprinkle? Bleh. Ross Pierschbacher? Who knows? Everyone may have fond memories of the fifth round in Washington, but I’d like to see at least one more steal before I crown it king of the rounds.
No. 4 — Sixth Round
The Redskins have been very good at spotting talent in the second-to-last round of the draft, with recent selections of both Kelvin Harmon and Shaun Dion Hamilton — both of whom have shown flashes of being really solid players once they get an opportunity to really perform. On top of that, Chase Roullier has established himself as a solid starting center and has been able to hold down the middle of the line well, and the same can be said for Nate Sudfeld, but as a mainstay on the special teams unit.
No. 3 — Second Round
Ranking the final three rounds was very difficult, as the Redskins have been able to find great value in each of them over the past five years. In the end, the fact that Washington has only had four second-round picks in that time causes it to fall to third in our rankings, though it gave second place a run for its money. We’ve all seen what Derrius Guice can do when he’s healthy, and Ryan Anderson sprung onto the scene in 2019 as well, earning a bigger role for himself in the future. Before he left in free agency, Preston Smith was also a great player on the front line for the Redskins, earning him a nice pay-day with the Green Bay Packers. The lone outlier here is Su’a Cravens, who had a load of issues with Washington before his surprise retirement announcement a week before the season. That’s hard to knock the team for, though, as he seemed to have quite a bit of talent had he not been a head case.
No. 2 — Fourth Round
Washington has found some really solid players in the fourth round, and as a whole, it will start to look a lot better still if both Bryce Love and Wes Martin can play up to their high expectations a couple of years down the road. Jamison Crowder is obviously the reigning king of this group, and he stands as probably the best WR the Redskins have had this decade, until Terry McLaurin came around in 2019. Unfortunately, he left in free agency last year, but his value rose to the level of a fourth-round compensatory pick coming in return of his departure. Circle of life, huh?
No. 1 — Third Round
Call it recency bias — call it whatever you want. The selection of Terry McLaurin in the third round of last year’s draft definitely played a part in us ranking it at the top of the classes, but it’s not without good reason. Beyond the steal of McLaurin and his ridiculous rookie season, the Redskins also pick up players like Kendall Fuller and Fabian Moreau in this round as well. Fuller is thankfully back after being traded away for Alex Smith, and Fabian is expected to see an increased role in the secondary this year, where hopefully he can step up. Another part of the decision to rank the third round as our most valuable has something to do with 2020 as well. The Redskins don’t have a second-round pick this year, meaning they will have to rely on a steal in the third-round to greatly improve their roster. My bet is that they can grab a great player who can have an instant impact. The history shows it’s possible.
