Welcome back to the B&G Report. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the last post and you’re into draft analysis, you’ll enjoy the last Q & A. I received some great questions and look forward to more as we lead up to the 2018 NFL Draft.
Today though we shine the Rookie Spotlight on Redskins Center Chase Roullier. The Wyoming University lineman played Guard and Center while in college. After injuries mounted on the Skins offensive line, the Rookie ceased the opportunity to show what he could do. Former starting Center Spencer Long, previously switched from LG to center out of necessity and dealt with injuries all year. Long is a FA and the Skins could bring him back to fill the vacant LG spot, but Chase looks to have locked down the starting Center position for now.
Playing at Wyoming
The Redskins selected 6’4 315 pound G/C Chase Roullier 199th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Roullier hails from Saint Paul Minnesota, which is a breeding ground for great High School Offensive Lineman. He was selected exactly where talent evaluators had him going, between the 5th-6th rounds. His level of competition while at Wyoming has been questioned. Roullier played LG his first two years at Wyoming and was the backup center as well. His final year is when Chase made the switch to Center, helping Wyoming and his soon to be a top 25 NFL Draft pick QB Josh Allen reach the 2016 Mountain West Championship Game. The Saint Paul Native paved the way, for a strong run/pass game for a Cowboys team that had low expectations. Wyoming and Josh Allen never recovered after losing Roullier and finished the year at 8-5, with the weakest schedule they’ve had in years. An early season interview with Wyoming QB Josh Allen spoke volumes, when he mentioned how losing Roullier would be a big adjustment. The fact that Chase only played one year as the starting Center and Allen had such admiration for him, amplifies Allen’s comments about the Redskins Center.
Outlook
Prior to Thanksgiving Chase Roullier had minor surgery on his fractured middle finger and was out for a few games. He’s been active the last couple weeks during the Skins winning streak and has looked good. He’s avoided the costly false starts, bad snaps and basic miscues that are common with rookie offensive lineman. Cousins has publicly voiced his pleasure with the emergence of the former 6th round Wyoming Center. The kid is built to anchor the O-line with a huge lower body and is technically sound. Although Chase only put up 19 bench reps at the NFL Combine, he’s very strong and coaches say he has the frame to put on more weight. With one game to go vs the NY Giants, Chase looks to continue to gain valuable game experience. Although the Giants have had a horrible year, their defense is still capable of pushing the pocket and making plays. Roullier will face a challenge with the bruising Giants D-Line. Going forward, Roullier seems to have solved the revolving door at center that’s occurred over the last decade plus. The Skins O-Line looks to be the strength of the team heading into the offseason. Drafting or signing a LG seems to be a top 5 need for the Skins in order to solidify “Hog 2.0”, I hate that they use that reference by the way. Roullier is another late round gem found by this Skins scouting department. I believe that Doug Williams and Co deserve a lot of credit, after the turmoil that occurred when GM Scott McCloughan was fired. Especially all the free agents that were signed, after the Skins were decimated by injuries this year. The future is bright for the young Center and the Redskins Offensive Line, as long as they can stay healthy that is.
Final Thought
The Giants game is an opportunity for the Skins to finish on a high note and have a third consecutive season, without a losing record. I’m looking for rookies such as CB Fabian Moreau, WR Robert Davis, S Fish Smithson and TE Jeremy Sprinkle to get more playing time vs NY. I’m hopeful that the youngsters can show, they can be valuable contributors going forward. It’s been an crazy year for Skins fans and the Kirk Cousins drama isn’t going away anytime soon, but that’s life as a Redskins Fan!Thanks for checking out another edition of Skins Rookie Spotlight. Next up Draft Prospect Analysis will be in full swing! The B&G Report will be spending a lot of time breaking down mid-late round prospects, those are players that in fact form the nucleus of all NFL teams. Until next time Redskins Nation! HTTR🏹🏈
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