Welcome back to The B&G Report! It’s that time once again, when you ask your questions and I try my best to give a competent answer. This week the questions overwhelmingly took a turn towards Draft Prospects and of course Kirk Cousins. As far as Kirk goes, there’s not much to say until the Redskins offer him a contract, Tag him a 3rd time, Transition Tag him or let him move on. I was going to wait until after the Giants game to get into full fledge Draft Talk, but I received some great Draft questions. Enough of the jibba jabba, let’s get to it!
Jason in GA– “Looking forward to the next Draft Rookie Spotlight and want to plug Maryland Univ WR DJ Moore. In your opinion what are the positions the Redskins need to focus on in the upcoming draft?”
The B&G Report– Thanks for your question Jason. As far as DJ Moore goes, I’m still in the midst of going through later round prospects. I will definitely feature him in a future post though. As far as the Skins Draft needs go, that all depends on what happens with Cousins. Let’s just assume that Danny stops listening to his crony Allen and gives Kirk what he wants in a longterm deal. In this scenario a pass rusher and running back are their top two needs in my opinion. I know many fans will say a left guard, center and safety are bigger needs though. As far as Center goes, I really like Rookie ChaseRoullier (will be featured in the next Rookie Spotlight) and I believe he can solidify this position going forward. Decent Guards can be found in the mid rounds and the top safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James should be off the board when the Skins make the first pick. I really like Skins Rookie Safety Montae Nicholson, but the early injury issues concern me. I think the Skins do address those positions, but rounds 3-5 seem more appropriate. With one game to go, the Skins look to be picking between 14-18 in the upcoming Draft. At this point in the evaluation process I really like Kentucky’s OLB JoshAllen. At 6’5 230 he’s lean and his NFL comp is Chicago’s Leonard Floyd. He does have the frame to put in more weight though. Allen finished the year with 59 tackles, 7 sacks, 3 passesdefended, 1 int and 3 forcedfumbles. While those stats don’t scream 1st round talent, the same was said for his former teammate Steelers OLB Bud Dupree. Allen is a better prospect in my mind with more upside. He has great speed off the edge to compliment Kerrigan and Smith. Allen would most likely be a 3rd down pass rushing specialist his first year in the NFL, replacing free agent to be Junior Galette on the roster. His versatility is what sold me, as he can also play ILB. (YouTube below)
As far as finding a second round running back, Stanford’s Bryce Love is my early favorite. He averaged an astounding 8.6 yards per carry this year! He finished this past season with 2118 yards rushing and 19 TD’s. A draft evaluater adamantly disagreed with me recently on Twitter, stating that the Skins shouldn’t select him at all based on Chris Thompson being his comp. Even if that’s true, this kid is durable, has quick feet and has the big play ability that the Skins desperately need. Perine can still be decent, but I think it’s time the Skins invest in a top level back.(YouTube video below)
Charles from Delray, FL– “The entire Kirk situation is a mess. Even if they franchise him they will have to think about drafting an early round QB this year, who should they look at if they go 2nd/3rd round QB?”
The B&G Report– I agree this fiasco could have been avoided and now the Skins are in a bind. I’m getting the feeling that a contract will be offered to Cousins and if he declines they’ll let him walk. In saying that, I’m in the Baker Mayfield camp and love the kids tenacity! Unfortunately he’s rising in most draft experts eyes and with so many teams needing QB’s, I’m guessing he’s goes in the top 10 on Draft night. As we’ve seen over the years, the draft process is long and often previously unknown prospects are unearthed. That was most evident with Eagles Carson Wentz, being an unknown prospect in the early draft evaluation process. If I had to commit to a 2nd/3rd round QB I like at the moment, it has to be Missouri U’s Drew Lock. The Mizz QB could return for 1 more year, but his stats would be hard to duplicate. Lock is a true Gunslinger and finished the year with 3,964 passing yards 44 TD’s with 13 ints. Lock became the SEC All Time Passing Leader, but is still somehow an under the radar QB prospect. Jay Gruden could mold this kid into a terrific West Coast QB! Jay has been adamant that he wants more deep shots from his QB, Lock has an arm in which the ball jumps off beautifully! He will need a least a year before he could start, but a bridge QB will be needed regardless.(YouTube video below)
Amy in NC– “I was pretty sad after the Redskins were knocked out of playoff contention. I’m new to the draft process, but should the Redskins draft another tight end with Jordan Reed like skills, since Reed has shown he can’t stay healthy?”
The B&G Report– Well welcome and I hope I can give you a little clarity about the tight end position. I’ve heard many Skins fans say that TE isn’t a need, personally I don’t understand that train of thought. Jordan Reed has missed over 30% of the games since he was drafted. Vernon Davis flashed, but he’s better when Reed is the go to guy and the attention is off of him. Niles Paul is undersized and a free agent. I like rookie TE Jermey Sprinkle’s upside as a blocker and a red zone target, but he’s not a receiving weapon. So that brings us to the million dollar question, what to do with Reed? I think one more year is all he should get. Jordan needs to play at least 80% of the games in 2018 at a high level, otherwise it’s time to move on from his $10 million plus salary in 2019. It’s early in the draft process, but I really like UCLA’s Caleb Wilson. Wilson was UCLA’s top receiving threat and has been compared to Reed with his 4.6 speed and athleticism. Being UCLA’s top receiving threat as a tight speaks volume about is potential as an NFL pass catcher, especially with projected #1 overall UCLA QB Josh Rosen throwing him passes. Wilson was on pace for a great year with 490 yards and a TD this season, before an early season foot injury knocked him out for the year. He was previously projected as a possible 3rd rounder, but with the injury he could fall all the way to the 4th/5th round. I would stay away from tight ends in the early rounds of the draft though, but if Wilson is sitting there it would be a steal! So drafting a TE, at least needs to be in the Day 3 discussion.(YouTube video below)
Thanks for checking out The B&G Report. In the coming weeks the Draft Prospect talk will heat up! Stay tuned for the next edition of “RookieSpotlight” when Skins Center Chase Roullier is put under the microscope! HTTR🏹🏈
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