Washington Redskins Have The Rookie of the Year Sleeper
By Erik Lambert
The Washington Redskins were believed to have one of the quieter solid drafts this offseason. This despite the turmoil regarding former GM Scot McCloughan.
Of course nobody would think that any of their picks would standout as potential Rookie of the Year candidates. Jonathan Allen, though a really good football player isn’t known for his gaudy stats and will be playing a position at 3-4 defensive end that traditionally isn’t known for them. Not unless you’re J.J. Watt, and he isn’t. That being said, somebody should’ve told NFL.com that the Redskins didn’t have a candidate to challenge for instant success.
Making out their list of potential Rookie of the Year candidates, the name they plucked out for offensive sleeper? None other than Washington 4th round pick Samaje Perine, the running back out of Oklahoma. Though Joe Mixon was the big name coming from that school, many felt Perine could be a potential feature back in his own right.
"“The fourth-round pick (No. 114 overall) must unseat “Fat Rob” Kelly for the RB1 job, but he could flourish as the starter behind Washington’s monstrous offensive line. Perine is a big, downhill runner perfectly suited for playing in the power-based scheme. The 5-foot-11, 233-pound banger runs through contact and punishes defenders at the ends of runs with his violent style. With the Redskins looking to lighten the load on Kirk Cousins as the veteran quarterback breaks in a revamped WR corps, Perine’s role as RB1 — provided he can swipe the gig, of course — could lead to a surprising 1,000-yard season from a bruising back.”"
Despite receiving limited carries at times for the Sooners, Perine made the most of his opportunities. He never rushed for fewer than 1,000 yards in any of his seasons. This includes 2016 where he only played 10 games and only got 196 carries. He averaged a healthy 6.0 yards per carry for his career. Clearly there’s enough evidence to suggest this guy can produce.
As stated in the quote it all comes down to whether they give him the opportunity. No doubt Washington wants to run the football more in order to ease the pressure on Kirk Cousins and his retooled receiving corps. That makes the preseason a prime battleground to see who can win the job.