Washington Redskins Put the Cherry on Top With 2018 NFL Draft Picks

Washington Redskins fans should feel good about the 2018 NFL Draft

Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said before the 2018 NFL Draft that the franchise felt good about the team they already had.

A slippery statement to make as a head coach in the NFL, Gruden implies that the talent is there so any criticism regarding a lack of success should be directed at the coaching.

Unquestionably a bold comment, but a true one. Washington had so many players go down to injury last year that it was difficult to gauge how good the team was. Or, who the team was for that matter. However, Gruden, Doug Williams, and Bruce Allen obviously know what they have, if the team can stay healthy.

The Redskins went into the draft needing very little, other than depth, which always seems to be in short supply. Specifically, they needed to come away with a monster in the middle to help stop the run and a running back to juice up the running game.

Everyone and their grandmother knew the Skins first pick was going to be either defensive tackle Vita Vea or Da’Ron Payne. With Vea off the board, the pick was Payne. /

In the second round, again, no secret here, the Redskins were going to target a running back. The surprise was that LSU star Derrius Guice was still available. Most assumed that Washington was going to be drafting one of the Georgia running backs, Sony Michel or Nick Chubb. As they were both off the board by the time the Skins made their pick it was a Godsend that Guice was still there. And, just like that, after two picks, the Redskins had taken care of any perceived critical needs.

Picks three through seven were all excellent picks. Although, after grabbing day one starters in the first two rounds, the next five picks were spent addressing the lack of depth that sealed the team’s fate last year. I was particularly impressed with their third-round pick. Geron Christian gave the team what it so desperately needed last year, a quality swing tackle. This pick may prove to be the equivalent of drafting a starting left guard as it will allow Ty Nyshke to bounce inside. Anyone who can’t see that coming just isn’t paying attention.

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Nyshke will excel at left guard. Inserting the 6’8 340-pound lineman next to perennial All-Pro Trent Williams will fortify the left side of the line in terms of pass protection, as well as busting open some running lanes for Guice, Perine, and Thompson.

Fans will remember that the Redskins have used this same approach in the past. It was incredibly effective in short yardage situations. With Nyshke’s pass protection skills, there is no reason this can’t be the solution, and a good one, at left guard.

Getting a third-round pick was a pleasant surprise for Skins fans. Getting a talented swing tackle was especially gratifying. However, with or without that skilled move by the Washington war room, the Redskins were always going to take a safety in the fourth round. This one pick had everyone puzzled. There were sure to be some talented safeties available but most if not all of the big names lacked the ideal speed that Washington needed to add to their safety group. The Redskins surprised some of us by picking Troy Apke out of Penn State.

Apke lit up the combine by posting a 41 inch vertical and 4.35 40 yard dash, famously prompting Prime Time Deion Sanders to congratulate Apke by enthusiastically acknowledging, “My Man can run run!”

JACKSONVILLE, FL – JANUARY 02: Jay Rome #87 of the Georgia Bulldogs is defended by Troy Apke #28 of the Penn State Nittany Lions while attempting to catch a pass during the TaxSlayer Bowl game at EverBank Field between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Penn State Nittany Lions on January 2, 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /

Washington is recognizing how much confidence they have in their defensive back coaches by giving them a kid with these kinds of measurables and telling them to make an NFL safety out of him. This may be one of the more compelling selections made by Washington as Apke will be expected to fill the fifth safety position. There is currently no other option, so the Skins need this guy to get up to speed quickly.

The players chosen after Apke could all very well end up on the practice squad although anything is possible in training camp.

Shaun Dion Hamilton is a player I think everyone likes. Drafting a linebacker out of Alabama in the sixth round can only draw so much scrutiny. Still, I don’t see who he beats out. There might be a spot for him eventually but I think Washington took him knowing, absent one of the other linebackers getting hurt, he’s going to start his tenure on the practice squad. The Skins inside linebacker group are an impressive group. At 28 years old the fact that 6’1 250 pound Zach Brown still runs sub 4.4 40s is mind-numbing.

The Redskins 5th round pick Tim Settle was undoubtedly a best-player-available selection, and an “I can’t believe he’s available” pick. The construction of the defensive line promises to be fascinating.

The end product should be daunting but, absent Settle starting off on the practice squad, the last spot on the D-line roster could be in jeopardy for fan favorite and locker room leader, Ziggy Hood. The competition should be intense.

I had picked Trey Quin as the Redskins final seventh-round pick in my mock draft. One of only two selections I got right. Quin is good, and if he excels in camp, he could give Mo Harris a run for his money. But, I don’t see it happening.

Washington’s wide receiver corp, though more potential than production to this point, is busting at the seams with potential. The Skins seem determined to give some of these guys a chance to be primary pieces of their offense. The role Quin could fill would be that of back up slot receiver to Jamison Crowder.

Unless Quin adds some impressive special teams performances to his resume, the position of backup slot receiver can be manned from the practice squad.