Jay Gruden and the Redskins have been rebuilding for years. Now, after two consecutive very solid drafts, the finished product is starting to take shape.

When Jay Gruden rolled into D.C. five years ago, he knew right away the team he inherited needed to be completely rebuilt in order to compete.

Jay Gruden had been involved in football at the highest levels far too long to convince himself that the current roster was good enough to compete in what had been historically one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.

For some perspective let’s take a look at the starting offense for the Skins that year. Robert Griffin III was still the starting QB and Alfred Morris the starting running back. Knowing what we know now, that by itself was at least adequate.

DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garçon added credibility to the wideout positions, and Jordan Reed was a tight end with tremendous upside.

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The O-line however, is where things started to break down. Trent Williams was still there and played tremendously. But the right tackle position was manned by Tyler Polumbus and Tom Compton – not good enough. Kory Litchensteiger was the starting center. Chris Chester was the starting right guard, and Shawn Lauvao had been brought in to compete against Josh LeRibeus at the RG position.

A look at the other side of the line of scrimmage certainly alarmed the new coach even more. The D-line was led by Chris Baker who did have a couple of good years with the Skins. But, he definitely did not possess the kind of talent to do it by himself, and that was essentially what was being asked of him. The D-linemen on either side of him were Jason Hatcher, well past his prime, and Stephen Bowen. This crew was never going to get it done, and they didn’t.

LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 29: Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins sacks quarterback Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at FedEx Field on October 29, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Kerrigan was solid at one outside linebacker position but because Brian Orakpo couldn’t stay healthy, Kerrigan’s counterpart at the other OLB position usually alternated between Rob Jackson and Adam Hayward, uh, no. The inside linebackers flashed some brief potential but faded away rather quickly. Perry Riley and Keenan Robinson left fans waiting for them to play to their potential. In never happened.

Hall had one cornerback position locked down, but David Amerson was a colossal disappointment. Add to the mix safeties Ryan Clark, (tenure number two), Brandon Meriweather, Phillip Thomas and Jose Gumbs, and you had the makings of a porous defense that broke the hearts of Redskins fans week after week.

Thus began the rebuild. It started slowly enough as the only remaining player from the 2014 draft is Morgan Moses. He joins Trent Williams, Jordan Reed, and Ryan Kerrigan as the sole surviving starters from the 2014 team.

The 2015 draft fared much better. Brandon Scherff has been dominant at RG since day one, and Preston Smith and Jamison Crowder have been excellent, though not as consistent as Scherff. Arie Kouandijo is still with the team, after a brief stint in Baltimore last year, and Martrell Spaight continues to flash an equal measure of brilliance and inconsistency.

The team stumbled a bit in the 2016 draft as only two members of that draft class remain Redskins. Although, those two players, Matt Ioannidis and Josh Doctson, despite slow starts to their careers, look to be very strong starters going into the 2018 season.

The 2017 draft is what turned things around for the Redskins. All 10 of their draft picks made the team, and each of them started at least one game last year- amazing. Furthermore, that draft class will see at least four players start for the team this year. And, even if that number doesn’t end up being 5 or 6, or more, all ten will see significant playing time.

The Redskins’ first pick in the 2017 draft, Jonathon Allen, will start at DE. Montae Nicholson, the 4th round safety, will start alongside Swearinger at Safety. Nicholson, if healthy, has All-Pro potential. Chase Roullier, a sixth-round pick will start at Center for the Skins this year. Additionally, TE Jeremy Sprinkle will play so much this year that he might as well be considered a starter. The same can be said of CB Josh Holsey. Holsey, a seventh-round pick last year, and a four-year starter at Auburn is talented enough to beat out Orlando Scandrick at slot corner.

LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 24: Outside linebacker Ryan Anderson #52 tackles wide receiver Seth Roberts #10 of the Oakland Raiders at FedExField on September 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Last year’s draft also boasts second-round pick Ryan Anderson. The Redskins confirmed their confidence in Anderson by completely ignoring the position in this year’s draft. Samaje Perine will back up Derrius Guice and I expect he will impress given the opportunity. The pair certainly has the ability to wear out opposing defenses.

The other players drafted last year are equally impressive. It would surprise no one if 3rd round pick Fabian Moreau beat out Quenton Dunbar for one of the starting CB positions. Although I have to admit, I think Dunbar is terrific. Additionally, Robert Davis, 6’3 220, who ran a 4.44 forty yard dash at the combine is my wild card pick to eventually lock down one of the starting WR spots, although that may not be until next year. And finally, Josh Harvey-Clemons, a Safety turned linebacker who, in my opinion, will play as many snaps this year as any other player linebacker on the team except Zach Brown. At 6’4 230 pounds, Clemons runs a 4.5 forty. He’ll see playing time this year at multiple positions. He is the kind of athletic freak that could post impressive totals in tackles, sacks, and interceptions.

Those ten players, taken in the 2017 draft, constitute what I believe is the best draft in Washington Redskin history. At the conclusion of that draft, the Redskins had to feel that the rebuild was almost complete. Still, they were missing a few critical pieces. And they knew they weren’t going anywhere until those pieces were in place.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – DECEMBER 31: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins looks to throw a pass during the first half of their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 31, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images) /

They needed a QB and some elite deep speed on their WR group. They resolved those issues through free agency by picking up Alex Smith and Paul Richardson respectively. Smith had the highest QB rating in the NFL last year and, unlike his predecessor, the16th rated QB in the league according to ESPN’s Top 100 Players of 2018, Kirk Cousins, Smith seems thrilled to be a part of this team. In Richardson, they locked in the kind of blazing speed not seen in a Redskin uniform since DeSean Jackson and the 6-10 games a year he would suit up or the team.

Which brings us to the 2018 draft. Washington had two glaring needs to fill, and they took care of those needs right out of the gate. Incidentally, I predicted Ty Nyshke’s move to RG back in January, so I did not include LG as a glaring need. I believe Nyshke will excel playing next to Trent Williams. Nyshke’s size, 6’8, 345 pounds would impede a lesser quarterback’s ability to survey the field but won’t be an issue for a seasoned veteran like Alex Smith.

ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: A video board displays an image of Da’Ron Payne of Alabama after he was picked #13 overall by the Washington Redskins during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

In round one they fixed their woeful run defense by selecting the top run stopper in the draft in Alabama’s DaRon Payne. The Redskins now have on their roster the DT, DE, OLB, and ILB that played together on an Alabama team that won the National Championship when they beat Clemson three years ago. The Tide has of course been back to the National Championship every year since, winning it again this year.

In round two the Skins addressed the other need when they selected the second best running back in the country, Derrius Guice. Guice was projected to go in the first round. His fall to Washington in the second round at pick number 59 is almost as stunning as picking up Jonathon Allen, a projected top 5 pick, at 17 last year. When Doug Williams mused that the football gods were smiling on them this year he was remiss by not acknowledging that those gods have smiled on the Redskins for two consecutive drafts. In fact, last year they didn’t just smile, they laughed out loud.

HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 17: Offensive lineman Geron Christian /

The remaining draft picks made by the Redskins this year were very smart, strong selections. Geron Christian is an excellent offensive tackle that spent his time at Louisville playing in an offense designed to move him around to play on both the right and the left side of the line. His film demonstrates that he does both very well. I could see him starting for the Redskins for many years once Trent or Morgan move on. Until then, he adds quality depth and versatility at two positions that struggled due to injuries last year.

Troy Apke is super freaky as an athlete. His combine numbers dazzle. The Penn State safety posted a 41 inch vertical and a 4.32 forty. Some thought he was a smidge of a reach. I disagree. It doesn’t matter that he was listed to be selected 15 or 20 picks later on a lot of boards. He would not have been there for the Redskins in the fifth round. Washington thought he had early 4th round potential. Now it’s up to the DB coaches, who are excellent.

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It was surprising that Tim Settle was still on the board when the Skins picked in the fifth round. That was just a case of a high second round talent inexplicably falling all the way down into the 5th round. Washington had no choice but to take him. He could prove to be the starting Nose Tackle once the Skins see how many different ways they can use Payne.

Shaun Hamilton is smart and talented. I expect the battle between him and Martrell Spaight for the last ILB roster spot to be one of the most hotly contested in camp. I see Hamilton starting on the practice squad, but there are many who think Hamilton has what it take to beat out Spaight. I am not among them. In fact, I believe Spaight is the most undervalued player on the Redskin defense.

I expect Washington’s 7th round picks to start on the practice squad as well. They were very solid picks, but Washington is flush with young talent at CB. Stroman’s best chance to make the final 53 will be as a punt return specialist. That could certainly happen as the Skins need help in that area and Stroman’s film depicts a quick, elusive return talent.

ANNAPOLIS, MD – NOVEMBER 11: Wide receiver Trey Quinn /

Trey Quin has a bright future with the Redskins. The SMU standout provides outstanding depth at the slot receiver position. Unfortunately for Quin, unless he can dazzle on special teams, he can provide back up depth to Jamison Crowder from the practice squad, which is where I expect him to start his career as a Redskin. There will be some extremely talented players assigned to the practice squad this year. There will also be a few players cut from the Redskins’ team that will not only be picked up by other teams but will start for those teams. This also happened last year. It is a testament to the kind of team Washington has been able to assemble.

So, from the very humble beginnings of Jay Gruden’s tenure Washington has rebuilt this team from top to bottom with quality starters and depth at almost every position. The sole survivors from that pre-draft 2014 squad, Kerrigan, Williams, and Reed have been joined by a locker room full of future stars and Super Bowl ring wearing champions. That is the game plan anyway. Although, Redskins fans are brutally aware that things don’t always go as planned.

Next: 2018 NFL Season: Ranking Likeliest Worst-to First Teams

Whether or not following it’s best to draft in team history with another very promising draft is a recipe for success in Washington will be determined on the field. However, the last few Redskin drafts coupled with some savvy moves in free agency most certainly qualify as a recipe for optimism.

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Redskins Ready to Roll as Rebuild is Nearly Complete

By Craig Stofko | May 7, 2018

When Jay Gruden rolled into D.C. five years ago, he knew right away the team he inherited needed to be completely rebuilt in order to compete.