Washington Redskins found a draft formula that works

By Craig Stofko | May 7, 2019

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Terry McLaurin Washington Redskins

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Continued success in the 2019 NFL Draft

The Washington Redskins did it again in the 2019 NFL Draft. With ten picks, the team drafted a group of players that includes three or four players who should start right away and two or three more who could start by season’s end.

Frankly, there isn’t a weak link in this draft. Cole Holcomb, the linebacker from UNC, was seen as a questionable pick by some, but I personally loved that pick. You rarely see teams draft players in the fifth round with the intent to make them a special teams star, but that’s what Washington did with Holcomb.

Holcomb can provide quality depth at inside linebacker. He shined on defense in college, piling up more than 100 tackles in three consecutive years. However, the plan for this tackling machine is to have him dominate on special teams. He has the size, speed and skills to be special in that capacity.

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There is almost too much to like about this draft. If it weren’t for landing two top ten talents in the first round, my favorite pick could have been Terry McLaurin. There are not many 4.3 burners out there whose calling card is pancake blocks. The Bryce Love pick was also exceptional. A possible first-round selection a year ago ends up with the Washington Redskins in the fourth round.

Taking back-to back-interior linemen in rounds four and five was brilliant as well, as Wes Martin and Ross Pierschbacher will provide quality depth up front. How about NC State wide receiver Kelvin Harmon in the 6th? He presumably fell because of his 4.6 40 yard dash, but many considered him to be a rock-solid Round 2 talent. It would not surprise me at all if Harmon and McLaurin were the starting wide receivers for the Washington Redskins at the end of the season.

Even the seventh round picks are exciting. Jimmy Moreland, the cornerback from James Madison, intercepted 18 passes and returned six of them for touchdowns. He also blocked six kicks which is absolutely unheard of. I can’t wait to see this guy in action.

The other seventh rounder is edge rusher Jordan Brailford out of Oklahoma State, whose production in college is not far off of first-round pick Montez Sweat.

Last year Brailford had 54 tackles to Sweat’s 53. He had 16 tackles for loss to Sweat’s 14 and 10 sacks to Sweat’s 11.5. My first reaction was that Sweat’s accomplishments came against far superior competition, but that’s not the case. Playing in the Big 12, the Cowboys schedule last year had them facing off against 8 teams ranked in the top 25. Good production against good NCAA competition.

I’m not saying that Brailford is as good as Sweat, or even close, but I am baffled that a team can get a guy with that kind of production so late in the seventh round. But striking gold in the late rounds has been a mainstay for Washington over the past three years.

Not only did the Washington Redskins find fantastic value in the middle and later rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft, but they also found their franchise quarterback and an impact edge rusher in the first round. What an impressive showing by this franchise.