Washington Redskins 2020 NFL Draft Grades

Khaleke Hudson was my second favorite pick of Day 3 for the Washington Redskins behind Antonio Gandy-Golden. He is a versatile player who could play both linebacker and safety. I was hoping they would add a player like this in the first three rounds, with guys like Isaiah Simmons, Ashtyn Davis or Jeremy Chinn, but they still get a productive player in the fifth round in Hudson.

Hudson is a hard prospect to nail down exactly what his role will be in the NFL as some teams see him as a safety and others pin him as a linebacker. At this point, I see him as a nickel or dime safety which is already starting to limit when he can be used. It would benefit him to lose or gain weight to fit more as a linebacker or safety in the league because currently, he is too small to be a true linebacker and too big to be a safety.

In a league that has been continually increasing the role of receiving tight ends his ability to cover these larger receivers will be a positive moving forward. Hudson is a strong tackler and will stick his head into any pile but he has had struggles in wrapping up which was shown by his double-digit missed tackles over the past two seasons, per PFF.

To start, seventh-round picks are all in the eye of the beholder as these picks are often flyers on players that teams don’t want to lose out on as UDFA. Kamren Curl is a big developmental project and to most he is a special teams prospect at best. With other safeties available I believe they could have made a much more impactful pick here but again in the seventh round it is all about finding one or two traits that you think can transform a prospect into a depth player.

His best traits are his toughness and ability to step up and make hits in the run game. He also could be a great cover man for tight ends in the NFL. Overall I think he could become a quality special teamer but that could be found elsewhere without the use of a draft pick.

Smith-Williams is a pick that I personally don’t understand especially with Chase Young being their first pick. The fact that they don’t necessarily need depth at edge rusher and they still have plenty of positions of need makes this choice puzzling. He also seems like a player they could have easily added as an UDFA. I think there were plenty of options including tight end, cornerback, and wide receiver that would have helped the Washington Redskins more at this point in the draft.

As for Smith-Williams he is a player that has dealt with injuries that caused him to slide down some draft boards. Therefore, the overall selection isn’t a terrible one risking just a mid-seventh-round pick but it does seem unnecessary with their current needs. At the most, he will add a raw, future rotational piece to an already crowded defensive line group.