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Washington Football Team: 2021 NFL Draft and offseason needs

By Pablo Rosero

Jan 9, 2021; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young (99) on the field before the game between the Washington Football Team and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2021; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young (99) on the field before the game between the Washington Football Team and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Football Team, 2021 NFL Draft
Nov 8, 2020; Landover, Maryland, USA; New York Giants running back Dion Lewis (33) is tackled by Washington Football Team inside linebacker Cole Holcomb (55) and Washington Football Team inside linebacker Jon Bostic (53) in the fourth quarter at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington Football Team 2021 offseason needs

Linebacker

When you are playing behind a defensive line that features four players who could each convincingly make the Pro Bowl, then you could say it’s elite. The rest of their defense is average compared to their front-four, so it will be easy to say linebacker won’t be the only defensive position on this list.

A starting trio of Cole Holcomb, Jon Bostic, and Kevin Pierre-Lewis is nothing that jumps out at you, but behind the defensive line, these players should look better. Linebacker and quite possibly corner are the two most important positions the team must fill this offseason.

There are many names the team could target in the second round of the draft such as Alabama’s Dylan Moses, Ohio State’s Baron Browning, and Northwestern’s Paddy Fisher among possible backers the team could draft. In free agency, Anthony Walker could be a highlight of the class.

There are many options to fill the linebacker position, but the Washington Football Team should key in on improving their front-7 as a whole.

Cornerback

Compared to the rest of the defense, the cornerback spot might be the most important for this Washington team. A defense that is keen on sending primary only four rushers a play might need more from their guys.

Ron Rivera’s defenses are usually built on a specific foundation: a great pass rush and an elite corner who can cover one-on-one and lock down the opponent’s top wideouts. In Carolina, Rivera had Josh Norman and James Bradberry one after the other.

It’ll be interesting to see if the team will be able to draft and develop similar to what Rivera was able to do in Carolina, but the team is in need of a top-flight corner to contend against the Cowboys wideout trio.

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