FanPost

Blueprint for the Redskins' 2014 Offseason: Free Agency & Draft

Here's a blueprint for what I think the Redskins should do in regard to their pending free agents and potential acquisitions in the market, as well as who the organization should target through the draft. I've been obsessing about this recently and I'd love feedback and additional commentary.

2014 Free Agents: Re-sign or Let Walk
Let walk: Josh Morgan, Josh Wilson, London Fletcher (retiring), Santana Moss, Fred Davis, EJ Biggers, Nick Barnett, Rex Grossman

Re-sign: Brian Orakpo, DeAngelo Hall, Perry Riley, Aldrick Robinson, Dezmon Briscoe, Chris Baker, Reed Doughty, Will Compton, Darryl Tapp, Jose Gumbs, J.D. Walton

2014 Free Agency Targets
The goal here is to efficiently spend money on relatively young players that would be interested in short to medium term contracts still trying to prove themselves in the league. The competition is regardless going to be fierce but I think we'll be in better position re: cap space than most teams since we don't have a lot of giant contracts on the books.

Right Tackle: Rodger Saffold (Rams)
Cornerback: Walter Thurmond (Seahawks)
Nose Tackle: Linval Joseph (Giants)
Inside Linebacker: Brandon Spikes (Patriots)
Wide Receiver: Hakeem Nicks (Giants)

2014 Draft
If we're able to pull off most of the above or something similar, that will help with a lot of current needs but still leave talent/depth concerns at wide receiver, guard, punter, defensive line, and safety. Here's what I was able to sim using the draft simulator on Fanspeak:

2nd Round (34): Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, S (Alabama) - Top-rated free safety in the draft, he was a lock to go in the first round just a couple months ago but always falls to me in the sim and could definitely be around at 34. Was a star in a top college defense and has the field vision/ball instincts to be a starter in the NFL I think. This would give us a lot of combinations at the safety spot.


3rd Round (66): Jarvis Landry, WR (LSU) - One of the top WRs in the draft, was a 5-star prospect out of high school and has good size (6'0", 195) and strong hands. Catches a lot of crazy passes. Isn't a home run threat with decent but not great speed; however is consistent and solid on short routes. Kony Ealy was available here for some reason but I went with Landry because he's the more realistic choice in the early 3rd round.


4th Round (98): DaQuan Jones, DT (Penn State) - Has good size for a potential 3-4 NT with pass rushing abilities. Would provide depth at the DT position assuming we acquire a starter in free agency and allow Cofield to move to the DE spot to rush. Can develop and gain size while rotating in a relief capacity to start.

5th Round (130): Seantrel Henderson, OT (Miami) - A freakishly large human listed at 6'7" 345 lbs., Henderson was one of the top tackle prospects going into college (5-star rating) but fell off due to injury and behavioral concerns. Has the natural talent to be a star with massive strength, length, and deceptive quickness but wouldn't be forced to start if we picked up say a Saffold in free agency. If we played our cards right we could let him develop into a future RT and move someone else to guard. Comparable in size and skill set to the Charger's DJ Fluker and is a steal at this range.

6th Round (162): Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB (Nebraska) - A Brandon Browner-esque corner listed at 6'2" 220 lbs. who had back-to-back seasons with 10+ pass deflections and last year had 4 INTs. Has good but not great speed and good anticipation and length but needs to progress as a tackler. Again, could be a huge steal here if we developed him.

7th Round (194): Shaq Evans, WR (UCLA) - This guy is a really smart, hard-working and grounded receiver that displayed great chemistry with a rising college star QB in Brett Hundley at UCLA. Continued to improve throughout the season and runs good routes. Has good size (6'0") and speed (4.55) but not elite. However shows good strong hands and toughness after the catch which are both things we need in the Redskins' receiving corps. There have been plenty of examples of late-round receivers that blossomed into starting-caliber players or even stars. He's a guy that can definitely learn and develop in the system and contributing in even a small way as a rookie would be well worth the investment.