Su'a Cravens - Mark Tyler's Take

The Redskins just filled two needs with one pick when they selected LB/S Su'a Cravens out of USC. Cravens, who is 6'1" 226 will likely start his career as a nickel linebacker for the Redskins, with the potential to move to an every-down linebacker in the future.

The biggest knock on Cravens is that he doesn't have a true position in the NFL, being labeled by many as a "hybrid". Considering the NFL is a heavy passing league, teams are in nickel packages over 60% of the time. This is where Cravens can thrive in Joe Barry's defense. He is quick enough to man-up on tight ends, and is strong enough at the point of attack to play the run if needed.

My issue with Cravens is the stiffness he showed on tape as a safety. He seemed to have some issues opening the hips and breaking on intermediate routes. That being said, when he was asked to play as a Robber in underneath man coverage, he was completely disruptive, showing both good instincts and solid tackling ability.

Similar to the Josh Doctson pick, Cravens shouldn't be asked to do too much too soon. He should be able to ease himself into some action on obvious passing downs, and be used as an occasional pass rusher on some blitzes. He could certainly add some weight to his frame, learn the game for a season, and turn into a more complete linebacker in the future for our Redskins.