Washington Redskins Mock Draft Simulation - Stockpiling picks

For my 3rd simulation using OTC Premium I decided to do another trade scenario where I maneuvered around the draft to stockpile picks in the top 4 rounds. To do so I moved back in both the 1st and 2nd round, and used some extra late round picks to move up for another late 4th round pick. At that point I was hoping to fill as many needs as possible for the Redskins while adding quality depth to replace the number of free agents that were lost. Follow along with all the picks and trades here!

26: R1P26 C JAMES DANIELS IOWA

-Daniels is a plug and play high level center, who has the potential to quickly become an elite lineman in this league. While you could maybe look to play him at LG, his value at center is greater and the Redskins can move Chase Roullier over to LG pretty easily.

Daniels does everything at a really high level for the center position that it’s really tough to pinpoint any real weaknesses to his game. He did play lighter in college, but showed up to the Combine at over 300 lbs, and long arms (for the interior). He is extremely athletic for the position and is great at making blocks at the second level. He’s already an excellent pass blocker and his run blocking is really good as well. Daniels plays with smarts and shows the ability to read blitzes and help out where needed. His footwork and technique are top notch and his hand usage is impressive as well. He fills a major hole on the team and makes the Redskins better both on the ground and in the air.

58: R2P26 DL TAVEN BRYAN FLORIDA

-Bryan didn’t have any real buzz prior to this season, but after a big year at Florida he’s getting plenty of consideration in the top 2 rounds. He has a quick first step, combined with elite level athleticism for his size. He has the ability to wreck havoc in the backfield both versus the run and pass in a one gap scheme and has the potential to become elite. The drawback for Bryan (and why he could slide to the back of rd 2) is that he’s still pretty raw as a player. He doesn’t do a great job finding the football and he needs to work on his ability to clog lanes when penetrating doesn’t work. He’s the type of guy though that would benefit greatly from Jim Tomsula and in a couple of years could be an elite player. He can rotate at 5 technique in base formation and inside at 3 technique in 4 man fronts. Though better vs the pass right now, he can be very effective versus the run as well.

61: R2P29 RB NICK CHUBB GEORGIA

-This is the value in trading back and adding extra picks, that there is some depth at key positions for the Redskins, one of those being running back where they can land a good quality option late in round 2. Chubb has been passed by many by his Georgia teammate Sonny Michel, but don’t discount Nick Chubb’s ability to be a featured back at the NFL level.

Chubb is a big physical back, with good speed and explosion. He runs with good vision and cut-back ability allowing him to be effective in both zone and power schemes. Chubb does a nice job getting as much as he can out of every run and rarely has negative plays. He’s not been involved much in the passing game, but that isn’t as big of an issue given Chris Thompson locked into the 3rd down role.

93: R3P29 S ARMANI WATTS TEXAS A&M

-Watts is a 4 year starter in college who shows really good athleticism and strong coverage abilities. He can play a variety of roles from the safety position, but is best suited as a deep single high safety. He’s not as strong at run support (which limits his ability in the box some), but he’s got a good reputation as a hard worker and he could develop in this area. He’d be an ideal complementary safety for the Redskins given the size and physicality of Swearinger and Nicholson. Watts would give the Redskins really good depth at the position and should find a fair amount of playing time rotating for one of the starters or in 3 safety sets.

109: R4P9 DL NATHAN SHEPHERD FORT HAYS STATE

-From just a skill set/potential standpoint Shepherd makes a case to be a top 50 talent as a disruptive interior defensive lineman with a lot of power and good size. While his small school back-ground is a bit of a knock, what will likely push him down in the draft and out of the top 100 picks is his age. Shepherd started college in Canada back in 2011, but after a couple of seasons he took two years off to earn money to stay in college (Canada doesn’t offer full scholarships). So he is an older prospect who will be at least 26 this season. While Shepherd might not be a 10-12 year NFL player, that doesn’t mean he can’t be a good solid addition for a couple of seasons. He’s still raw overall, but he can contribute in a limited role as a rookie. I don’t think he’s a true NT, but he’s got the size to help in that area and on other running downs as a 5 technique or a 1 technique in a 4 man front.

126: R4P26 TE IAN THOMAS INDIANA

-Thomas has had a limited Division 1 career as he started off at community college, but he had a solid year for Indiana and flashed plenty of potential. He’s a big physical tight end, who is a really good in line blocker, but he also has the speed and agility to be an effective weapon in the passing game. He’s still developing overall, and his route running is pretty sloppy, but the upside is there. The Redskins can bring him along slowly and use him primarily as a blocking TE and special teamer as a rookie, but he could be an eventual starting option.

133: R4P33 EDGE KYLIE FITTS UTAH

-Fitts is an intriguing day 3 talent, as he has shown the potential to be a highly effective option off the edge, who wins with speed, length, agility and short area burst. Injuries though have limited his opportunities to showcase himself these past two seasons, but back in 2015 he had a really good year. This offseason he’s had a good Senior Bowl week and tested well at the Combine, which should give him some consideration for the top 150. Fitts would offer some extra depth off the EDGE for the Redskins and would help replace some of that speed and burst they lost with Junior Galette.

163: R5P26 G SKYLER PHILLIPS IDAHO STATE

-Phillips is a big physical guard who has dominated while playing versus primarily a lower level of competition. He’s extremely strong and physical and has good feet for his size. His technique and hand placement could both use a fair amount of work, but he has the potential to develop into a starter down the road. In the meantime he should quickly develop into a solid back-up and he’s got some positional versatility as well.

241: R7P23 LB FRANK GINDA SAN JOSE STATE

-Ginda led the FBS with a 173 tackles during the season and has 24.5 TFL and 8.5 sacks over the last two years combined. Ginda didn’t get an invite to Scouting Combine, but his reported pro day numbers were pretty good. Ginda shows great instincts versus the run and always finds himself around the football. He’s shown some blitzing ability and he has the athleticism to be okay in coverage as well. He’s likely to be taken in the 6th-7th rd range and may end up a priority free agent, but he at the very least should offer solid depth and special teams ability.

Notes:

-I went into this draft with the intention of getting as many picks in the top 4 rounds to highlight some of the depth and talent in this class. One piece of good news for the Redskins is that this class is strong in areas where the Redskins are weak like G/C, RB, and DL, and by trading back the Redskins can fill all those needs and really add the depth that is lacking in some key areas. I know some aren’t as keen on an offensive lineman in the first round, but there are some highly talented guys who could be sitting there at the end of the first round and they fill a major need for the team.

As always let me know what you think and share your own mocks below!