Grading the Washington Redskins 2014 Draft

By Ryan Ratty on Thursday, May 15th 2014
Grading the Washington Redskins 2014 Draft

After signing Jason Hatcher, Ryan ClarkDeSean Jackson, and Andre Roberts in free agency, the Washington Redskins vastly improved over the offseason. In the past few seasons, the Redskins have fielded one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Washington made it their goal to improve the defense and that was made clear in the draft. Let's take a look at Washington's draft and put a grade on it.

 

Second Round, 47th Pick: Trent Murphy, Outside Linebacker, Stanford

The Redskins would've had the second overall pick in the draft, but the Redskins traded away that pick in the Robert Griffin III trade. Trent Murphy was falling down draft boards and this pick was an interesting one. Murphy is too small to play defensive end and too slow to play outside linebacker. (Grade: C)

 

Third Round, 66th Pick: Morgan Moses, Offensive Tackle, Virginia

I had Morgan Moses going to the Carolina Panthers at the end of the first round, so drafting him in the third round was an excellent value pick for the Redskins. Trent Williams is one of the league's best left tackles, but that doesn't matter because Moses plays right tackle anyway. In Washington's run-first offense, Moses will fit in well. (Grade: A)

 

Third Round,: Spencer Long, Offensive Guard, Nebraska

Spencer Long was another good fit in this offense because he is a mauler. The guard play last year was awful and Long will be an immediate upgrade, as he brings that nasty mentality coaches love. The problem here is that the Redskins could've drafted him a round or two later. (Grade: B)

 

Fourth Round, 102nd Pick: Bashaud Breeland, Cornerback, Clemson

Washington has had the league's worst secondaries in the past two seasons and drafting a cornerback was definitely a need, even after signing Tracy Porter in free agency. Bashaud Breeland is tall cornerback who is physical at the line of scrimmage. Breeland was a good value pick in the fourth round. (Grade: B+)

 

Fifth Round, 142nd Pick: Ryan Grant, Wide Receiver, Tulane

This pick was a bad one to me because there were so many better receivers on the board. Playing at a small school, Ryan Grant made his money in the pre-draft process. Devin Street and Jared Abbrederis were still on the board and both are better players than Grant. (Grade: D+)

 

Sixth Round, 186th Pick: Lache Seastrunk, Running Back, Baylor

Perhaps the best pick in Washington's draft, Lache Seastrunk will be reuniting with his quarterback from college. While Alfred Morris is a premier player at his position and he will most certainly be the starter, Seastrunk will be an excellent change-of-pace back in the read-option offense. (Grade: A+)

 

Seventh Round, 217th Pick: Ted Bolser, Tight End, Indiana

Last year, the Redskins spent a high draft-pick on Jordan Reed. Before his concussion injury, Reed was on his way to becoming one of the best tight ends in the league. The problem is there isn't much depth behind him at the position. Ted Bolser is a player who can make an immediate impact in the running game, but he will need to develop his hands before he is a complete player. (Grade: B-)

 

Seventh Round, 228th Pick: Zach Hocker, Kicker, Arkansas

It's not that Kai Forbath is a bad kicker, it's just that he doesn't have a lot of power. Zach Hocker is coming from an SEC program and he is perhaps the best kicker in this draft class. (Grade: A-)

The Redskins needed to make upgrades on the defensive side of the ball and they did by ading Hatcher, Clark, Murphy, and Breeland. While it's not a given, Washington's defense looks much better than last year's version. Adding two offensive linemen and an offensive weapon only help too.

Final Grade: B-

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