Though coming off a season where the defense ended strong, the Redskins do need some help on defense. With London Fletcher pondering retirement, a secondary who gave us a ton of passing yards, and clear signs of a lack of depth at safety and corner, I would expect the franchise to focus on ILB, CB, and S, all of which have a strong presences in this draft class..
We will look at NEED picks vs VALUE picks.
Defensive Wish-List / Players to Watch:
Immediate Needs on Defense: ILB, CB, S
ILB
NEED
Kevin Reddick - 6'3" 240lbs North Carolina - The Redskins do not hold a 1st round pick, where many of the top ILB of this class will go, but Reddick should be available in the 2nd round. The North Carolina football program has been under fire, but Reddick is a 4 year starter with all the physical skills to play ILB in the NFL. He would fit nice in the Redskins 3-4. He is a consistent, physical, smart, hard-worker who seems to always do his job on defense.
VALUE
Steve Beauhamais - 6'2" 230lbs Rutgers - This guy played in the shadow of Kahseem Greene at Rutgers, but may prove to be the better fit in an NFL 3-4. Buried in a defensive draft class, he should turn out to be a great value pick in the middle rounds. Solid, healthy, with decent size for a ILB. He plays at a great pad level, making him a consistent tackler. He has show flashes of decent cover skills as well, which is highly sought after in the NFL 3-4 ILB.
A. J. Klein - 6'2" 244 Iowa State - This is a deep class at ILB. Almost any other year, Klein would have been a 2nd or 3rd consideration, but this year will be lucky to get picked in the 5th. He was a 3 year starter at Iowa State. He is an active, intelligent, and instinctual ILB with noise for the football. This guy can read offensive plays and will hustle! He is the kind of player every coach wants on his team and a steal if hanging around in the 5th round.
CB
NEED
Robert Alford - 6' 185lbs Southeast Louisiana - I have watched some games with this guy in actions and I really like what I have seen. Alford did not face the best talent at WR, playing in small conference, but dominated almost every match-up and currently is my top guy in the 2nd round wave of CB's in a deep CB class. Much of his draft success lies in his performance at the Combine, but he should develop into a good potential starter at CB in the NFL.
VALUE
B. W. Webb - 5'11" 180lbs William and Mary - This guy first opened the eyes with his skills when picking off Virginia 3 times in the 2009 opening game shocker. Since, many scouts have kept tabs on this guy. Many where keeping this guy in the corner of their eye during the Senior Bowl, and he did not disappoint. I think he would be a bargain pick to fill the nickle spot on our defense, especially if he slides to the 4th or 5th round.
Rod Sweeting - 6" 184lbs Georgia Tech - This is a smart, fluid, and comfortable CB who has great instincts and good hands. His football IQ and physicality is a perfect fit for the Redskins and Haslett's style of defense. He may put up the best combine number but trust me, this guy can play and would be a great grab in the 5th or 6th round.
FS/SS
NEED
Jonathan Cyprien - 6' 210lbs Florida International - This guys is all over the field and makes lots of plays. He is fast, physical and smart. At the Senior Bowl, he drew praise for his part practice and effort. Due to a deep draft class, he is projected as a late 1st, early 2nd round pick, but as we all know, those first 50 picks are anyone's guess and always bare surprises. It may be a reach to hope the Redskins can get this guy, but he is well worth there top pick to add depth (or a starter) at SS (though, I feel he could play either S spot in the NFL).
VALUE
Baccari Rambo - 6' 218lbs Georgia - Besides just a great football name, this guys is a super ball-hawking safety. This guy plays physical against the run and can cover the deep ball. He shows quickness and hands, picking off 7 passes last year. One could argue he is the best S in this class. Hard to believe this guy should be around in the 3rd round and would be an absolute steal that you could plug right into this Redskins defense.
T. J. McDonald - 6'3" 205 USC - This guys has everything physically you want to see in s FS, including an impressive gene pool (his dad was a former Pro-Bowl Saftey Tim McDonald). McDonald is known for his hard hits and soft hands. He can play the run and barely ever gets beat over-top. He fits the mold of what most 3-4's in the NFL desire at FS and should develop into a solid starter at FS in the NFL. Some analysts have him getting drafted by the Redskins in the 2nd round, but I think the deep class (at S, LB, T, and RB), teams drafting for need, and his need for further development has me thinking he could slide as far as the 5th round of the draft...and if so, what a deal!
Honestly, there are about 100 guys in this draft worth mentioning....but I will drop a few Wild Card type names that I think would ROCK AND ROLL in our defensive scheme.
DE
Justin Miller - 6'4" 270lbs West Virginia - This guy can rush the passer from the edge or the middle of the D-line. He has flexibility to move around and at times was even used in coverage. He is not the fastest guy, but as far as a multi-functional defensive line guy, he could wear several hats and make plays from many different spots. One problem...he is projected as more of a 2nd-3rd round pick, which I doubt the Redskins would cash in on a DE, but you never know.
SS
Duke Williams - 6' 190lbs Nevada - This is an under-rated guy with nose for the football. He delivers solid hits and tackles. He is fast, with a background as a sprinter, but at the same time, has shown signs of biting on the play-action. His performance at the combine could drive his stock up some, but I think he will be around in the 5th round.
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