Redskins #MockFive Recap

Here are the Results from the #MockFive Twitter draft for the Washington Redskins. I’d again like to thank Scott Jennings for being my assistant G.M.

Pick Overall Choice Notes

2.21 51 Johnathan Banks, CB from Mississippi State

We tried to trade back, but when nothing materialized it was a no brainer pick for us.  We were absolutely thrilled that Jonathan Banks was still on the board as we feel he is a steal at this point. We aren’t concerned by his forty time as we have every faith that he can succeed. He should match-up well versus some of the bigger receivers in our division.

3.23 85 Barrett Jones, C from Alabama

After much debate the Redskins decided to go with value here. Barrett Jones we feel can play any position along the line and even challenge at right tackle. Even if he is limited to the inside, this is a tremendous value pick. Jones has great potential and is also one of the safer picks in the draft given his versatility. Expect Jones to challenge for a starting spot as a rookie.

4.22 119 Duke Williams, S from Nevada

The Redskins have major needs in the secondary and Williams is a player who should be able to challenge for a starting job early in his career. He’s got nice potential is that is right around where we valued him. Any concerns about not going safety earlier were alleviated when this pick came up. Safeties got overdrafted in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but here we feel we got both talent and value for a major need spot.

5.21 154 Kenjon Barner, RB from Oregon

Considered a couple of options here, but our next favorite option (A.J. Klein) was just selected, so that made this decision a bit easier. Barner gives the Redskins a versatile weapon to pair in the backfield with RGIII. He offers a nice complementary skill set to Alfred Morris, and should be able to contribute significantly in the passing game and return game as well.

5.29 162 Kwame Geathers, DT from Georgia

The Redskins went nose tackle here as they could use a good solid rotational NT to go along with Barry Cofield. Cofield does a nice job, but his best damage comes when the Redskins are in the sub-package formation. Geathers wouldn’t need to be a star, but should help out the Skins line. Longtime Redskins fans will remember his uncle Jumpy Geathers who was a big part of their last Super Bowl run.

6.23 191 Conner Vernon, WR from Duke

Considered a couple different positions and players at receiver, but Vernon made the most sense. The Redskins are thin at the slot receiver position, and also have a number of guys with questionable hands. Vernon should improve the team in both areas, and should grow to be a solid player in the Redskins offense. People will get hung-up on his speed, but he’s such a good route runner and displays nice short area quickness that he gets enough separation.

7.22 228 Rashard Hall, S from Clemson

The Redskins grab another safety here as the position is probably the weakest on the roster. Hall is a guy who could be a solid back-up/special teamer early in his career with a little potential to grow down the road.

Here are Scott’s Notes From the Draft:

I think we got some pretty great value especially with Banks who is still a borderline 1st round pick.  Barrett Jones is being underrated now, but is easily a 2nd round talent.  Shanahan would love his versatility and he could easily compete to win a job on the line early.

Duke Williams is one of my favorite mid round safety prospects in this draft.  I think the 4th is a perfect spot to pick him up, and the safety value was not there in the 3rd.  Unless more players are brought in, or Tanard Jackson magically becomes an option, Duke will have a chance to see the field in his rookie year.  He has great speed and will help shore up the secondary.

Kenjon Barner is a player that I’ve been mocking to the Skins since January.  It’s possible that he is not there in the late 5th, and I think the Eagles could possibly take him before our pick.  Barner is a versatile RB that will be an incredible weapon in the option.  With Helu’s recent surgery and consecutive injury filled years, Mike Shanahan will look for a similar running back in this deep draft class.  One of the biggest knocks on Barner is his pass blocking, but he has been working to improve this and showed a better effort at the Senior Bowl.  His ability to catch the ball and make defenders miss will be a great addition to the backfield.

Kwame Geathers is another player that I mocked to the Skins back in January, and I think the DL needs to add talent.  I like Barry Cofield as a player, and he shows flashes of very good play against the pass.  The line could benefit from a big NT like Geathers who can eat up linemen.  Geathers would start as a rotational player on the line, but hopefully he will be able to assume the role full time, and allow Cofield to be utilized at DE more.

Conner Vernon is a player that will be drafted this year and developed to eventually take over the slot when Santana Moss is gone, possibly next year.  He is not a burner, but his short are quickness, route running and his hands will make him a valuable asset.  He will be depth until he is ready to start in a year or two, but with Moss, Morgan, and Briscoe possibly gone next year, it makes sense to draft a WR now.

With our last pick we decided to pick up S Rashard Hall, and let him fight for a depth position.   Hall is 6’2″ 210lbs, and will bring some size to the secondary and probably play special teams to get playing time in the beginning of his career.  He had 4 interceptions last year and can make plays.  The 4.7 40 time might limit his options, but he could develop into a solid contributor.

We were unable to get any trades this time which was disappointing.  I think we did very well in getting value at every pick, and we met most of our pressing needs.  I put together a list of possible UDFA targets that were left on the board.

P Jeff Locke
LB Jonathan Stewart, Travis Johnson
CB, Johnny Abrams
S Bradley McDougald
TE Justice Cunningham, Matt Furstenburg
WR Alec Lemon, Keenan Davis, Uzoma Nwachukwu
RB Theo Riddick, Zach Line
OT Braden Brown
DL Joe Vellano