A Look at the Redskins 4th-7th round Draft picks

4th Round: CB Bashaud Breeland

The Good:

• Long corner who can get physical with receivers and defend against jump balls.
• Had a breakout 2013 and was a star of the Clemson defense making 4 interceptions and adding 2 sacks
• Strong in run support, not afraid to make a tackle on a big back
• Flips his hips well and is smooth in transition
• Quicker than fast, doesn’t waste a lot of time changing direction
• Has the size and aggressiveness to play safety
• Good ball skills and coverage ability
• High upside guy, had he stayed in school would have been considered a top 50 prospect entering next year

The Bad:

• A real raw prospect who has only been a full time starter for one season
• Doesn’t have great speed, he can be beat vertically
• Inconsistent, will look great on a series of plays or in a game, only to look poor in another series or in the next game
• Needs to do a better job of wrapping up on tackles

Overall:

Breeland was a bit of a surprise early entry because he really has only had one good season (and full season) at the college level. He played really well this past year, but he was still showing a lot of signs of being a raw prospect. Had he returned to school and was able to repeat the performance he would have been a top 50 pick and would have had a good chance to crack the top 25. In the long term this could be a really good value pick for the Redskins as Breeland won’t be asked to do much as a rookie. Mainly he needs to play special teams and if he can give them 100 or more snaps they should be happy. If he develops well he could end up being the replacement for DeAngelo Hall as one of the starting corners in 2 or 3 years.

5th Round: WR Ryan Grant

Good:

• Excellent hands, makes a lot of smooth catches and can help bail out a quarterback on questionable throws
• Precise route runner, who is very smooth getting in and out of his breaks
• Highly productive at Tulane
• Picks up a lot of yards after the catch, due to good field vision to find the open lanes
• Quicker than fast, can find value as a potential slot receiver

Bad:

• Average size and not the type who plays bigger than his size
• Not a fast receiver, won’t be a vertical threat
• Not a physical receiver who struggles to get off press coverage
• not going to break tackles or out muscle a defender
• Weak run blocker
• More of a 6th-7th round prospect making this a reach
• Not a returner

Overall:

-Receiver was one of the most set positions on this roster so it was not a high priority. Depth was needed, but ideally it would have been a guy with really good size or return ability. The Redskins got neither and reached for a receiver here. Grant has great wide receiver traits with his strong hands, route running and vision, but he’s lacking in all the physical traits of the position. That could make it tough for him to find success at the next level. Grant will need to rely on his route running to gain separation, and he could eventually find a home as a slot receiver.

6th Round: RB Lache Seastrunk

Good:

• Explosive runner who can kick it into 2nd gear when he finds an opening
• Home run hitter who had numerous big plays at Baylor
• Displays smooth cutting ability and can change direction with ease
• Good balance, can bounce off hits and keep his feet
• Does a good job not allowing defenders get a clean shot on him
• Has a strong lower body, could be capable of churning out tough yards
• Has a lot of potential and could have easily gone a round or two earlier
• Skins traded back to get him, netting an additional 7th rounder

Bad:

• Has relied more on his speed and agility overall, and hasn’t developed fully as a runner
• Doesn’t have the best patience or vision in finding the hole
• Very limited pass catching at the college level and has had some drops, leaving his hands to be very questionable
• Has only 1 career KO or punt return
• Comes from a spread offense that allowed him to see a lot of favorable fronts
• May never be a feature back

Overall:

-This was a nice pick-up for the Redskins. Last year the Redskins added a pair of running backs but Jamison is already cut and Chris Thompson ended his third straight season early due to a serious injury. Roy Helu Jr. is a good back-up running back, but he’s a free agent next season and probably won’t be back. Seastrunk can take over Helu’s role as a complementary back to Morris, and will offer a nice speed option and home run hitter for the Redskins. The real question about Seastrunk is can he be enough of a receiver and blocker to earn that 3rd down role. Though he’ll be behind Helu this year, Seastrunk will likely get some playing time as the year wears on to get him ready going forward and to offer another weapon in this offense.

7th Round: TE Ted Bosler

Good:

• Big tight end with really good size
• Productive tight end in the short area
• Can be effective in the red zone, with 15 career TD’s
• Strong special teamer
• Shows good hands

Bad:

• Despite his size he struggles as a blocker
• Doesn’t have good speed or the ability to stretch the field vertically
• Not a strong route runner
• Was not widely considered a draftable guy, probably would have been better as a UDFA

Overall:

-Given Jordan Reed‘s health, Logan Paulsen‘s contract and Niles Paul in the final year of his rookie deal the Redskins needed some help at tight end. Bosler though isn’t probably going to be much of a help as he is just a short area receiver and he struggles as a blocker. He’s gotten high marks for his special teams play, but he’s not really a replacement for Paul as an outside gunner. Bosler does have a good frame so the team may view him as a project for 2015, hoping they can improve his strength and blocking ability. He could be a long shot to make the roster and his best hope may be a spot on the practice squad.

7th Round: K Zach Hocker

Good:

• Had a really good senior year going 13 of 15 including 3 of 4 from 50+
• Strong on Kickoffs, among the nations leaders in Touchback % the last 3 years

Bad:

• Only has 7 career punts
• Really struggled his Sophomore and Junior years where his FG% was 77.8% and 61.1% respectively
• Not considered one of the top kickers by most and probably could have been a UDFA

Overall:

-Though Kai Forbath has been a really good field goal kicker the past two years, he has struggled to kickoff. While ideally the Redskins would have a punter who can be effective on kickoffs, if they can’t find one it could open the door for another kicker to supplant Forbath. Hocker has been really effective kicking off in his career and if he can match Forbath’s effectiveness on field goals he could possibly unseat him. Overall that seems unlikely, and Hocker probably could have been had as an undrafted free agent. Punter was clearly the bigger issue among specialists last year and the Redskins could have addressed that here. Though this is a 7th round pick, there seems like a good chance this pick doesn’t end up on the roster or practice squad.