Bashaud Breeland: What Can Redskins Fans Expect Next Year

By: Justin Partlow

Heading into day three, the common thought among beat writers and fans was that the Redskins were going to target help in the secondary for the future. This move wasn’t going to be one that was essential to the upcoming year, but one who had the ability to grow and become a future starter for the Redskins. Into the 4^th round the Redskins had a guy fall into their laps that was able to become that guy that they were looking for, and that was Bashaud Breeland from Clemson. Breeland is a very physical CB who is a bit of a trash talker, but also will get his job done and will be physical in doing so. Breeland also will contribute very early on with his special teams play that he’s shown while in college. Below I’ll take a look at what Breeland does well already and what Redskins fans can look to expect from him next year.

When I first started to scout DB’s I expected the Redskins to target more of a slot CB and the ability to target another safety. Breeland was one of those CB’s I really enjoyed watching, but had the feeling that he would go earlier than the Redskins would look to target one. Breeland impressed me early on when I watched his film, because he did many things well, but also had a ton of raw ability that hadn’t been tapped yet. Breeland uses his length and physicality to redirect receivers off of their routes, and uses his athleticism to make plays both in the form of INT’s as well as pass break ups. What really hurt Breeland in the pre-draft process was the 40 time that he posted, which was in the 4.6 range. On film though you can see pretty fast that his game speed, and long speed was a lot more important than the forty time that was shown. Breeland isn’t a top end speed guy, but what he does is have the long speed that is needed to continue to match up with the outside receivers of the NFL.

What can Redskins fans then expect from Breeland next year? Simply put I think Breeland has a bit of a “redshirt” year for the Redskins. Raheem Morris really has a high end CB on his hands that could become a very good starter, but he has a lot of small flaws that need to be corrected in order to do so. I’d expect Breeland to be the #4 CB who gets playing time, but isn’t always out there on the field early on. What Breeland though will make his mark on early is on special teams, where he’s shown the ability to be a very good “gunner” in the college ranks. If Breeland can contribute early on teams, and then the coaches will continue to give him opportunities to be on the field. By 2015, I expect Breeland to be pushing for the starting job at CB, and could be beneficial as it can move DeAngelo Hall inside to the slot CB role or even to a FS role if the Redskins want to move that route. Bashaud Breeland was a bit of a gamble pick in some respects, but if you look at what he has and where he can improve and be successful, the Redskins have the makings of a steal of a pick. If Breeland were to come out in 2015, then he would have more than likely become a top two round pick. The sky is the limit for Breeland, and the future can truly be bright in the Washington secondary, which has been a bit of a sore spot.