Washington Redskins 2020 Rookie Opponents to Watch For
Scouts, fans, and media have all scoured through the new crop of rookies the Washington Redskins have brought in this offseason. While we have a basic idea of who could contribute here in D.C., there are other rookies that the Redskins will face that will be looking to make a name for themselves.
Round 1, Pick 21
The name of the game in the NFL these days is speed. The Philadelphia Eagles needed that—and wide receiver—help in a desperate way heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. Jalen Reagor solves both of those problems coming out of Texas Christian University. Reagor will likely line-up most of the time in the slot, but he can be moved all over the field. With the Redskins entire secondary being a big question mark going into the season, Reagor is the most likely wide receiver on the Eagles roster to cause problems.
Round 3, Pick 82
We could go multiple routes with the Dallas Cowboys. They had one of the best drafts in both finding value and filling needs at multiple positions. Neville Gallimore was arguably the third best interior defensive lineman behind Derrick Brown and Javon Kinlaw and ends up on a team that has Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe ahead of him in the depth chart. Even though Gallimore will likely start the season third on the depth chart, the Redskins do not play the Cowboys until late in the year where McCoy (who is on the other side of 30) and Poe (coming off of a quad tear) could miss time. The Redskins offensive line is a huge question mark coming into the year and something opposing teams will look to exploit. Gallimore could be coming in and causing headaches for Dwayne Haskins down the stretch.
Round 2, Pick 36
The rookie out of Alabama will be asked to make an immediate impact to a weak New York Giants secondary. Xavier McKinney has the range and physicality to make receivers think twice about crossing the middle of the field. McKinney will likely be called upon to play alongside Jabrill Peppers. But he could see time as the starting strong safety with Peppers coming off a transverse process fracture that placed him on injured reserve at the end of last year. McKinney could be the type of safety that forces the Redskins to put the game on quarterback Dwayne Haskins shoulders in a short time span.
Even with the Baltimore Ravens having on of the best defenses in the NFL, rookie Patrick Queen could crack the starting line-up. The rookie out of LSU will do his most damage in run defense despite playing faster then what he timed at the combine. Queen can quickly close-up holes running backs might find and force a cutback into an area of the field that has also been swallowed up by others. For an offense that is going to rely on running the ball—even out of shotgun—Queen could prove to be a match-up nightmare.
Round 4, Pick 124
I know what you are thinking. Didn’t the Steelers draft Chase Claypool? Yes, Claypool was the Steelers first draft pick this year. He will likely be playing opposite of Smith-Schuster which could open some opportunities for production. I am picking Anthony McFarland, Jr. for one reason. James Connor’s health. In his short NFL career as a starter, Connor has yet to play a full 16 game schedule due to injuries. The Redskins play the Steelers in early December and Connor’s body could be fatiguing on him with an injury waiting to happen. McFarland would likely be the main running back to benefit from Connor’s absence. This will allow a fresher body and set of legs to come in late in the year to an opportunity for a career game against a linebacking group that is even more questionable then the secondary. I would anticipate seeing McFarland hitting paydirt at least once even with Jaylen Samuels also on the roster.
Round 2, Pick 44
The Cleveland Browns have been had trouble last year filling the void Jabrill Peppers left when they traded him away to the New York Giants. They likely found the answer to that problem in Grant Delpit. The rookie out of LSU was a three down safety last year and showed why he could be a first-year starter in the NFL. He has all the tangibles you want for someone on the back end of your defense including ball tracking skills and communication with cornerbacks. Being able to track the deep ball well and having great sideline-to-sideline speed will cause problems for Dwayne Haskins new weapons. Scott Turner will likely have to game plan around Delpit’s ability to easily takeaway half of a field in the blink of an eye.
Round 2, Pick 33
It will be the Joe Burrow show in Cincinnati for the 2020 season. But Tee Higgins could be a weapon that could make an immediate contribution. The rookie from Clemson joins a wide receiver’s room with A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd where he can build out his route tree. However, it is Green’s health that could propel Higgins into a more prominent role. Tee is a big body receiver that can win one-on-one battles and be a red zone threat that can put up points against the Redskins. Burrow will be the one throwing the ball, but Higgins is the player that could be putting up significant stats against an unknown secondary depth with the focus being on Green and Boyd.
Round 1, Pick 14
With the San Francisco 49ers trading DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts before the draft, there was speculation that they would use that pick to refill that position with young talent. They got the second rated interior defensive lineman in Javon Kinlaw. Kinlaw started his freshman year at South Carolina and never looked back. He has the athletic ability to weave his way through double teams and blocking schemes that a coach would want. With the 49ers defensive line depth already a strong unit, he allows them to not miss a beat in trading Buckner. With a lot of the attention going to the edge rushers, expect Kinlaw to find a way into the back field multiple times when the Redskins travel to San Francisco.
Round 2, Pick 48
Darrell Taylor comes to a Seattle Seahawks team that decided not to re-sign premiere edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, but there still being a mindset of defensive excellence. If there is one thing that Pete Carroll has been able to do it is getting the most out of his defensive line. Taylor was a projected first round pick heading into the 2019 season, but injuries derailed that possibility. Taylor will likely fill the hole that Clowney has left and be allowed to pin his ears back and rush the quarterback. With the uncertainty at left tackle for the Redskins, there is a chance that we could see Taylor helping set the ton for the Seahawks defense.
Round 2, Pick 57
Van Jefferson will be joining a crowded wide receiver room in Los Angeles alongside Josh Reynolds, Cooper Kupp, and Robert Woods. The rookie out of Florida will likely fill Brandon Cooks role as a deep threat while also returning punts. Jefferson may not put up a 10-catch game in his rookie year, but he has the ability to put up multiple 100 yard receiving games. Communication is going to be key between the safety’s and cornerbacks to hold Jefferson down while also having to worry about Kupp and Woods. A deep receiving group could be an Achilles heel for the Redskins this year with lack of depth in the secondary. Jefferson could sneak out a massive stat line when the two teams meet.
Round 1, Pick 8
This rookie might be the most intriguing to watch. There were a lot of Redskins fans that wanted—if the possibility was there—to trade back and draft Isaiah Simmons while also having the ability to add more draft capital. The rookie out of Clemson was used all over the field his senior year making him so versatile that Tony Pauline of the Pro Football Network labeled him as an “Avenger.” The Cardinals have decided to focus on having him learn the linebacker position and use him in that capacity. This will still allow for Simmons to be used in coverage in the slot over the middle in zone schemes. Expect him to have the biggest impact on plays where he is told to pin his ears back in both run and pass blitz as his speed and ability to redirect around blocking schemes could led to a lot of negative plays.
Round 1, Pick 7
Derrick Brown was one of the most overlooked prospects in this year’s draft. With Chase Young, Jeffrey Okudah, and Isaiah Simmons all flashy prospects, Brown would have been the number one defensive prospect on the board in another year. Brown won the starting job his sophomore year and did not look back. He caused major disruptions up the middle and tallied a career total of 170 tackles (33 for a loss), 12.5 sacks, and forced 5 fumbles. Brown also has awareness at the line of scrimmage in the passing game as he deflected 8 attempts, 4 of which came his senior season. The interior offensive line where Brown will line up still has questions swirling around it and likely will when the Panthers and Redskins meet late in the season. Expect Brown to be a major factor and a focal point of the offensive line game plan.
Round 2, Pick 35
There is no doubt that the Terry McLaurin vs. Jeffrey Okudah will be the key match-up when the Detroit Lions and Redskins meet. But, Okudah is likely not going to be the rookie that could stand out. The Lions have had issues over the past couple of years keeping running backs healthy for a full 16 games. Ty Johnson is the only veteran running back that is on the roster that played a full 2019 season. D’Andre Swift will have the opportunity to showcase his abilities throughout the season and could even see starting time should Kerryon Johnson get injured again. Worst case scenario, Swift sees time as the Lions 3rd down back. It will take more then edge rushers and the interior defensive line to slow Swift down. The rookie out of Georgia was arguably the top running back in the draft class who can get out into space and make linebackers miss. He will have an opportunity to put up over 50 receiving and 75 rushing yards in an offense that will look to protect quarterback Matt Stafford.
Sign up free, register and join us by voicing your opinion on our community pages and right below!
Alan Lepore joins RedskinsReport.com while still doing outstanding work as an editor/writer at FullPressCoverage.com or @FPC_Redskins. You can follow him on Twitter @AlanLepore or on instagram @leporealan. Alan is a Villanova University MPA Nonprofit Management candidate and is a fundraising/development professional.