SJC Students give their thoughts on the Redskins draft
The NFL Draft came and went from April 25-27. The often looked down upon Washington Redskins (sometimes deservedly so) surprisingly came away with one of the more highly regarded draft classes of teams across the league. With ten selections made across 7 rounds, let’s take a look at some of the more notable players taken by the team, along with some of the St. John’s student body’s reactions to the picks:
Round 1 Pick 15: Dwayne Haskins Jr., Quarterback, Ohio State
After losing Quarterback Alex Smith to a gruesome leg injury last season, the Redskins needed a new rookie QB heading into 2019 that the fan base and team could rally behind. They got just that with the selection of Haskins, a consensus top prospect in the draft class. Haskins is also a local kid, having played high school football at the Bullis School in Potomac, MD. In his lone year starting under center for the Buckeyes, he took the Big Ten and college football by storm, most notably winning the B1G player of the year, First Team All B1G, Rose Bowl and B1G Championship MVP and finishing as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Dwayne Haskins is coming in with high expectations from the fanbase. Peter D’Antonio ‘20 said, “My favorite pick was Dwayne Haskins because he’s from Potomac and he’s going to lead us to Super Bowl in the next 3-4 years.” While the latter half of that statement remains to be seen, it’s safe to say Redskins fans have found hope.
Round 1 Pick 26: Montez Sweat, EDGE Rusher, Mississippi State
The team’s two biggest needs heading into this draft were QB and EDGE Rusher. Having addressed Quarterback at Pick 15, the Redskins traded back into the 1st Round to grab EDGE Rusher Montez Sweat. Sweat was a top 10 player for many analysts in this draft class, but slipped because of a heart condition that was revealed to be misdiagnosed later on. Sweat dominated in the stout SEC conference in college, putting up 22.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss over 2 years at MSU. “He will be a great addition to an already very good front seven,” Tommy Hodgkins ‘20 said. Sweat adds another explosive athlete and element to the Redskins pass rush and should be a force for years to come for the team.
Round 3 Pick 76: Terry McLaurin, WR, Ohio State
Having taken Haskins in the first round, the Redskins dipped back into the Columbus, Ohio talent pool and grabbed Haskins’ running mate from OSU. While McLaurin wasn’t necessarily the most talented receiver in the draft, he brings so many traits and a diverse skill set to the Redskins. A two time team captain and the consensus leader of Ohio State’s locker room, McLaurin has a work ethic and personality that will rub off on teammates. His versatility in being able to the play the X, Y, and Z positions at receiver is a great plus for his game. His blazing 4.35 40 yard dash speed will open things up in the ‘Skins passing game as well. He was also the best special teams player in the draft class and let’s not forget how Haskins is now getting his favorite target from college following him to the pros.
Overall, the Redskins front office in Ashburn filled a lot of holes on their roster and added loads of talent. Jesse Vega ‘19 said, “I’ve been researching, watching and covering NFL Drafts since 2015, and this is by far my favorite Redskins draft class so far. They added talent all across the board and have myself and many fans excited for what the future holds.” We will find out in the next few years whether or not this 2019 Draft Class lives up to its hype, but let’s savor this moment as the future for the Washington Redskins is looking bright if this is a sign of things to come.
Redskins full draft class:
Round 1: Dwayne Haskins|QB|Ohio State
Round 1: Montez Sweat|EDGE|Mississippi State
Round 3: Terry McLaurin|WR|Ohio State
Round 4: Bryce Love|RB|Stanford
Round 4: Wes Martin|G|Indiana
Round 5: Ross Pierschbacher|C|Alabama
Round 5: Cole Holcomb|LB|North Carolina
Round 6: Kelvin Harmon|WR|NC State
Round 7: Jimmy Moreland|CB|JMU
Round 7: Jordan Brailford|EDGE|Oklahoma State
