bulldog Posted June 24, 2001 Share Posted June 24, 2001 in a rare move, a national writer has thrown some sugar at one of the Redskins draft choices/free agents for 2001...........note how the estimates of McCants' speed have gotten better and better since the draft. The Washington Redskins have reached contract agreement with fifth-round draft pick Darnerian McCants, a lanky wide receiver from Delaware State, and a late bloomer who could challenge for playing time as a rookie. McCants will sign a three-year, $1.004 million contract which includes a $108,000 signing bonus. The base salaries are $209,000 (2001), $298,000 (2002) and $389,000 (2003). McCants' salary cap value for the 2001 season is $245,000. The 154th player selected overall, and one of two wide receivers drafted by the Redskins, he is the second of the team's five choices to come to contract terms. Washington also has signed No. 6 draft choice Mario Monds, a defensive tackle from the University of Cincinnati. A hybrid-type player who some teams projected as a tight end going into the draft, McCants was a virtual unknown until about two months before the lottery. But at 6-feet-4 and 215 pounds, and blessed with 4.41 speed, he couldn't hide his potential for long. After a relatively pedestrian career, one that included only nine receptions as a junior, McCants exploded in 2000. He had 36 receptions for 692 yards and an incredible 18 touchdowns, the most of any player at the I-AA level. He had just one return, but it was of an onside kick, and he hauled it back 51 yards for a score. The Washington coaches will consider him as candidate on kickoff returns, but the team's lack of wide receiver depth could earn him expanded playing time. Washington also selected a wide receiver, Rod Gardner or Clemson, in the first round. McCants is raw but his athleticism and inherent playmaking skills are obvious. His size should make him a factor in "red zone" situations, he jumps well and has solid run-after-catch ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted June 24, 2001 Share Posted June 24, 2001 6'4 and 4.4 speed hmm. What is the size and speed of Derrius Thompson? I'm thinking we keep 5 receivers and 3 of them are going to be rookies. Next draftee to sign if he has any sense is Paprika I mean Sage ------------------ Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted June 24, 2001 Author Share Posted June 24, 2001 I don't think Derrius Thompson has a realistic chance of making the Redskins' final roster. Gardner, Lockett, Westbrook are already locks. That leaves Thompson to compete with some younger players that are not holdovers from the Norv regime. Somebody in the organization staked a pick on McCants and he will be given every chance of making the team. Ditto for Grim, who was signed the first few hours after the draft. The thing to remember about Thompson is he has a a rep of poor work habits combined with the fact he does not return kicks or play on the coverage teams. It is going to be very difficult to make the roster as a backup WR without the ability to perform on special teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted June 24, 2001 Share Posted June 24, 2001 This is great to hear. I remember being very excited when we took him in the 5th. His measurables are very interesting, and his TD stats for the last year are out of this world. After seeing how thin we were at that spot last year, and losing the only performer we had (Thrash), Gardner (although I have high hopes for him) wasn't enough to make me comfortable with our group. Of course, now I'm not comfortable with our interior line, but what can you do. I can see the Skins implementing a WR version of the "Heavy Jumbo" package . Gardner, Westbrook, McCants, and Alexander all running routes at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbear Posted June 25, 2001 Share Posted June 25, 2001 How about a WR screen with that package. Our WRs might have a pretty hefty size advantage over alot of DBs in the league. The thing I am waiting to see is downfield blocking and WR blocking on outside runnning plays. Connell seemed hit or miss when it came to blocking (like every other part of his game), but I thought Thrash always seemed to put effort forth. I thought it was a definite strength of Westbrook when he was in the game. Outside blocking can make a huge difference in whether a run goes for 3 yards or 40 yards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted June 25, 2001 Author Share Posted June 25, 2001 Chosen One, you can't tell me a line of Raymer, Moore, Coleman, Samuels and Jansen really scares you? Compare that to what we had last season when we started Fischer, a one-legged Sims, Leeuwenburg and the young tackles. To me the new additions inside make the line physically stronger in the run game and the offseason work of Samuels and Jansen is only going to pay off in terms of their durability and consistency over 16 games this season. Samuels wore down some at the end of the year last season and I don't expect that to happen again. And if Campbell is healthy, I see him as being a significant upgrade as a backup to Andy Heck and Ed Ellis. So, altogether this may be one of the better if not the best line we have seen here since 1991. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonSkins Posted June 25, 2001 Share Posted June 25, 2001 gbear, WRs blocking downfield is rarely discussed, but I think that Westbrook is one of the best WR blockers we've had. I don't think it's a coincidence that with him injured last year, Stephen Davis's ypc fell from 4.8 to 4.0. Hopefully, with the big bodies out there, Davis will get more breakaways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted June 25, 2001 Share Posted June 25, 2001 Coleman and Campbell are not Pro Bowl performers on the interior. While Tre was, he was not able to stay healthy enough to be reliable. Consistency is often more important than ability on the offensive line. Both Campbell and Coleman have shown solid ability to stay healthy and play every game during a season. While there's no guarantee either will start, if they did, we are not hurting on the interior -- though I'm no big fan of Campbell being my starter. And, if they don't start, it will mean the other guards we have beat them out. And either way, it means we have someone will good ability starting. Moore may be a find and we'll find out soon enough on that. Even if he flops, we still have talent and depth on the offensive line. More than we had last year. I believe we have more depth and talent at receiver as well, since I never liked Connell and find Lockett his better. I think few would take Thrash over Gardner, though, Gardner could flop and change that, of course. I am excited about seeing our big receivers on the field. It will be nice to see if the hope McCants will become a good contributor becomes reality. I believe we have a better offensive unit than we had a year ago, though it will take time to see if that's the case as the team adjusts to a new scheme. But, I'm not at all worried about the offensive line at this point. We've done good work getting that line up to par and able to contribute. ------------------ Doom is in the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted June 25, 2001 Share Posted June 25, 2001 Errr.... guys, I was talking about the interior of the d-line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted June 25, 2001 Share Posted June 25, 2001 Fair enough then Chosen One . I'm worried about that too. We all are. ------------------ Doom is in the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted June 25, 2001 Share Posted June 25, 2001 It's my fault for not specifying. It was on the late side, and I was doing the classic multitasking "thang". I mentioned the interior line because I remembered a lot of people on this board wanted to go for a DT when we got to the 5th round. Not that drafting another mid to late rounder to shore up that position would make everyone here breath a sigh of relief. I wonder what tricks Marty has up his sleeve right now. I hear Cortez Kennedy is refusing to sign for under $2 mill... I say screw that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted June 25, 2001 Author Share Posted June 25, 2001 Cortez Kennedy at age 34 is not going to get $2 million to play DT in 2001, not at this point. The only teams with cap room don't really need him. Philly has the dollars but already has Corey Simon and Brandon Whiting, two young and rising players. The Browns just drafted Warren to go with Courtney Brown and they are not likely to add Kennedy either. So, I expect Kennedy to end up going to a team like Indy at some point of the preseason for lesser dollars and have a chance to contend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyskinsfan Posted June 26, 2001 Share Posted June 26, 2001 True Bulldog, I am getting that buzz about town right now that the fans think it's in the works. Mora may want him and yet Polian may say no, if he's looking to a longer term situation. This could be a stalemate in that regard, since the turnover over the last three years hasn't favored something solid there, as far as personnel goes. The Colts have always respected Cortez Kennedy, so I wouldn't be surprised if they do bring him on board. [ by indyskinsfan on June 26, 2001.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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