2014 Comprehensive Nfl Draft Database

[Skinsinparadise]

Redskins Rookie Report

by Chris Russell

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May 17, 2014 -- 3:13pm

The Redskins held two rookie practices on Saturday here in Ashburn, part of rookie mini-camp weekend at Redskins Park. They arrived on Thursday for physicals and meetings, which was followed by a practice and more meetings on Friday. Saturday was a day to perhaps show a little bit more of what they are all about.

It's hard to get a true feeling for really anything, so I will just give you my observations, both positive and negative.


**Trent Murphy: The 2nd round pick had an interesting day, lined up mostly at the left outside linebacker position (Ryan Kerrigan's main spot) in the morning practice.

Murphy jolted rookie tight end Ted Bolser with a two hand punch to the chest and easily beat him to get pressure on one play.

Murphy was locked up a couple of times by third-round pick Morgan Moses who got the best of him a few times, although I wonder if that's because Murphy dipped his head and upper-body too low, losing leverage and strength.

Murphy played a play-action boot right correctly and measured up the quarterback within his sights. Murphy outstretched his arms and hands, and somehow did not knock the pass down, although it was incomplete. Just after the player outside linebackers/pass rush coach Brian Baker worked with Murphy on the proper technique for his hands on that particular play.

I did see Murphy on one rush in a four-point stance and flipped to the right side of the formation.

After the practice session once again, Baker met with Murphy for a longer period of time to help his adjustment.

In the afternoon practice, on consecutive plays, Murphy gave a two-handed stun punch to Morgan Moses that jolted the big right tackle who was easily beaten by Murphy. On the very next play, Murphy drove inside of Bolser (notice a theme) and blew up a run play.

 

**Morgan Moses: As mentioned, he got the best of Murphy twice in one-on-one rush situations that I paid close attention too.

It seems that he lunges and gets off balance way too easily, and that could be because of his longer arms. Even when he held off Murphy, it was far from clean technique wise.

Just before that session, I saw Moses get obliterated by a player on a try-out, Michael Cole from Maine. Cole went right around Moses to Morgan's right with a little dip and Moses was no match. Clearly, this can happen on any play against anybody but it was interesting to see how he handled Murphy but struggled in this particular match-up.

On a couple of outside zone runs to the left tackle side, Moses looked around for somebody to block in the zone blocking scheme and appeared to somewhat give up on the play. I note this because you can't ever stop, with players cutting back against the grain, you never know where one push or block might spring a huge play.

I didn't pay a lot of attention to Moses in the afternoon session, but getting rocked as he did by Murphy was a bit alarming because when he does struggle - it tends to come from being out of whack in his technique. This was fun to watch Murphy jolt a much bigger man so noticeably.

***Spencer Long: I didn't get to see much of the burly offensive guard from Nebraska. He said after the practice that he surgically repaired knee (PCL/MCL) felt great and he had no issues at all. John Keim of ESPN.com and ESPN 980 noted a few observations about Long that he saw.


**Bashaud Breeland: The fourth round pick from Clemson was the draft pick and individual player that impressed me the most if I had to pick one. Breeland is physical, feisty and aggressive. Sure, he grabs his opponents jersey too much and he did it several times where he could absolutely get flagged, but he had no fear.

On the first 7-on-7 play of the first session, Breeland got a strong jam which initially stunned the receiver, but Breeland did not break up the short passing attempt. Still I like the strength and punch.

On another play, Breeland went up the sideline on a long overthrow from Tommy Rees. The play had virtually no chance as Breeland had perfect inside coverage with his head turned around to track the ball. He didn't grab or clutch. He glided with his man at least 35 yards or so down the field.

Breeland was beat on a terrific effort and catch late in the practice session after he very clearly grabbed and tugged on his target's shoulder. Still, it took a super human effort and great ball placement/catch for the play to be successful.

Breeland was pulling and tugging at jerseys again in the afternoon session getting beat by a tryout wide receiver for a nice catch. Breeland pounded the turf in frustration. Breeland also was beat initially by Ryan Grant on a great inside cut, but he quickly recovered. Breeland went over the back of Grant for a tomahawk chop breakup that probably was defensive pass interference, but I sure would love another look at it to be certain. It was a bang-bang play, and again, Breeland promises to be right up in the grill of anybody that goes against him. He'll draw some penalties, but he will do plenty of good things that will make you love him. His game is man-press and in-your-face.

I also liked how Breeland busted it on special teams punt coverage. On one play, he was the gunner and ran from the right side all the way to the far left sideline on a diagonal cross to get in position to make the play. Effort on special teams was an issue at times last year.

 

***Ryan Grant is going to be a lot better than some people think. I didn't see him do anything in the morning practice of note, but in the afternoon session, he stood out. He had a drop early that I saw, but then made a beautiful adjustment on a terrible throw from one of the quarterbacks (who were not very good). The catch was a twisting snare completely behind where Grant was going, earned the Tulane product plenty of on-field praise from the coaches.

We mentioned the battle with Breeland that he clearly won at least one phase of, but the highlight of the afternoon was Grant running a vertical route to about ten yards. He motioned to the post, stuck his foot in the dirt and broke to his right and the sideline so quickly that the defensive back completely fell down. Grant caught another off-target ball to complete the play. It was a thing of beauty.

I also saw Grant busting it on special teams punt coverage, drawing Jay Gruden to yell out "Yeah, Ryan Grant, yeah!" Gruden said he "plays like a 10-year veteran already."

***Lache Seastrunk: I was told by a few of my media friends that he dropped a pass in one drill early in practice. I didn't see it, but clearly that is one way Seastrunk can really shine. Seastrunk did impress me on one particular run which appeared to be an inside zone that he planted and cut to his left to avoid traffic. You could see the lateral speed and explosive athleticism as Seastrunk raced to the sideline and turned the corner.

Perhaps he bounces too much to the outside, but with his frame, he really shouldn't try to be a battering ram. His greatest attribute is his speed and explosive ability.

Seastrunk has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder based on his interview on ESPN 980 earlier this week, and a couple of minutes with him earlier today. That's OK, as long as he uses it positively.

 

http://www.espn980.com/includes/blog/index.php?action=blog&blog_id=8&post_id=18211

[darrelgreenie]

A team in my backyard that I think had a really good draft is the Ravens (they also picked right after us in the 2nd and 3rd rounds)

DL Timmy Jernigan  (a pick after we got Murphy) immediate rotational guy on the DL

FS Terrence Brooks (a pick after we got long) might start at FS

TE Crockett Gillmore -replaces Ed Dickson adds a TE that can catch and block

DL Brent Urban-adds depth to the DL

RB Lorenzo Taliaferro.

WR Michael Campanaro

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

The above rookie report (although you can't really read much of anything into a first pro set of practices) from Russell adds to what many of us feel Sp on this draft class.

Very raw talent that will take some developing at this level with not one ready to start (or even play in some cases). day one which we desperately needed.

.....

Sorry about Gumbs man. I was as high on him as yourself without being as vocal and honestly feel this is another FO faux pas that we'll live to regret as we continue to struggle back there.

So much for keeping high character/ work ethic guys with no little talent to boot.

Kid was an honest to God football player ya' know?

Hail.

[Thekyle1591]

I think Gumbs getting cut comes down once again to special teams. I don't remember him playing there at all, and if he did he didn't stand out. It should be a good sign they think a college free agent can have a bigger impact.

[darrelgreenie]

I think Gumbs getting cut comes down once again to special teams. I don't remember him playing there at all, and if he did he didn't stand out. It should be a good sign they think a college free agent can have a bigger impact.

?

http://www.nfl.com/videos/washington-redskins/0ap2000000267527/Gumbs-makes-a-nicely-formed-tackle

[Thekyle1591]

?

Yeah that was a nice hit. But you like to see a guy stand out a little more on such a terrible teams unit.

[THE HAMMER'IN HOG]

Has anyone watched that 6"3 CB out of Hampton that is supposedly impressing for us?

[darrelgreenie]

Yeah that was a nice hit. But you like to see a guy stand out a little more on such a terrible teams unit.

lol, youre always moving the goal posts.

I figured an oh yeah I forgot about that...etc

[Thekyle1591]

lol, youre always moving the goal posts.

I figured an oh yeah I forgot about that...etc

Lol I mean I think you should have more than 2 special teams tackles all year to justify a roster spot. I actually like Jose, have sense his appearance on "hey rookie, welcome to the NFL". I'm just glad to see the coaching staff found a guy they deem good enough to replace Gumbs. The more impact guys we get as UDFA the better.

[Skinsinparadise]

some other minicamp stuff and agree with those saying there is so much you can make of it but nothing else is going on so what the heck.   Just going on tweets and articles, seems like the two jumping out are Grant and Breeland

 

Chris Russell ‏@Russellmania980  18h

#Redskins are going to sign the CB we've mentioned several times Courtney Bridget from Hampton.

 

John Keim ‏@john_keim  19h

Gruden loves Murphy's variety of moves. Likes that he can still fill out and get bigger

 

John Keim ‏@john_keim  20h

Gruden says Ryan grant runs routes like a 10- year vet

 

John Keim ‏@john_keim  20h

Jay gruden on Moses: "he has a ways to go... But happy with his progress"

 

John Keim ‏@john_keim  22h

@Redskins_Es agree with that. amerson more athletic/talented/faster. but Breeland better in press (DA never did) and much more physical

 

Mike Jones @MikeJonesWaPo · 20h

Gruden thinks G Spencer Long will compete right away for a spot

 

 Mike Jones @MikeJonesWaPo · Lache Seastrunk looked right at home during a drill where he weaved through tight cones and caught a series of passes from RB coach

 

Mike Jones @MikeJonesWaPo ·Moses appeared to get the best of Murphy in the majority of their matchups

 

Mike Jones @MikeJonesWaPo

 ·CB Bashaud Breeland looks bigger than the 6-foot, 198 he's listed at. Great length and physicality.

 

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/7769/redskins-rookie-minicamp-observations

 

1. Corner Bashaud Breeland likes to get his hands on receivers, even after the five yards that are allowed. He’s physical and with long arms. He’ll try to get a subtle grab at the top of a route. Just something to watch this summer.
2. But Breeland, playing right corner, is experienced in press. Used good technique on one jam, getting his left hand on the inside of the receiver and bumping him off stride. Did not see a lot of separation from receivers against him.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

..... I'm just glad to see the coaching staff found a guy they deem good enough to replace Gumbs. The more impact guys we get as UDFA the better.

If you trust the judgement of Haslett and Morris in particular, on ANYTHING; you're a braver (or more stupid dependent on your view point) man than I.

Hail.

[DogofWar1]

Some mixed but mostly good stuff coming out of rookie camp.  I like how they like Breeland and Grant, those are two mid-round picks that would be great if they pan out.

 

I'm glad to hear Long is doing well, and my hope is that by the start of preseason it'll be a battle between him and anyone not named "Chester" for RG or LG or wherever they stuff him.

 

Moses seems like he has a ways to go, but it's very very early.

 

As for Gumbs, I'm a tad surprised he was tossed, but I think realistically he was not going to be the starter or close to it for us, except in cases where we really had no other bodies for it.  I am interested to see who the FO thought was worth Gumbs' roster spot, since safety is very thin for us.

[Stormy]

Seems like the cumulative impression you get from the preliminary comments from those who observed the rookie OTAs, is about what one would expect from this draft class. A lot of guys with a long way to go, to paraphrase Jay Gruden. We opted not to go with guys who projected as day 1 starters (Bitonio 2nd, Brooks 3rd etc...) rather going with guys who are major projects (Moses) or who have to add some physical development and find a way to get on the field (Murphy) to the fold instead. I didn't like it at the time, but I fully expect to hear that none of our top 3 picks are ready to meaningfully contribute on day 1. That's amazing given how deep this draft was in NFL ready talent, and given how bad the right side of our OL is.

My hope is that Murphy surprises (though I think his physical limitations are going to stifle him early in his career), that the coaches can quickly sure up Moses' numerous technique flaws, and that Long is a diamond in the rough who is perfect for this scheme. I have high hopes for Breeland, though I wish we had paired that pick with an early DB with more explosiveness, and hope Seastrunk can add a new dimension to our offense.

We'll see about the rest. Can't draw too many conclusions from a few practices.

[Gizmo 3squire]

Early signs are pointing to Breeland and Grant being the steals of our draft. I like the fact that Breeland is an in your face type of player. I knew my worries about Moses were for a reason. Very uneasy about him.

[Stormy]

Early signs are pointing to Breeland and Grant being the steals of our draft. I like the fact that Breeland is an in your face type of player. I knew my worries about Moses were for a reason. Very uneasy about him.

That wouldn't be too surprising, I agree. Downside is that Grant doesn't seem to have a very high ceiling, and that aside from STs and 4WR sets doesn't project to see the field much. In addition to not liking some of the personnel we targeted, it bothers me that this was a draft where we absolutely should have walked away with 2-3 day 1 starters at positions of need, with long-term upside. Instead, we seem to have gotten depth, projects and ST upgrades.

That was my take on the day of the draft, we'll see if our draftees performance changes that perception over the coming year(s).

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

..... it bothers me that this was a draft where we absolutely should have walked away with 2-3 day 1 starters at position of need, with long-term upside. Instead, we seem to have gotten depth, projects and ST upgrades.

That was my take on the day of the draft, we'll see if our draftees performance changes that perception over the coming year(s).

You and me too man. Sighs.

Here's hoping for all our sales we're both dead wrong on these guys.

Hail.

[Thekyle1591]

If you trust the judgement of Haslett and Morris in particular, on ANYTHING; you're a braver (or more stupid dependent on your view point) man than I.

Hail.

I mean, I think there is a difference between putting players in a position to succeed and actually selecting the players. I don't think it's stupid to think that a professional coach can see which defensive back would better fit their scheme, but I guess I have more faith in Haslett than most.

[mattermind]

Just like the draft was a lesson in post-Shanahan FO operations, this season will be make-or-break for Raheem and Haslett.

The optimist in me believes the emphasis on hard-nosed, tough, aggressive personnel bodes well for the idea that the hounds will be unleashed.

I really hope that's true...

[FuriousD]

Just like the draft was a lesson in post-Shanahan FO operations, this season will be make-or-break for Raheem and Haslett.

The optimist in me believes the emphasis on hard-nosed, tough, aggressive personnel bodes well for the idea that the hounds will be unleashed.

I really hope that's true...

I don't know about releasing the hounds necessarily.  We've seen Haslett be agressive before by throwing numbers at the problem but that will leave you exposed somewhere.  The key to a good pass rush isn't quantity. It's quality. If you can rush four and drop seven and still get good pressure then chances are you will win 90% of those battles. This is where we have really struggled recently and this is why I think Murphy was the top pick.

 

Raheem?  I don't know about that guy.  He's been a here a couple of years now but the whole back-end has been awful for the most part.  Sure we've had some bad luck with Merriweather, Jackson and Thomas but the stop-gaps (mostly his guys) have been awful too.

 

It's high time we caught some brakes on the front and the back end of this defense.

[Skinsinparadise]

Seems like the cumulative impression you get from the preliminary comments from those who observed the rookie OTAs, is about what one would expect from this draft class. A lot of guys with a long way to go, to paraphrase Jay Gruden. We opted not to go with guys who projected as day 1 starters (Bitonio 2nd, Brooks 3rd etc...) rather going with guys who are major projects (Moses) or who have to add some physical development and find a way to get on the field (Murphy) to the fold instead. I didn't like it at the time, but I fully expect to hear that none of our top 3 picks are ready to meaningfully contribute on day 1. That's amazing given how deep this draft was in NFL ready talent, and given how bad the right side of our OL is.

My hope is that Murphy surprises (though I think his physical limitations are going to stifle him early in his career), that the coaches can quickly sure up Moses' numerous technique flaws, and that Long is a diamond in the rough who is perfect for this scheme. I have high hopes for Breeland, though I wish we had paired that pick with an early DB with more explosiveness, and hope Seastrunk can add a new dimension to our offense.

We'll see about the rest. Can't draw too many conclusions from a few practices.

 

I watched the Gruden interview.  Where did he say they went with "major" projects versus 1st year starters?  Or is that driven by the tweet about Moses specifically has "ways to go"?

 

For a rebuilding team, to each their own, but for me its irrelevant how quickly players will contribute.  To me its not the 2014 season or bust.  If some of these players need an extra year to develop but excel in 2015, all the same to me.   

 

Now that I had time to catch up with the write ups on him and watch some clips, Grant seems more intriguing to me than he did when he was drafted.  I noticed Gruden was guarded with his comments after the rookie minicamp aside from Grant.  I trust Mayock when it comes to CBs, and he thought highly of Breeland.   Cooley seems in love with Murphy.    Seastrunk seems intriguing.  Gruden says Long will compete for a job right away.  Most like the Moses pick.  Most say if you can land 2-3 starters in any draft, you did well.  IMO there is definitely that potential here. The more I stew on the draft, the more I like it.  But like any draft, of course it has to play out.   

[peanut0862]

I didn't hear Gruden say we drafted projects either. Sounds to me that a lot a posters on here are just upset that we didn't draft the ones they wanted so the ones we got are bad picks

[Skinsinparadise]

As I am going through this, Gruden was more complementary across the board than I initially thought. 

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/wp/2014/05/17/notes-and-observations-from-redskins-rookie-minicamp/

 

“Ryan Grant plays like a 10-year veteran already,” Gruden said. “He’s very smooth, he understands route concepts, he understands depths, how important they are and how to set people up. Easy in and out of breaks, effortlessly. He had a couple drops, but a little nervous I’m sure. But very, very excited to have Ryan and the ability – like I said when we drafted him – to be able to move around outside and inside, I think is going to be a huge benefit for him and he’s going to be a very, very good football player.”

 

• BASHAUD BREELAND

Gruden chuckled. “We’re going to have referees throughout training camp and they’re going to police it, and we’ll continue to coach it up. But when he’s at the line of scrimmage, playing bump and run, he has the long arms and that’s his strength. We’ve got to make sure he watches the holding, but very happy with the way he handled the mental aspect of the game, the coverages, and the physical obviously, with how he handled his technique.”

• SPENCER LONG

Gruden said he believes it’s possible that Long could compete with veteran starters for a spot on the line. Long said Saturday that Washington’s zone-blocking schemes are very similar to Nebraska’s. And Gruden said Long’s comfort level was obvious.

“He did a great job,” the coach explained. “From the first [session] to the fourth [session] of practice, you could see how effective he’s going to be, how smart he is, No. 1, how physical he can be. He’s athletic enough to do whatever we want in the zone game. He’s smart enough to pick up the blitzes and the line stunts. He’s going to be competitive every day.”

 

• TRENT MURPHY

“The knock on him is he’s not the greatest athlete, but what I see is a guy who as far as the defensive end and ’backers are concerned, he ran the short shuttles as well as anybody and the long shuttle he ran as good as anybody else. He’s great off the snap, and if you are great off the snap and you have great length, you can make up a lot speed deficiencies, so to speak. He’s got a wide variety of moves and Coach Baker is only going to make him better and better.

 

 

[mattermind]

Caught some brakes...I see what you did there.

I agree with your response about aggression not being a solution per se. What I meant was that Breeland, Murphy, even the UDFAs seem to bring in a certain tone that's been missing.

I've long wondered why we didn't play more press-man and give Minnifield a shot on the corner. I realize that's a style we've seen since back to the base 4-3 and that deteriorating safety coverage has exposed us.

Much has already been written about the alleged 1-gap scheme emphasis with Hatcher added to the mix, but I just think overall we're going to be nastier, more physical, more Steelers and Ravens which I thought was Haslett's pedigree. What I meant is that the little indications seem like we're headed toward a more assertive philosophy, and that gets me excited.

Maybe that's all Gruden though. I'm sure his time with Zimmer had an influence.

God, I sure hope so.

[darrelgreenie]

I don't think labeling draft picks as projects or depth or futures justifies lowered expectations.

Saying a pick was meant for the future doesn't give the team a pass. Especially for a 3-13 team.

Especially when the FO own stance is inconsistent. Why is OLB future more important then SAF? There are playoff teams that seem to have drafted more rookie year contributors then we did.

But in the end time will tell.

And if Griffin takes the next step he'll mask all flaws.

[Thekyle1591]