Washington is scheduled to pick Friday in the second and third rounds (51st and 85th overall). The club’s greatest needs are in the defensive secondary.
Each of Washington’s top three cornerbacks — DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson and E.J. Biggers — is on the last year of his contract. At safety, Brandon Meriweather is coming off left knee ACL surgery as he enters the last year of his deal, and there is no true free safety to fill a starting role.
The following players could fill those needs Friday, according to top draft analysts.
CORNERBACK
Johnthan Banks
School: Missisissippi St.
SEE ALSO: NFL draft: Secondary help is Redskins’ first priority
H/W: 6-2, 185
40-yd dash: 4.61
225 lb. bench press: 10 reps
Arm length: 33 7/8”
Mike Mayock, NFL Network: “People like his length. He’s got some press [coverage] ability.”
Scouts, Inc.: “Very quick feet. At his best in press-man coverage. He has the length and toughness to match up well vs. bigger receivers. Has been an above-average ball-hawk throughout career.”
Darius Slay
School: Mississippi St.
H/W: 6-0, 192
40-yd dash: 4.36
225 lb. bench press: 14
Arm length: 32 1/4”
Nolan Nawrocki, Pro Football Weekly: “Slay lacks ideal explosiveness, but with continued refinement, has the fluidity, cover skills and ball skills to develop into a No. 1 cornerback in the pros, and fits with such teams as the Bengals, Broncos, Dolphins and Redskins.”
Jamar Taylor
School: Boise St.
H/W: 5-11, 192
40-yd dash: 4.39
225 lb. bench press: 22
Arm length: 30 3/4”
Mayock: “I think he’s a mid-second round pick. “He’s got quick feet, he’ll tackle, and like most Boise players, he’s tough and understands the game of football. Trust me, I think Jamar Taylor is a starting corner in the NFL.”
B.W. Webb
School: William & Mary
H/W: 5-10, 184
40-yd dash: 4.51
225 lb. bench press: 14
Arm length: 30 1/4”
Mayock: “Great feet, great feet, change of direction, competed at the Senior Bowl. The combination of his feet, his ability to certainly play inside — as long as he tackles inside — he’s a starting nickel, and then the punt return ability, I think he’s a late 2 to mid 3.”
Blidi Wreh-Wilson
School: UConn
H/W: 6-1, 195
40-yd dash: 4.53
225 lb. bench press: 14
Arm length: 32”
Mel Kiper, ESPN: “In this league, you’ve got to go be able to cover. Certainly, Blidi Wreh-Wilson can do that. He has, obviously, the height you want. You think about the length. You think about the ability he showed at Connecticut to match up in coverage and do a good job. His tackling is so-so at times – a little sloppy as a tackler. He’s got to shore that up.”
FREE SAFETY
T.J. McDonald
School: Southern Cal
H/W: 6-2, 219
40-yd dash: 4.59
225 lb. bench press: 19 reps
Arm length: 33 1/8”
Nawrocki: “Overhyped height-weight-speed prospect … could be overdrafted based on his pedigree and measurables. Graded more highly as a junior when he played on the deep end than he did as a senior closer to the line, lacking the functional strength and physicality desired in the box.”
D.J. Swearinger
School: South Carolina
H/W: 5-10, 208
40-yd dash: 4.67
225 lb. bench press: 17
Arm length: 32 3/8”
Kiper: “He plays with confidence; he’s a rough, tough kid; and then you have to have the computer numbers to justify it, and he has. When you look at him on paper and you compare his numbers at 208 pounds, he plays, I think, faster than he times, anyway. And you look at his production and his consistency, and you’ve got to think second round.”
Phillip Thomas
School: Fresno St.
H/W: 6-0, 208
40-yd dash: 4.65
225 lb. bench press: 14
Arm length: 30 5/8”
Mayock: “He might have as good of ball skills as any safety in this draft. Moves well on the ball, catches it, sees it. With Washington, the first pick is at 51, and he’s a guy you could get in the third round. Again, I think he’s a starting free safety, and I love his ball skills.”
• Rich Campbell can be reached at rcampbell@washingtontimes.com.
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