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The Washington Redskins had 36 sacks as a team in 2014 (tied for 21st in the league), but two players (Ryan Kerrigan-13.5 sacks and Jason Hatcher-5.5 sacks) combined for over half of that total and no one else had more than three sacks. The offseason departure of Brian Orakpo, despite the fact he played just 24 games over the last three seasons, leaves Washington in search of someone to provide some outside pass rush opposite Kerrigan.
The Redskins need help in a lot of areas, but a lot of mock drafts have them tapping into a deep group of “edge rusher” prospects with the fifth overall pick. Dante Fowler looks fairly certain to be gone by the time Washington gets ready to make their first-round pick, and Randy Gregory now carries a big red flag after testing positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine. Among top-tier pass rushers that leaves two likely options, Shane Ray or Vic Beasley. Both are potential top-10 picks, but Ray’s stock seems to be falling some and Beasley has maintained his lofty status on the heels of a great showing at the combine.
Beasley led all linebackers with a 4.53 second 40-yard dash time and 35 bench press reps at the combine. Over his final two seasons at Clemson he became a star and a top NFL prospect, with 25 sacks (12 in 2014) and 44.5 tackles for loss over that span. He is not big enough (246 pounds) to play defensive end at the next level, but the Redskins should not be concerned with that since they have a 3-4 base defense and Beasley would be able to get after the quarterback while being a disruptive force as an outside linebacker.
Fowler will probably be the choice for the Redskins if he is available at No. 5 overall, even if I don’t see what makes him a sure-fire top-10 pick. But I think the Jacksonville Jaguars will do Washington a favor by taking Fowler with the third overall pick, and Beasley will become the clear choice two picks later. If you want a very early top candidate for next season’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, you can do a lot worse than Beasley if he lands in a prominent role right out of the gate. The Redskins are in position to give him precisely that kind of opportunity.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist/Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
