The Hog Sty’s Listener Mock Draft: Round 2

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by Adam Taraschke and Steve Thomas

Welcome to Round 2 of The Hog Sty’s first annual mock draft, ladies and gentlemen!  As a short reminder, we asked you to vote last Thursday and Friday on who you thought the Redskins should draft in round 1 of the upcoming draft.  We gave you four realistic choices, including (1) Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio St., (2) Forrest Lamp, G. Western Kentucky, (3) Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford, and (4) Haason Reddick, the linebacker from Temple.  To the surprise of none of us on The Hog Sty, Reddick won the poll.

We therefore go into round 2 of the mock draft with the understanding that the Redskins have hypothetically drafted Reddick, thereby filling a major need at linebacker.  With that selection already made, we’ve given you four great new candidates who we think will be available to the Redskins in the 17 slot in round 2.  We picked these players because we think they either fill a need (for you “drafting for need” types), because we think he might be the best player remaining (BPA folks rejoice), or because the player is just an intriguing prospect.   Here are our choices – have fun with this and vote, and leave us a comment , too.

Caleb Brantley

Position: DL

College: Florida

Height: 6’3

Weight: 307

Draft Projection: mid 2nd–late 3rd

Brantley plays with strong hands and solid upper body strength in general. He wins with outstanding hand usage, as he is able to throw offensive linemen off balance. His handwork gives him a decent pass rush ceiling. He has good lateral quickness to be effective in the run game. Tends to get stuck if his first pass rush move doesn’t win. Stronger offensive lineman in the run game can swallow him up if his technique gets sloppy. There are questions about his motor/work ethic. Flashes of excellence give teams a reason to take a chance and use an early pick on him. He would be an upgrade to the Redskins defense and has the potential to be great. He must continue to work to reach his potential.

Dion Dawkins

Position: Guard

College: Temple

Height: 6’4

Weight: 315

Draft Projection: early 2nd–early 3rd

Dawkins is a bully on the field. He has outstanding play strength and strong hands he uses to control defensive lineman. His long arms allow him to lockout defenders in the pass game. Plays with a great base and rarely gets knocked off balance. He excels in zone blocking schemes and has the athletic profile to be a great pulling guard in a gap scheme. He would be an instant starter next to Williams at left guard. He got caught reaching and boxing his hip in the pass game in college, where he played tackle. I believe as a guard at the next level, he will excel playing in close quarters. His length and mean streak will make him an instant upgrade in the run and pass game. Callahan could max out Dawkins’ potential and solidify his offensive line.

Joe Mixon

Position: RB

College: Oklahoma

Height: 6’1

Weight: 225

Draft Projection: late 1st–mid 2nd

Mixon is a prototypical NFL tailback. He plays with outstanding vision, balance, and patience. He is a constant threat to take it to the house with legitimate 4.4 speed. He is a nightmare to cover in the pass game with quick feet and excellent ball skills. He has the natural timing and vision to turn 1 yard into 5-10 or more. He has a jump cut that reminds me of Leveon Bell. His past conviction for a 2014 assault on a female student that was infamously caught on video have raised serious questions about his character, but if Mixon checks out according to the scouting department he would be an instant upgrade to the offense and pair well with Rob Kelley. He is the best running back in this draft based strictly on his work the field, without regard to character questions. He would be a great fit in Gruden’s pass happy system and a star runner this franchise has missed for a few years.

Chris Wormley

Position: DL

College: Michigan

Height: 6’5

Weight: 298

Draft Projection: Late 1st – late 2nd

Wormley is a big versatile defensive lineman who plays with excellent leverage and strength. He can play a base 3-4 defensive end and he can kick in to a 3 technique in nickel situations. His length and athleticism are overpowering for interior offensive lineman. High level run defender who can close space quickly for a big man. He can use those long arms to win his gap and rag doll the man in front of him to make a play.  Plays with solid technique in both the run and pass. He has multiple pass rush moves that he can build on at the next level. Not overly explosive off the ball. He will need to continue to work at his craft and take his abilities to the next level. Tomsula would do wonders for Wormley’s development. He would be a nice piece for Manusky to continue to build that young defense.