Draft Day 3: Washington drafts offensive and defensive line, running back

April 29, 2023

by Steve Thomas

On day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, Washington drafted Utah guard Braeden Daniels with the 16th pick in round 4, then traded up to get edge rusher K.J. Henry with the third pick in round 5, Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez, Jr with the 16th pick of round six, and University of Louisiana linebacker Andre Jones with pick 16 in round 7.

Round 4

Daniels, 6’4” and 294 pounds, is a fifth year senior from the University of Utah, including his redshirt true freshman year in 2018.  In total, he played 47 games as a four-year starter, initially at left guard, then right tackle, then left tackle for his 2022 season.  He earned All Pac-12 honors in 2022.  At the NFL Combine, Daniels ran the 40 yard dash in 4.99 seconds, the 3-Cone drill in 7.53 seconds, and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.6 seconds, and jumped 30.5 inches in the vertical leap and 9’1” in the standing broad jump.  Braeden did not do the bench press.  His arms were measured at 33 inches in length, which is considered to be short for an NFL tackle.

Scouts see Daniels as a smart, versatile, and intelligent lineman.  He’s known to have good athleticism and lateral quickness.  Daniels’ downside is his size – he’s not bulky enough by traditional NFL offensive lineman standards, either for the tackle or guard position, so he’ll need to put on some weight and strength.  It seems likely that Washington will view him more as a guard than tackle.  Given the mostly sad state of Washington’s guard group, he’ll have the opportunity to compete for a starting job immediately, although it is hard to see him winning the job in year one.

Round 5

Washington then traded the 16th pick in round 5 and the 38th pick in round 6 to the Buffalo Bills to move up to the second pick in round 5.  With that pick, then inexplicably selected edge rusher K.J. Henry from Clemson.  Henry, who is 6’4” and 251 pounds, is another fifth year senior who played a total of 48 games, and had 124 total tackles, including 63 solo and 28 for loss, and 13 sacks.  In 2022, he played 14 games, and made 51 total tackles, including 26 solo and 9 for loss, and 3.5 sacks, and was a Second-Team All-ACC selectee and a team captain.  At the NFL Combine, Henry ran the 40 yard dash in 4.63 seconds, and jumped 31.5 inches in the vertical leap and 9’4” in the standing broad jump.  Henry is known to be very athletic and has prototypical size for an NFL edge rusher.  Scouts don’t see him as a three down player, and instead as more of a first and second down rusher.

Henry obviously won’t start as long as Montez Sweat and Chase Young are on Washington’s roster.  It’s likely that the team made this move in order to get a replacement for Shaka Toney, who was recently suspended indefinitely by the NFL for gambling.  It’s possible that Henry will work out as a productive backup.  That having been said, for a team that has spent as many resources on the defensive line recently as has Washington, the idea of trading up for an edge rusher is simply an inexcusable and negligent waste of resources.

Round 6

Rodriguez is another redshirt senior who played in 40 games over 5 seasons, with a total of 592 carries for 3643 yards, 6.2 yards per carry, and 33 touchdowns, plus an additional 20 receptions for 116 yards, 5.8 yards per reception, and 3 touchdowns.  In 2022, He played 8 games and had 175 carries for 904 yards, 5.2 yards per carry, and 6 touchdowns, plus 5 receptions for 41 yards, 8.2 yards per reception.  Rodriguez was convicted of driving under the influence, careless driving, and driving without taillamps in June, 2022, and as a result was suspended for the first 4 games of the season.  He was a First Team All-SEC selection in 2021.  He did 19 bench press reps at the NFL Combine.

Rodriguez is thought to be solely a downhill power runner.  Scouts view him as a mauler-style runner who can move piles, but as one who lacks burst and ability to change directions.  He is a two-down power runner, not an elusive game-changer.  Rodriguez is most likely best served by playing a specific role amongst a stable of running backs.  Plus, his physical style lends itself to a job as a blocking back.  With Washington, it seems likely that he will compete with Alex Armah and Jaret Patterson for a fourth and final spot on the active roster; otherwise, he’s most likely a practice squad candidate.

Round 7

Jones, who is 6’5” and 248 pounds, spent 6 years at the University of Louisiana, including his freshman year in 2017 and a redshirt year in 2018.  In total, he played in a total of 58 games, and had a total of 209 tackles, including 110 solo and 30 for loss, 15.5 sacks, and 1 interception.  In 2022, Jones played 12 games and had 51 total tackles, including 24 solo and 8.5 for loss, 7.5 sacks, and 1 interception, and earned Second-Team All-Sunbelt Conference honors.  At the NFL Combine, Jones jumped 29 inches in the vertical leap and 9’8” in the standing broad jump.

Jones is categorized by most scouts as an edge rusher or as a 3 – 4 outside linebacker.  Analysts see Jones’ size as both an advantage and a disadvantage – his height and weight are ideal coming off the edge as a pass rusher, but he’s seen as being a bit lean in the lower half of his body.  Washington has listed him as an edge rusher, which makes sense given his size; however, since this position group is so stacked, he’s most likely headed for the practice squad for 2023.