Will the Washington Football Team use yet another first-round draft pick on a defensive player?
Going back to 2017, Washington has drafted: defensive end Chase Young at No. 2, defensive end Montez Sweat at No. 26, defensive tackle Daron Payne at No. 13, and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen at No. 17.
In the process, the defense has become stout with the addition of talented players on the defensive line, but that has not translated to wins. With the 19th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, many speculate the team could be looking for an offensive lineman or make a move up to take a quarterback.
But with former linebacker Ron Rivera running the show, there may be another defensive player taken in the first round. And the way the draft is expected to unfold, a linebacker may be the best player available when Washington is on the clock.
So which linebacker would Washington be the best fit for Washington? Former linebacker and London Fletcher, who spent 16 seasons playing the position in the NFL and seven in Burgundy & Gold said one player caught his eye.
“The one who stood out the most to me… was Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah out of Notre Dame,” Fletcher told Travis Thomas on The Team 980 Thursday.
“He’s a kind of a hybrid guy, I think he was about 215 [pounds] last season and he was up to 220, 221 during his pro day. I think his coverage skills are the best out of all the linebackers coming out,” Fletcher told The Team 980. “You saw him not just lined up and covering slot receivers, but excelling at doing it. So, from a coverage standpoint, he’s gonna be great.
(Listen to the full interview with London Fletcher from The Travis Thomas Experience here)
“He’s a tremendous blitzer. He brings a physicality when he makes tackles. I don’t think you worry about him [gaining size] I think if he can get up to 228, 230, which I feel like will [happen through] the maturation process he should be able to do. But I really liked him. He was the one that stood out the most to me. And I don’t know if he’ll be available at 19, but if he is, it would be hard not to take a guy like that with his physical talents.”
Last season, Owusu-Koramoah was a unanimous All-American selection as a senior and tallied 62 total tackles (42 solos) with 11 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception, three forced fumbles, and 1 touchdown in 12 games for the Fighting Irish.
In Mel Kiper and Todd McShay's latest mock draft, Owusu-Koramoah was the second linebacker taken in the first round at No. 18 to the Dolphins. They had Penn State's Michah Parsons going three picks earlier to the Lions.
Parsons was another linebacker Fletcher watched, but the former Pro Bowler doesn’t think the former Nittany Lions linebacker is as good as Owusu-Koramoah.
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“People are gonna fall in love with Parsons’ size because he’s 6’4 and speed, I think he runs a sub-4.4, so you love that about him,” Fletcher said. “But I just think Koramoah is a better football player from what I saw.”
Parsons opted out of this season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but as a sophomore had 109 total tackles (52 solo), 14 for loss, with five sacks, and four forced fumbles at Penn State in 2019.
Fletcher said he came away more impressed by Owusu-Koramoah’s film from this past season when he compared it to Parsons’ film from 2019.
Of course, Fletcher did tell Thomas that Parsons can offer more versatility with his size, but he still liked Owusu-Koramoah more: “I think I’m probably in the minority when I say that, but he popped a lot more for me.”
While Owusu-Koramoah and Parsons are at the beginning of their NFL journey, Thomas asked if Feltcher, looking back at his football career, believes he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Oh, I’m a Hall of Famer in every way you can look at it,” Fletcher said. “There’s no doubt. However, you wanna judge and measure with the production and the longevity, what I did on the football field."
"There is no doubt that I belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I should have already been in there.”
Follow @BenKrimmel for the latest.
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