We already know the Redskins have the oldest roster in the NFL, the product of neglecting the draft for years in order to focus on older, more expensive free agents. That trend has been accentuated this season, with new Head Coach Mike Shanahan trading for a veteran quarterback and adding two veteran running backs. Recently Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders ranked the Redskins 32nd -- dead last -- in talent on the roster under the age of 25.
I'm not quibbling with his conclusions, they seem fair to me. But I thought I would take a closer look at the Redskins roster to see what sort of youth it contains and if we can reasonably expect those younger players to make a contribution to the team in the near future or ever.
Below is part one of my analysis of the Redskins young prospects. The rule is that each player must be no older than 25 on September 1, 2010 -- the standard Barnwell used in his analysis. I will assign to each player their chance to make the active roster this season and whether or not their prospects of playing for the Redskins are poor, fair or good.
We begin, in part one of this analysis, with players with the last name beginning with the letters A-L. Part two will cover players M-Z.
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Terrence Austin |
WR |
22 |
R |
-50% |
Too slight to play from scrimmage, must excel as return specialist to make the final roster. Prospects: Poor |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Brandon Banks |
WR |
22 |
R |
-50% |
Even smaller than Austin, Banks needs to beat out his fellow rookie as a return specialist. Prospects: Poor |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Kevin Barnes |
CB |
23 |
1 |
75+ |
Blessed with good size and athleticism, just needs to stay healthy and continue to develop. Could be a real find from the 3rd round. Prospects: Fair to good |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| H.B. Blades |
LB |
25 |
3 |
50+ |
Special teams standout and all-purpose backup linebacker may not be suited to 3-4 scheme. Good, smart athlete is a real help to the team. Prospects: Fair |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Selvish Capers |
OT |
24 |
R |
75+ |
Good college career marred by poor performance at Senior Bowl, causing him to drop in draft. Strength, work ethic should get him a roster spot as reserve OL. Prospects: Fair |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Erik Cook |
C-G |
23 |
R |
50+ |
Good strength and footwork, combined with versatility give him a decent chance of making the team as a reserve OL. Prospects: Fair |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Fred Davis |
TE |
24 |
2 |
100 |
Struggled first 23 games of his career, but came on strong after Chris Cooley was lost to injury. Decent hands, superb size & athleticism lead to major role with the offense this year. Prospects: Excellent |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Doug Dutch |
CB |
24 |
1 |
-50 |
Terrific athlete who must excel on special teams to have a future in the NFL. Prospects: Poor |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Graham Gano |
PK |
23 |
1 |
50 |
Big leg who kicks a mile, but young kickers are inconsistent. Prospects: Fair to good. |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Curtis Gatewood |
LB |
25 |
2 |
-50 |
Practice squad player may be hurt by move of Orakpo, Carter, Alexander, etc. to linebacker. Prospects: Poor |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Robert Henson |
LB |
24 |
1 |
-50 |
Hard worker who will feel the crunch of added bodies at linebacker position. Prospects: Poor |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Shay Hodge |
WR |
22 |
R |
-50 |
One-year wonder in the SEC has good size, but average athleticism. Long shot, best chance is weakness of WR competition. Prospects: Poor |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Lendy Holmes |
S |
24 |
1 |
-50 |
Long shot to beat out Landry, Moore, Doughty or Horton. Prospects: Poor |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Rob Jackson |
DE |
24 |
2 |
-50 |
Not suited to linebacker, but far too small to play DE in a 3-4 defense. Prospects: Poor |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Trey Jacobs |
DE |
22 |
R |
50 |
Very athletic college DT making the move to 3-4 DE, which is a natural transition. Strong special teams player. Probably bound for the practice squad for a year. Prospects: Fair |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Jeremy Jarmon |
LB/DE |
22 |
1 |
75+ |
Good athlete moving from DE to LB in the 3-4. Will struggle in coverage, but solid against run and rushing the passer. Prospects: Fair to good |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Malcolm Kelly |
WR |
23 |
2 |
75+ |
Tall, rangy, injury-prone. No TDs in 2 seasons. Struggles to get open and make plays. Potential is there. Prospects: Fair |
| PLAYER |
POS |
AGE |
YR |
% chance |
COMMENT |
| Kory Lichtensteiger |
G |
25 |
2 |
-50 |
Shanahan drafted him in Denver so he must like something. Hard worker, but not a special athlete. Knowledge of Shanny system will help. Prospects: Poor to fair |
Coming up next: Redskins young prospects M-Z
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