Jay Gruden: Lache Seastrunk has ‘a long way to go’
The Washington Redskins were able to draft former Baylor Bears star running back Lache Seastrunk, and that’s a solid two rounds below where I thought he would land in the 2014 NFL Draft. Alfred Morris is clearly the star back on the Redskins roster and will continue to do an excellent job of carrying the load for the offense, but Seastrunk is an intriguing change-of-pace back. The issue is that he is a limited player since he isn’t an all-purpose back, as he did absolutely nothing as a receiver in college. But unlike New York Giants rookie running back Andre Williams, Seastrunk’s rushing is based on his ability to make plays in the open field, as opposed to Williams’s between-the-tackles style.
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According to Redskins head coach Jay Gruden, Seastrunk has a ways to go before he can be considered a reliable piece in the Redskins offense, and that’s something nobody will distribute. After all, his lack of polish caused him to fall into the sixth round. Gruden said, via CBS DC, “It’s no knock on him. It might just take him a little bit more time, but he’ll get it. [Running backs coach Randy] Jordan is going to get after him quite a lot and it’s going to take him some time and it’s not going to happen overnight with Lache. He’s got a long way to go, but he’ll get there.”
Seastrunk’s lack of polish in the passing game will hurt how many times he sees the field behind Morris, so it will be interesting to see how many snaps Gruden and Sean McVay hand him. He definitely looks like a project as a rookie, but those first-year carries would be valuable. As it stands right now, Gruden and the Redskins are rightfully worried about Seastrunk’s ability to handle pass protection duties, which is usually a big weakness for rookie RBs (Devonta Freeman is a major exception to the rule this year).