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Washington Redskins: Su’a Cravens Adds Defensive Versatility

By Hunter Noll

Dec 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans linebacker Su'a Cravens (21) looks across the line before the snap against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second quarter in the 2015 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans linebacker Su'a Cravens (21) looks across the line before the snap against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second quarter in the 2015 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Redskins made a big splash in the first round of the NFL draft when they selected wide receiver Josh Doctson with the 22nd pick. How do they follow it up?

Easy, they take a physical beast who can play outside linebacker and safety. That beast is Su’a Cravens out of the University of Southern California.

The Washington Redskins already have Ryan Kerrigan, Junior Galette, and Preston Smith causing havoc in the pass rush. With the Redskins loaded outside linebacking core, I’d expect Cravens to line up more as a safety.

Related Story: Washington Redskins: Options in the Late Rounds

Su’a Cravens was easily one of the best players left on the board, and he can fill two spots for the Redskins, which is huge. He’s got good athleticism and great instincts, he’s got the ability to stop the run, rush the pass, and defend the pass. Over the last two seasons, Cravens had 32 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and five interceptions.

Su’a Cravens has potential to be a great contributor to the Redskins defense, and should see significant playing time immediately. This really was a solid pick by Washington.

Despite that, I can’t help but be a little disappointed that they didn’t take Andrew Billings at this spot. The defensive tackle from Baylor University was expected to go in the first round, in fact, I thought he’d be a great fit for Washington with the 22nd pick. They went with Doctson however, and that one was impossible to argue with because he’s going to make that passing game elite if Kirk Cousins could build off his breakout 2015 campaign.

More nfl spin zone: Washington Redskins: Josh Doctson Adds to Passing Game

Billings somehow fell to the second round, and I didn’t think it was possible that the Redskins would pass up on him again. They’re in need of a big man in the middle of the line to stop the run, something that they struggled with completely in 2015 (via ESPN).

Su’a Cravens fell much further than I expected as well, and he’s a great NFL prospect. There’s a great chance Cravens turns into a monster with the Redskins, but he’s not Billings.

For the time being, I’m giving this a B grade. However, if Billings falls to the Redskins in the third round, this becomes an A.

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