Washington Redskins: Adonis Alexander a wise investment

The Washington Redskins took a flier on Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander in NFL Supplemental Draft and it’s a wise move.

The NFL Supplemental Draft usually comes and goes with little to no action. That was not the case on Wednesday when the New York Giants selected Sam Beal with a third-round pick. Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins took Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander with a sixth-round pick. Alexander was Washington’s first supplemental pick since 2009. when it selected Jeremy Jarmon.

Jarmon didn’t out so well, but there are lots of reasons to like the Redskins taking a chance on a talented corner with excellent measurables like Alexander. At 6-3, 195 pounds, Alexander has the size NFL teams covet. He also has experience. He played in 34 games during three seasons at Virginia Tech, starting 15. He finished his career with seven interceptions.

There are concerns about Alexander, though. After all, it’s why he was available in the supplemental draft. During his time in Blacksburg, Alexander was suspended for undisclosed reasons early in his junior year, and this summer, it was announced he’d been kicked off the team.

Alexander said it was due to issues in the classroom, per Terez Paylor of Yahoo!:

"I wasn’t really humble at the time. I definitely got a big head, I definitely started doing a lot more with my social life instead of my academic life. I really put football and my social life above academics. And that put me in a big hole."

There were rumors about Alexander possibly having a substance abuse issue, however, sources said he came up clean in tests with all teams leading up to Wednesday’s supplemental draft.

For Washington, this was a risk worth taking. Alexander has size and talent. He has the ability to play press coverage, which the Redskins love to do. His best season as a Hokie was his freshman season. Who was his coach that year? That would be current Washington secondary coach, Torrian Gray.

And for those worried about Alexander’s less-than-stellar 40-yard dash times, don’t get too caught up in those numbers. There are some pretty recent examples of cornerbacks who tested similar to Alexander and they both turned out just fine.

You can never have enough young and talented defensive backs and the Redskins are making lots of investments in the defensive line and secondary. Alexander also represents the fourth Virginia Tech defensive back selected in the last four years.

Kyshoen Jarrett looked to have a bright future but was forced to retire after an injury he suffered in the final game of his rookie season. Kendall Fuller became a borderline star last season after reuniting with Gray and he was traded to Kansas City in the offseason as part of the package for quarterback Alex Smith. The Redskins took Alexander’s former college teammate, Greg Stroman, in April.

Washington has some holes in the secondary. Josh Norman, Orlando Scandrick and Quinton Dunbar will likely be the team’s top three corners. The Redskins hope Fabian Moreau takes a big step in his development in 2018. Alexander will be in a battle with Stroman and second-year pro-Joshua Holsey for either one or two remaining roster spots at cornerback.

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Alexander will have to battle for a roster spot, but this close to training camp he should make the team. Washington is excited about Alexander’s potential and the presence of Gray is a positive for Alexander. While he may not make an impact his rookie season, he will likely be on the team and that’s a win for all parties.