Over the last two years of writing this blog I wrote about a few late round gems that made impacts for their teams such as Yannick Ngakoue (DE Jaguars 2017 Pro-Bowl), Dak Prescott (QB Dallas 2016 Pro-Bowl), and Dalvin Tomlinson (DT Giants Started all 16 games and finished 3rd in DROY). Hoping this is the year the Redskins draft one of my late round guys (instead of the usual rival).

Shaun Dion Hamilton, ILB Alabama: Redskins please remember, when in doubt, KISSDAP (Keep It Simple Stupid Draft Alabama Players). Shaun Hamilton was the captain of the Alabama defense that went to the three straight National Championships (winning two). He and Reuben Foster were considered the best inside linebacker duo in college football in 2016. That was until Hamilton tore his ACL in the SEC Championship. He started nine more games as a senior where suffered a fractured kneecap that ended his season early.

Hamilton was the play-caller for those dominant Alabama defenses and is widely considered one of the smartest linebackers to come out of Alabama. Honestly, you could notice it on tape.  He doesn’t do anything too flashy but is in perfect position and takes great angles to his tackles.  Considering Alabama ran a 3-4 defense, he would be a perfect fit with the Redskins. If he doesn’t start, he should be find a place on special teams at least.  Right now he’s listed as a 6th rounder on NFL.com but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone took him in the 5th.

Rashaad Penny, RB SDSU: Rashaad Penny stands 5’11”, weighs 220lbs and runs a 4.46 40.  Feels strange writing about him as “late round gem” considering he led the NCAA in all-purpose yards (2974), rushing yards (2248), finished 2nd in rushing TDs (23) and finished top 5 in the league in yards after contact. Despite all this, Penny finished 5th in the Heisman voting proving that Heisman voters simply do not respect anyone outside the power-5 conferences. Yes, Penny’s competition wasn’t the best of the best, but he dominated them. In his final game of the season (the Armed Forces Bowl against Army) he rushed for 221 yards and four scores on 14 carries! Honestly, when I watched the game live I felt like he was going to score on every play even though Army knew it was coming.

What makes Penny special is his subtle movements in space. He doesn’t have the flashy jump cuts or the start/ stop jukes. But he has tremendous body control, balance, and great patience when running between the tackles. He runs a little too high for my liking but he’s strong enough to run through arm tackles, bounce off others, and quickly get back to speed. Oh and did I mention he has sub 4.5 breakaway speed? I also like how he plays with a quiet intensity – hardly ever showing too much emotion. This guy is the real deal and could easily be this year’s Alvin Kamara. I don’t see this guy falling past the 2nd round so hopefully the Redskins have his name ready when they pick at #44.

Darius Leonard, ILB/OLB South Carolina State: Leonard stands 6’2″ and weighs 232lbs and dominated opponents in the FCS. He was a 2x MEAC Defensive player of the year, 1st team selection on the 2017 STATS, FCS All-American Team, and the Defensive MVP Reese’s Senior Bowl.  When you put on the film, you can see why. He is outstanding at reading/ diagnosing plays and getting there in a hurry. He does a good job of breaking down to not get juked and uses his long arms to wrap up runners, not always going for the big hit. He dominated guards/ tackles on blitzes in the FCS and good in pass coverage too. He plays with so much intensity; you can tell that he was the leader of his defense and a coach on the field. At SDST, he lined up at 3-4 inside linebacker but I can see him moving to OLB in the pros because of his size/ weight. Honestly, that’s the only knock on him right now – size. Leonard would be an ideal scheme fit for the Redskins 3-4 defense since that’s all he’s played however I don’t see him falling past the 3rd round. If the Redskins could find a way to obtain a 3rd rounder this year, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear his name called.