The Washington Redskins’ scouts should just buy a home in Tuscaloosa, at this point.
Over the last two years, the Redskins have drafted four defensive players from the Crimson Tide. In 2017, Washington took defensive end Jonathan Allen and linebacker Ryan Anderson with their first took picks. This year, the Redskins drafted defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne in the first round and linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton in the fifth.
The Redskins took college teammates in back-to-back drafts for the first time since 1964-95.
There have been no shortage of jokes because of it.
The team’s social media account came up with “#RollSkins.” Another Twitter user quipped “I love the Alabama Redskins.” Others have joked that Washington must be trying to assemble the Crimson Tide’s front seven from 2016.
But seriously, what’s with all the Alabama dudes?
“It’s just a coincidence, really,” coach Jay Gruden said.
It helps, senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams said, Alabama keeps producing good players. Alabama has had a great track record — appearing in three straight national championships, winning two of them.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has had 22 players drafted since 2017 — and eight of them have been taken in the first round. How good is Alabama at finding the right players? They had a punter drafted this year, for crying out loud.
For the Redskins’ purposes, all four of their selections were on the defensive side of the ball. Gruden said Alabama’s defense plays consistently at a high level, adding the school’s talent usually become great in the NFL.
“You’re going to see that here,” Gruden said.
Last year, Allen was a transformative piece along the defensive line before a foot injury caused him to miss the team’s final 11 games. The possibility of Allen being “injury prone” remains a concern — he reportedly has mild arthritis in both of his surgically repaired shoulders — but his upside is high. Washington is still giddy over the fact Allen fell to the 17th pick last year.
Anderson, meanwhile, had a quiet rookie season. He hardly saw the field, buried on the depth chart behind pass rushers Ryan Kerrigan, Preston Smith and Junior Galette. Still, the Redskins were pleased with his development in practice, and Kerrigan said last month that Anderson is in better shape for 2018. Gruden said Anderson is getting ready to make his mark in the league.
The Redskins are also high on Payne and Hamilton. Payne is a 311-pound run stuffer who should help turn around the Redskins’ worst-ranked run defense.
Gruden said Hamilton is one of the smartest players he’s heard about. Hamilton, though, is coming off two knee injuries, suffering a torn ACL in 2016 and a microfracture in 2017. Hamilton told reporters he is at “85-90 percent” and should be ready for training camp.
Williams, meanwhile, likes that all four have played together.
“All those guys, you think about you’ve got to really go into the room and listen to the interview and listen to these guys on the board when you put them on the board and you talk about certain things: the defense, how well they prepare,” Williams said. “And this game in the National Football League is more of a mental game sometimes than it is a physical game. It’s being in the right place at the right time, and these guys know how to do it.”
There might be something to that idea: the Redskins are drafting players they know are mentally prepared. Hamilton said there was accountability on every single snap.
And all that winning, Payne said, helps, too.
“I can take that winning mindset and just the whole mentality it takes to be a winner and just take it to the Washington Redskins,” Payne said.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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