PFF.com: IDP Sleeper to Keeper – Perry Riley / Draft Grader: Washington Redskins

[Califan007]

IDP Sleeper to Keeper – Perry Riley

In deep IDP dynasty leagues, upside is the way to go. This is exactly why diehard owners paid close attention to LSU product Perry Riley (+4.9) once he got the nod to start alongside London Fletcher on the Washington Redskins defense. This season, Riley looks to be a staple in Jim Haslett’s scheme and should be just as reliable for fantasy owners who are fortunate enough to pencil him into their lineups every week. Riley was once buried on the Redskins depth chart, and was mostly unowned in the earliest stages of his career. However, that all changed midway through the 2011 season and Riley rewarded owners who took a chance with him.

In Week 10 versus the Miami Dolphins, Riley cracked the starting lineup in the Redskins defense in favor of the rapidly declining Rocky McIntosh (-9.3). In that game he had nine tackles, logged a quarterback hit and an additional pressure, which was good enough for 17 fantasy points. He did allow three receptions, but for a total of negative seven yards. After that performance Haslett and Mike Shanahan never looked back, and for good reason.

Perhaps his most telling contribution, however, was his dominance in the run game for a team that ranked 18th in the NFL in run defense. In fact, Riley ranked fifth among inside linebackers in our run stop efficiency grade, which calculates how proficient a defensive player is at stopping the run.

Stop %
Novorro Bowman - 14.3
Joe Mays - 14.3
Brian Cushing - 13.9
Ray Lewis - 13.7
Perry Riley - 12.6

As you can see, Riley’s efficiency puts him in pretty good company with the likes of Ray Lewis, Brian Cushing and Novorro Bowman. Joe Mays is the other lesser-known on this list, but this is further proof of his solid 2011 campaign.

Draft Grader: Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are the sixth team to get the Draft Grader treatment, even if an aggressive trade means they’ll be the second team on the clock when the draft rolls round. As usual, we’ll be taking a look at every pick they’ve made between 2008 and 2010 (this does not include undrafted free agents) and giving them a grade between +2.0 and -2.0 (in 0.5 increments) that depends upon:

• Where they were drafted
• Their performance
• Their contribution (how many snaps their team got out of them)
• Other factors such as unforeseen injuries and conditions that could not have been accounted for

So let’s take a look at the 23 players the Redskins drafted between 2008 and 2010!

+2.0: You’ve just found Tom Brady in the 6th round

Find a quarterback in the sixth? The Redskins would settle for finding a starter at any position in the sixth.


+1.5: Getting much more than you bargained for!

Not in this draft series.



+1.0: The scouts nailed it!

Brian Orakpo, LB (13th overall pick in 2009): If you’re going to hit on one pick in a draft, let it be your first one. The Redskins did so by finding a player who is in that group of pass rushers just below the elite. Likely to never be the most complete player, Orakpo is improving year on year and becoming a huge handful for left tackles in this league. He was also our fifth-highest-ranked 3-4 OLB rushing the passer last year.


+0.5: Never hurts to find a solid contributor

Fred Davis, TE (48th overall pick in 2008): As good a receiver as he is bad as a blocker. Davis finally emerged from the shadow of Chris Cooley in 2011–only to end the season suspended. If he can stay on the field and out of the commissioner’s office, the Redskins nabbed themselves one of those mismatches at the tight end spot and that’s never a bad thing.

Chris Horton, S (249th overall pick in 2008): Horton was something of an impact player as a rookie, and has always looked decent when he’s got on the field. Clearly not a favorite of the new regime, his promising Redskins career ended after being waived this past September.

Rob Jackson, LB (242nd overall pick in 2008): Jackson has hung around since being drafted yet mustered up only 162 snaps on defense in four years. The fact he’s still on the roster, and didn’t embarrass himself when he filled in at times for Brian Orakpo last year, means they got more out of him than you’d normally expect from a seventh round pick.

Trent Williams, T (4th overall pick in 2010): After a horrendous rookie year, Williams started to get it and looked like a tackle capable of being that blindside protector teams are loathe to be without. A +5.1 pass blocking grade was a big step up, especially given Williams missed some time via injury and suspension.

Perry Riley, LB (103rd overall pick in 2010): After eight snaps in 2010, the Redskins finally bit the bullet in replacing the constantly poor Rocky McIntosh with Riley and received a substantial upgrade. If he continues to play as well as he did in 2011, Riley may go down as one of the better picks Washington has made in quite some time after he earned a +7.0 grade in run defense last year.

Terrence Austin, WR (219th overall pick in 2010): A former seventh round pick, Austin has seen 247 snaps since being drafted by the Redskins. He hasn’t blown anyone away, but he has flashed upside while also being able to contribute on special teams.



0.0: Nothing ventured, nothing gained (It could have been worse)

Justin Tryon, CB (124th overall pick in 2008): There must be something about Tryon, because wherever he goes he looks competent, yet he ultimately fails to catch on. That was the case in Washington where the former fourth round pick looked capable in the slot when he saw action in 2009, though he found himself gone a year later. He allowed just 9.9 yards per reception that year but was deemed surplus to requirements by a new coaching staff.

Durant Brooks, P (168th overall pick in 2008): A sixth round pick, Brooks had a year punting for the Redskins before they went in a different (and better) direction. (What direction did he go in? - Me)

Kareem Moore, S (180th overall pick in 2008): Moore contributed on special teams, but his poor play when he was given a chance to play on defense was what he should be remembered for. He was clearly out of his depth in coverage.

Colt Brennan, QB (186th overall pick in 2008): Brennan put up some good numbers in preseason. He never got on the field for the Redskins before missing his entire 2009 season when old college injuries resurfaced. You don’t expect much out of a sixth-round QB, so you can’t dislike the Redskins taking a chance on him.

Jeremy Jarmon, DE/DT (2009 supplemental draft pick–equivalent of 68th overall pick in 2010): It’s always risky picking someone up in the supplemental draft, and so it proved with Jarmon. In fairness to him, a change in defensive schemes didn’t help, yet he was able to hold his own when he was on the field (as rare as that was). The saving grace in this deal was that, in trading him, the Redskins did get a productive receiver in Jabar Gaffney from Denver.


(there's more in this section - Me)




-0.5: That pick was not put to good use

Chad Rineheart, G (96th overall pick in 2008): Rinehart got on the field for 227 snaps in 2009 before a broken fibula ended his season. A new coaching staff were obviously not impressed and said goodbye before the 2010 season began. He has since gone on to excel in Buffalo.

Kevin Barnes, CB (80th overall pick in 2009): After a slow introduction to the league in his opening two years, Barnes got his chance to establish himself as the Redskins’ slot cornerback in 2011. It did not go well. He gave up an extremely unhealthy 12 yards per catch from the slot and will need to really step up over the next 12 months if he wants to stick on with the ‘Skins....

(there's more in this section - Me)


-1.0: What a waste!

Devin Thomas, WR (34th overall pick in 2008): 445 yards on a high second round pick? Thomas did catch on as a special-teamer for the Giants and earned a ring. He was a monumental disappointment in Washington, though, and is currently with the Bears.

Malcolm Kelly, WR (51st overall pick in 2008): Kelly had some red flags heading into the draft and those were realized as he had a real hard time getting on the field. He may have played more than Thomas, but posted fewer yards. This was another gamble that turned into a waste of a second round pick.



-1.5: The scouts/ coaches failed, big time!

A new regime brings it with is a certain amount of leeway on how picks were handled, but the Thomas and Kelly picks were close.



-2.0: You just drafted the love child of JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf!

There were no Russell/ Leaf hybrids to pick from.



Summary

After being draft averse, the Redskins have tried to take a different path in finding talent throughout the draft. It hasn’t quite worked out, but they’ll be happy to have hit on their first round picks. The problem has been, as it is for most, finding players who can do more just fill in for some snaps here and there, and getting guys down the draft who can actually start to a decent level. Couple that with the wide receiver fiasco in 2008, and you just don’t have enough bang for your buck. It’s telling that the Redskins got the 28th (2008 and 2009) and 29th (2010) most snaps of all teams in the NFL from these draft classes.

[Epochalypse]

Some good info.

Be interesting to see what 2011 looks like, especially a few years down the road when Hank and Jenkins have hopefully fully recovered.

[DC9]

I flipped out when we drafted Riley, because I thought we should've gone after Bruce Campbell at the time. After seeing him this year, I'm 100% sure that was the right move.

A nice young stud to put beside him for grooming (like... Tank Carder) would continue to make this defense improved.

That leaping pass deflection he had (and almost came down with the pick) was something I haven't seen out of a Redskins linebacker in a long time. I see good things for Perry Riley.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Yup. Vinny sucked.

[Ellis Dee]

What's not necessarily factored into this list is where we drafted players which largely determines how good a draft pick was. You just can't miss on your first round picks! To bust on 2nd rounder players (Kelly and Thomas) is a huge mistake. Not saying Trent is a bust either but you also can't miss on Top 5 picks. Those are your franchise guys.

[Califan007]

What's not necessarily factored into this list is where we drafted players which largely determines how good a draft pick was. You just can't miss on your first round picks! To bust on 2nd rounder players (Kelly and Thomas) is a huge mistake. Not saying Trent is a bust either but you also can't miss on Top 5 picks. Those are your franchise guys.

*ahem*

From the OP:

"As usual, we’ll be taking a look at every pick they’ve made between 2008 and 2010 (this does not include undrafted free agents) and giving them a grade between +2.0 and -2.0 (in 0.5 increments) that depends upon:

• Where they were drafted
• Their performance
• Their contribution (how many snaps their team got out of them)
• Other factors such as unforeseen injuries and conditions that could not have been accounted for"

[MLSKINS]

I disagree with Kevin Barnes. I think the pick was put to good use, I just think the player isn't being put to good use. I think he would be better off playing the outside. Or maybe not, I just know that he should never be put in the slot again.

[LD0506]

I disagree with Kevin Barnes. I think the pick was put to good use, I just think the player isn't being put to good use. I think he would be better off playing the outside. Or maybe not, I just know that he should never be put in the slot again.

See I agree w/ this, I still think Barnes can be a capable player. Let's see what Morris can do with him this season.

[Pedro]

Riley made a big difference in our run game when he came in. Love how explosive he is filling the gap, looks good at picking the right one too now he's had some coaching. Nice when we draft a potential guy that's needs coaching up, and then coach them up. Winning teams do that.

[KingGibbs]

Thanks for posting, but stats aside? Many of us only needed the eyeball test to see that Riley is an up and coming player. Been saying it for a while now. I expect him to man that spot for the next decade. Yes, I believe he will be that good.

[terpskins10]

I disagree with Kevin Barnes. I think the pick was put to good use, I just think the player isn't being put to good use. I think he would be better off playing the outside. Or maybe not, I just know that he should never be put in the slot again.

I'm with you on this. Might be UMD homerism coming out, but I'm not convinced he's completely done just yet.

[MLSKINS]

I'm with you on this. Might be UMD homerism coming out, but I'm not convinced he's completely done just yet.

Same could be said about me with the homerism.

In all seriousness though, I am so smitten with the way the FO has drafted since Shanny has arrived. I can't believe we are pretty much hitting on every pick being made. It's ridiculous.

[terpskins10]

In all seriousness though, I am so smitten with the way the FO has drafted since Shanny has arrived. I can't believe we are pretty much hitting on every pick being made. It's ridiculous.

I think it's a tad early to say we've hit on every pick, but I think every pick we've made has shown at least something to make us believe that. Usually in years past, we'd KNOW a player or two would flame out even before training camp started.

[Hiro]

Same could be said about me with the homerism.

In all seriousness though, I am so smitten with the way the FO has drafted since Shanny has arrived. I can't believe we are pretty much hitting on every pick being made. It's ridiculous.

The amazing thing about that is Shanahan and Allen kept our same guys from the Vinny Era in place. Scott Campbell and Morocco Brown. It goes to show that maybe if Gibbs and Vinny actually paid closer attention to their (Campbell's and Brown's) analyses of who to pick, we might be in a better position today.

While I wouldn't go as far as to say we've hit on every single hit, there have been far more promising gems we've hit on in the later rounds than ones that look like total wastes. Plus, with a guy like Roy Helu, I cannot remember the last time we had a 4th round pick who had such an impact on our offense.

[terpskins10]

It goes to show that maybe if Gibbs and Vinny actually paid closer attention to their (Campbell's and Brown's) analyses of who to pick, we might be in a better position today.

Or who NOT to pick. Didn't they warn strongly against Kelly ANYWHERE in the draft, and Vinny still decided to take him in round 2?