The Redskins added both Antonio Gibson and Antonio Gandy-Golden in the draft, which has Haskins fired up for the season to start.
Throughout the 2019 NFL season, there weren’t many places for Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins to go with the ball. That’s not to say that he would have been able to perfectly get the ball to his weapons had there been more targets, but outside of Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims and Adrian Peterson, options were limited for the Redskins offense.
Coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft, and heading into the new season, Haskins has taken notice of the new teammates around him, and he’s excited to have a few new playmakers at his disposal.
“I’m excited about the additions,” Haskins said via NBC Sports Washington. “When [Antonio Gibson] said he was a playmaker, that got me fired up. He hit me up after the draft and he was trying to figure out any tips and things he can learn about the offense.”
With picks in the third and fourth rounds, the Redskins added RB Antonio Gibson and WR Antonio Gandy-Golden — two players who may not start in year 1, but will definitely have an impact on the offense.
So now, assuming that everyone around him stays healthy, Haskins will look at an offensive depth chart that includes both Antonio’s, McLaurin, AP, Sims, Derrius Guice, Kelvin Harmon, and Cody Latimer at the most basic level. Should he show the improvement that we all expect to see, that could be a pretty fun offense to watch.
Santana Moss was one of the last great Redskin receivers, but he thinks the team might have added one more by drafting AGG.
Historically, the Washington Redskins have had some of the best wide receivers in the game, dating back to players like Art Monk, and Bobby Mitchell, and Charley Taylor.
As of late, though, the production from the WR position has fallen off a little bit. We got to watch as Terry McLaurin burst onto our TV’s in 2019, but if you were to name the difference-makers who have popped up over the last decade in Washington, it’s hard to name more than a few — Santana Moss, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, and Jamison Crowder.
That might be changing going forward, however, as one of those difference-makers thinks that the Redskins added a potentially transcendent player in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Santana Moss is a fan of Antonio Gandy-Golden.
“I think we still stole one this year,” Moss said via NBC Sports Washington. “When you look at Gandy-Golden, I have high hopes for him.”
Many of the Redskins’ fans feel the same way, knowing that they may have gotten a Day One contributor at the WR position on Day 3 of the draft. Gandy-Golden was selected with the 142nd overall pick, and many draft experts say that in any other year, where the WR class wasn’t as deep, he would have been a second-rounder, easily.
“I really think that we got the diamond in the rough,” Moss said. “I heard some NFL execs talking draft day saying ‘The Redskins stole one.'”
If Moss is right, and the Redskins did indeed find their next playmaker, the ability to pair him with Terry McLaurin will be something special to watch over the next few years.
McShay was sidelined for the NFL Draft, but he highlighted Antonio Gandy-Golden as one of his favorite picks now that he’s back.
We were unable to hear from ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay last month during the action, as he was, unfortunately, recovering from the coronavirus. But now that he’s healthy, we’re hearing from him now, and boy does he have some good things to say about the Washington Redskins.
In a piece that was recently published to ESPN.com, McShay laid out his five instant impact players who were found in the middle-to-late rounds of the draft. On that list was WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, who the Redskins found with the No. 142 pick. To McShay, this was an absolute steal.
Terry McLaurin looks like the real deal, but Washington doesn’t have much at receiver for Dwayne Haskins or Kyle Allen beyond the sophomore speedster. But landing Gandy-Golden in the fourth round at 142nd overall gives the Redskins a big, physical possession target. A lot of teams had third-round grades on the Liberty receiver, and for good reason. He is a natural hands catcher, and while he doesn’t have a ton of speed, he can find pockets in zone coverage and break some tackles with his strength.
While McLaurin or Gandy-Golden may not have been able to carry an offense on their own, pairing them together will undoubtedly give the Redskins’ receiving corps some juice this season. With an improved ability to test the secondary, Haskins will start to look better and better, as well.
Washington Redskins receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden has no shortage of highlight-reel catches from his time in college at Liberty, but some of them stand above the rest. When talking to local media members on Wednesday, AGG highlighted the above clip, saying that what he did on this play, in his opinion, highlights how truly dynamic of a receiving threat he really is.
“I caught the one-handed ball with my left hand, something I usually don’t ever do,” Gandy-Golden said, via NBC Sports Washington. “The DB was tugging and pulling on me, I felt like it should have gotten a flag beforehand. I just feel like [that catch] shows my focus, my determination, and it is my ability to fight through contact to catch the ball.”
There are countless other highlights that show AGG’s leaping ability, body control, and hand strength. He always seems to be able to go up and get the ball in traffic, hauling it down and usually continuing on down the field. He also has an impressive array of one-handed catches under his belt as well. One thing is for sure, though — he is a young player who knows he can succeed, and he’s excited for the world at large to see what he can do.
“I definitely feel like I have a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “The small school thing comes up a lot with me for some reason even though I have produced. I plan on coming into the league and playing right away, at least getting in the game and showing what I can do.”
A report has surfaced that the Colts called up the Redskins with hopes of acquiring their fifth-round pick, which was used to draft AGG.
Back in 2019, during the NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins made business partners with the Indianapolis Colts, trading them a future second-round pick in order to move back up into the first round, where they drafted DE Montez Sweat. Indy was happy to help, as Washington’s 2019 football woes left the Colts with the No. 34 pick in the 2020 draft, where they selected USC WR Michael Pittman.
So while the business dealings of 2019 worked out well for both parties, the Colts came back to the table for more in 2020, according to The Athletic‘s Ben Standig. As the draft entered the fifth round, they picked up the phone again and tried to work out a deal with the Redskins that would land a higher pick in Indy.
Indianapolis held pick 149, the third selection in the fifth. Feeling that wasn’t high enough for their target, Ball State guard Danny Pinter, the Colts worked the phones.
Kyle Smith already made three selections by this point, starting with Ohio State defensive end Chase Young and Memphis playmaker Antonio Gibson. As 148 approached, at least two of Washington’s targets lingered, one on each side of the ball. Smith and Rivera held firm, hoping one remained when Washington went on the clock. One did. Thanks, but no thanks, Indy.
Antonio Gandy-Golden, welcome to Washington.
The deal never got done, and Washington left the fifth round with the player who they really wanted. In the end, the Colts were able to get Pinter at No. 149 like they wanted, and everyone left happy.
The Redskins newest WR is a renaissance man of sorts, and his ability to solve a Rubix Cube with lightning speed has made him popular.
A lot was made during Day 3 of the NFL Draft about Antonio Gandy-Golden’s peculiar set of skills. Not only does the newest Washington Redskins receiver had an elite talent on the football field, but he can pretty much do anything asked of him off of it as well.
Whether it be bowling a perfect game less than a month after picking up the sport, or already being a marksman on the golf course in his early days playing the game, AGG seems to be able to do everything. Recently he went on SportsCenter to show off his insane Rubix Cube solving skills, where he as been clocked at 1:09 seconds at the fastest.
Antonio Gandy-Golden is a big-bodied receiver who has shown a unique ability to succeed in any single thing he tries.
If you’re looking for a big-bodied wide receiver who can complement a burner like Terry McLaurin, look no further than Liberty’s Antonio Gandy-Golden, who the Washington Redskins drafted in the fourth round on Saturday.
While he’s a great player on the field, AGG is also an accomplish man at…anything he tries, apparently. ESPN showcased his talents after the Redsknis drafted him, showing that he is able to succeed at nearly anything he tries, whether it be solving a Rubix cube in just over a minute, bowling a perfect game, or becoming a pin-seeker on the golf course.
The Redskins newest wide receiver is a modern-day renaissance man, and he succeeds at seemingly anything he tries.
[jwplayer xETRDopu-ThvAeFxT]
One of the best parts of the NFL Draft is when TV personalities list the ‘fun facts’ about a prospect after he is drafted, noting that he is either really good at playing the violin, or maybe he won a spelling bee in grade school.
When it came time to list the achievements of the Washington Redskins WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, who was selected with the No. 142 pick, there were quite a few feats to mention.
Whether it’s his time spent juggling or as a gymnast, spending an afternoon with AGG would be fascinating. He can backflip up and down the field, and he’s a marksman both on the golf course and in the bowling alley.
In our Mock Draft 3.0, we peg the Redskins to capitalize on a deep WR class to find value late, as well as adding some versatile lineman.
We are now less than a week away from the 2020 NFL Draft finally kicking off, giving us all a few days of reprieve from this vast sporting wasteland and supplying us with a load of much-needed content to debate for the coming weeks.
With a litany of roster needs and a slightly deprived stock of draft picks, the Washington Redskins will have to navigate the 2020 draft very carefully, as they look to do what they can to target valuable assets in the middle or late rounds and hit on players who they haven’t had the chance to meet with in person. It will be a difficult draft for all 32 teams, and coaches will have to rely on their scouting department now more than ever.
To help make clear which players might land in Washington, we put together a mock draft with the help of The Draft Network’s mock draft machine. Going seven rounds, we addressed the Redskins’ biggest needs with their handful of picks; Washington doesn’t have a second- or sixth-rounder, but they do have two fourths, and two seventh-rounders.
Round 1 — Pick 2: DE Chase Young (Ohio State)
Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
An easy pick that has been run into the ground at this point. If you don’t yet know what the Redskins plan to pick Chase Young at No. 2, then you seriously need to get your head out of the sand.
Round 3 — Pick 66: CB Bryce Hall (Virginia)
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Some believe that Hall would be one of the top-rated cornerbacks in this draft class if it weren’t for an ankle injury that ended his season in Virginia. If the Redskins are able to snag him in the third round, they need to take that value and run with it.
Round 4 — Pick 108: TE Hunter Bryant (Washington)
Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
You could argue going with a wide receiver at this spot over a tight end, but the depth at the WR position in this class led us to go with the latter, and Bryant is a good-sized pass-catcher who can block extremely well and has a chance to play big minutes early on.
Round 4 — Pick 142: WR Collin Johnson (Texas)
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
This is what I mean about an incredibly deep WR class. Johnson has some great size (6-foot-6, 225 pounds) and showed throughout college his impressive ability to go up and get the ball. Yet, few people have even heard his name ahead of the 2020 draft due to the talent up top. With a major need at WR, the Redskins are in a unique position where they can wait until the middle rounds and still get some great value at the position.
Round 5 — Pick 162: WR Antonio Gandy-Golden (Liberty)
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The same things I said about value for Johnson can be applied here for Gandy Golden as well. Though he isn’t as big as Johnson (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) Gandy Golden is quick and has great hands and a solid release on the outside. Bolstering the WR corps with these two would be a huge win for the Redskins.
Round 7 — Pick 216: OL Yasir Durant (Missouri)
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Yasir Durant is a big-bodied offensive lineman who is versatile and can switch positions with ease, playing wherever the Redskins may need him. At the moment, that is at the left tackle position, but it’s hard to project a seventh-round rookie will pencil into the starting spot right away. But while he’s cutting his teeth in the NFL, Durant’s versatility will allow him to move around the front line and fill in where injuries may bring up a need.
Round 7 — Pick 229: OL Calvin Throckmorton (Oregon)
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Again, much like we said for Durant, a lot of the same versatility notes can be reserved for Throckmorton as well. At Oregon, he spent time at almost every position on the front line, offering as a reliable player that could be plugged in to fill any hole. For the first couple of years of his NFL career, Throckmorton could be used as a do-it-all lineman who plugs in where he’s needed, and eventually he will find his spot in the starting lineup.
