Tag: Kelvin Harmon

ESPN ranks Redskins as No. 1 most productive rookie class in 2019

Washington was forced to rely on their rookies in 2019, and it led ESPN to rank them the most productive group of young players in the NFL.

They may have ended the 2019 season as the second-worst team in the NFL, but the Washington Redskins had a rookie class unlike any other this past season. With a number of prominent young players actually making a difference on the field, it’s no wonder that the Redskins were named as ESPN’s No. 1 most productive rookie class in the NFL in 2019.

Just think of all the first-year players who saw the field and got a load of experience under their best this past year. You’ve got quarterback Dwayne Haskins, wide receivers Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims Jr., and Kelvin Harmon, plus Wes Martin getting a look at right guard. Then on defense, there’s Montez Sweat rushing the edge, Cole Holcomb becoming an impact player at linebacker, and cornerback Jimmy Moreland turning some heads out on the numbers.

With that much production from a rookie class, there’s obviously some high expectations for the grown going forward.

According to ESPN, the most valuable pick for the Redskins in the 2019 NFL Draft was obviously McLaurin, who was selected in the third round with the 76th overall pick. McLaurin finished the year with the highest receiving grade (86.5) by a rookie receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2015.

With a new coaching staff and some recent success in the draft, look for the stock for Washington to continue to rise as they try and hit on more young players, starting with a likely pick of Chase Young with the No. 2 pick in 2020.

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Three wide receivers the Redskins should target in 2020 NFL free agency

The Redskins have a promising group of young receivers, but they would benefit greatly from a cost-effective veteran in the locker room.

Despite going 3-13 in 2019, the Washington Redskins saw a change of fortune when it comes to one aspect of football where they’ve struggled mightily over the past decade. They saw a number of wide receivers that they drafted realize their potential early and often.

Though Terry McLaurin was undoubtedly the star, the trio of rookie receivers — McLaurin, Steven Sims Jr., and Kelvin Harmon — all flashed a great deal of potential and gave Redskins fans hope that they might have a solid group of playmakers going into the future. Still, though, that doesn’t give Washington an excuse to get complacent. While the WR production was better than average for the Redskins in 2019, that’s nothing that a sophomore slump or injury bug can’t render irrelevant.

If the Redskins plan to keep the ball rolling and actualize their success in the future under a new coaching staff and a young group of playmakers, they’ll need some additional help on the outside. Luckily, Washington has a chance to be major spenders in the free agency market this offseason, and there are a few intriguing names that fans need to look out for, should the Redskins choose to bolster their receiving corps.

AJ Green — Cincinnati Bengals
CINCINNATI, OH – OCTOBER 28: A.J. Green #18 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs onto the field before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paul Brown Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

It’s easy to forget because of his absence in 2019, but Green is one of the more talented receivers in the NFL, and he always poses the threat to completely take the game over when given the chance. Though his time with the Bengals has been a little underwhelming, a lot of that can be attributed to the quarterback play he’s been subjected to in the ‘Red Rifle’ Andy Dalton.

Despite his concerning injury history — Green has missed 29 games over the past four seasons, including the entire 2019 season — he still has been widely productive while on the field. In the four seasons where he’s played all 16 games, he has a total of 40 touchdowns with an average yards-per-catch well into double digits. Green would also present a nice veteran presence in the locker room that could help the young receiving corp in Washington as they learn to grow in the spotlight in the NFL.

Unfortunately for the Redskins, this may be the one year where Green may prefer to stay in Cincinnati, as they likely bring in Heisman-winning QB Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. But still, it would be smart for the Redskins to at least make it be known that they are interested when the free agency period rolls around.

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Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson wants to be Redskins’ WR coach

Ochocinco had a highly-entertaining playing career, and how he’s thrown his hat in the ring for the Redskins wide receiver coaching position

Some new faces have become prevalent in Washington D.C. over the past year, with a crop of rookies and young players providing hope for a bright future, and a new head coach possessing the experience and level-headedness to get them there.

When you look at the wide receiver talent in Washington, you see a trio of dynamic rookies who made a name for themselves this season; Terry McLaurin, Kelvin Harmon, and Steven Sims Jr. With the right coaching, that trio could become one of the better position groups in the NFL. But who is the right coach?

Could Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Jonson be the right answer? Johnson played 11 seasons in the NFL, where he was a six-time Pro-Bowler. With over 11,000 receiving yards in 10 seasons, Johnson would surely be able to teach the young guys a thing or two if he were to have a say in practice. Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins seemed to be a fan of the idea as well.

Regardless of your thoughts on Johnson and his playing career, and his legitimate prospects as a position coach in the NFL, it’s hard to deny that he could be instrumental in the growing process for a young receiver.

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Dwayne Haskins talks his great connection with Kelvin Harmon

Kelvin Harmon is a favorite of Dwayne Haskins already.

The Washington Redskins have had to turn to rookie receivers often this season — and that works just fine for rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

Kelvin Harmon, a sixth-round pick, is one of those wideouts and it turns out he’s got an extensive history with Haskins.

Haskins spoke on this recently, noting not only a local connection growing up, but training together too, according to Jacob Steinberg of Redskins.com:

“…Me and him, we have a great connection together. He’s someone I like throwing to just because of his physical presence and his willingness to get better. We throw routes every day after practice and things like that.”

The connection has paid off for Harmon in recent weeks as he’s seen more playing time. Over the past three games he’s had at least five targets and breached the 50-yard mark once, bumping his season total to 222 yards on an 11.7 average.

Given the hobbled state of the wideout depth chart right now, Harmon only figures to benefit even more down the stretch.

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Terry McLaurin isn’t the Redskins’ only dynamic rookie wide receiver

Kelvin Harmon is built like Julio Jones, and he has the attributes to be a dominant receiver in the NFL.

Obviously, you already know all about Terry McLaurin, the rookie wide receiver in Washington that has made waves so far in this first season of his career. However, there is another pass-catcher in Washington who has a superb upside, and he’s flown relatively under the radar so far this season.

That doesn’t mean that his expectations should at all be tempered.

Kelvin Harmon is a rookie receiver that looks like an aged veteran. With a 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame, Harmon is built like Julio Jones. He may not be the fastest receiver on the field, but his ability to go up and snag contested balls gives him a dominant presence over the middle of the field and in the back corner of the endzone. The Redskins drafted him in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and while his rookie running-mate has taken all the shine, Harmon’s breakout is starting to show itself.

Part of that breakout can be accredited to a budding relationship between Harmon and rookie QB Dwayne Haskins, who has been named the starting QB in Washington for a few weeks now. Harmon and Haskins go way back; they both grew up in New Jersey and attended many 7-on-7 camps together. While the two were preparing for the draft, they worked out together and grew that relationship. Now, with his college teammate out on the edge as well, Haskins has a nice duo he can look for downfield.

“Having known both of them for years before even coming to the Redskins is really great for our relationship as a quarterback and receiver,” Haskins said, via Redskins.com. “They come to me to talk about anything, I talk to them about anything and it’s really great because we have a great relationship.”

While the relationship between quarterback and receiver is critical for success, Harmon also has the attributes to take that connection to the next level: good hands, large catch radius, ability to run the short and intermediate routes and gain separation in man coverage.

“He has all the traits and skills you look for in a wide receiver,” coach Bill Callahan said. “Now it’s a matter of grooming him and his techniques against the week-to-week competition that he’s schemed against, the type of corners he’s going to be faced up against.”

You may have noticed him popping up around the field already this year, but get ready to see it much more. There’s more than one dynamic rookie receiver in Washington.

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Kelvin Harmon could see big playing time with Paul Richardson out

The Redskins WR could be in line for a big role.

It might be Kelvin Harmon time for the Washington Redskins.

Dwayne Haskins will get the start under center for the Redskins against the New York Jets but he might end up going without deep threat Paul Richardson.

That could mean big things for Harmon, a sixth-round pick who has only caught eight passes this year. He’s been a point of anticipation for Redskins fans since getting selected 206th, largely because he put up more than 2,600 yards and 16 touchdowns at NC State with an ability to consistently move the chains.

With Richardson out, Harmon might get the nod for a big snap count, as ESPN’s John Keim noted:

It couldn’t hurt for Haskins to develop a good rapport with a reliable underneath target like Harmon. The Redskins already struck gold with Terry McLaurin, but it would be nice to see someone else emerge for the rookie passer.

With the Jets likely sending pressure early and often, Harmon could end up having a big day.

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