With some solid tight ends and cornerbacks left on the draft board, the Washington Redskins made quite possibly their most surprising pick of the 2020 NFL Draft in the fifth round when they selected C Keith Ismael, from San Diego State.
Not only did it seem peculiar that Washington would pass on a couple of positions of need with that pick that was added via the Trent Williams trade to San Francisco, but the fact that they would draft a backup center to play behind Chase Roullier seemed odd. Still, both Ron Rivera and Kyle Smith seem very content with this pick, and many think that Ismael grades as one of the better interior lineman in the draft class. There’s a good chance that he can earn a starting spot on the Redskins line in the coming years.
On Wednesday afternoon, Ismael sat down on a video call with local media members to discuss what it was like to be drafted by the Redskins, and where he sees his career going from here.
New Redskins rookie O-linemen Keith Ismael says virtual meetings have been going well overall and he's just excited to be in the NFL. Ismael adds he will be in the meeting room with the veteran players this week
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 14, 2020
Keith Ismael is up first. The past few weeks have bee exciting for him, he said. He’s about to head to Texas to train, and he said the virtual training program has gone well so far. “Everything is a blessing” #Redskins
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) May 14, 2020
Keith Ismael days he feels like he's one of the most versatile offensive linemen in the 2020 Draft class. My guess? Ron Rivera loves that. pic.twitter.com/QifUFEiuI7
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 14, 2020
Kinda crazy coincidence – Keith Ismael and Saahdiq Charles trained together during the pre-draft process. Now both are Redskins rookie O-linemen
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 14, 2020
Ismael isn’t focused on one aspect of his skillset. He prefers to focus on his game as a whole and “being the best me.” #Redskins
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) May 14, 2020
Redskins rookie offense lineman Keith Ismael did a video conference call today. This might have been his best line: "Whether I'm working in real estate or working at McDonalds I'm going to be the best damn drive-through server around."
— Les Carpenter (@Lescarpenter) May 14, 2020
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