Niner Noise
FanSided

NFL power rankings: 32-team breakdown after the 2018 NFL Draft

By Peter Panacy

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a pick by the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a pick by the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
16 of 33
Next
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: LSU running back Derrius Guice runs the 40-yard dash during the 2018 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 2, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: LSU running back Derrius Guice runs the 40-yard dash during the 2018 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 2, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Best Pick: RB Derrius Guice, LSU

The Washington Redskins had to address their run defense, and grabbing Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne at No. 13 overall was about the smartest thing they could have.

Payne is a tremendous middle-of-the-field force, and he’s not just an old-school run stuffer in a pass-first league. He has solid interior pass-rushing abilities too, and that should bolster Washington’s defense to an even greater extent.

It will be interesting to see how Payne pairs with his former Crimson Tide teammate, Jonathan Allen, whom the Redskins took in Round 1 last year.

But the biggest and best addition for Washington was running back Derrius Guice, who slipped all the way from a surefire first rounder to No. 59 overall.

It’s unclear why Guice fell. Yet if the on-field production matches his pre-draft-fall hype, Washington got an absolute steal and potential fixture for its offense for a long, long time.

That alone bumps the Redskins up a few spots in our NFL power rankings, but they should be pretty excited about linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton (Round 6) too.