Grading Day: Washington’s final rookie report-cards for 2020 season

Keeping up with the recent encouraging trend that we’ve seen in Washington over the past several years, there was yet another solid rookie class in 2020 that provided starting-caliber players that contributed a huge role to the burgundy and gold’s eventual playoff berth.

In years past we’ve seen rookies like Terry McLaurin, and Daron Payne, and Jonathan Allen play some big roles in their first year in the NFL, and that trend continued this year with the 2020 class of players that was headlined by a potential Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.

We may be satisfied with their work, but how excited are we for their futures? Here are our final 2020 rookie grades for Washington.

DE Chase Young

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Grade: A What more can you say about Chase Young that hasn't already been said before? Drafted with the No. 2 overall pick and carrying some massive expectations on his shoulders of becoming the next generational pass-rusher in the NFL, Young may not have exceeded those, but he certainly lived up to them. Not only was Young second on the team in sacks with 7.5, but he also racked up 12 QB hits, 10 tackles for loss, 4 batted passes, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recovers, and 1 touchdown on the year. At this point, he is the heavy favorite to win the DROY award, and he has already established himself as one of the primary leaders of the team, being voted as a team captain near the end of the season. You need to hit big with your early first-round picks, and Washington hit a home run with Chase Young.

RB Antonio Gibson

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Grade: B+ Antonio Gibson definitely exceeded his expectations this season, but an injury late in the year has us tampering our excitement because it reminds us all how frail the running back position can be at times. However, this college WR turned RB came into the NFL and immediately showed that he belonged, becoming one of the most impressive RBs in his draft class, finishing with 795 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, plus 247 receiving yards as well. There were some doubts if a player who had only a total of 33 carries in his entire college career could make it as a workhorse back in the NFL, but Gibson proved to be capable, and Washington may have found their back of the future in No. 24.

LT Saahdiq Charles

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Grade: Incomplete There were some really high hopes for this massive LT prospect who was a few attitude problems away from being a first-round draft pick in 2020, but unfortunately, injuries pushed his coming-out party back a year. Saahdiq Charles struggled with a nagging calf injury throughout training camp, and when he finally got his chance to start a game midway through the year, he went down with a dislocated kneecap on the very first play of the game. All of this forces us to give him a grade of incomplete, though there is some real hope that he can be a starter on this offensive line for years to come. He just needs to stay healthy in order to do so.

WR Antonio Gandy-Golden

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Grade: D+ Antonio Gandy-Golden was definitely one of the bigger bummers for Washington this season. In an upside-down offseason that saw no OTA's or preseason, we were expecting many rookies to be hindered greatly, and AGG is a great example of the impact that missed developmental period can have. As a young and talented WR, Gandy-Golden arguably has the skills to be a solid contributor in the NFL, but one season was just not enough to make the leap from play at Liberty in college to establishing himself in the big leagues. Gandy-Golden finished the season with just one catch for 3 yards and one rush for 22 yards in six games played this year. We are by no means giving up hope for this fourth-round WR prospect, but he has an uphill battle after the first-year performance.

C Keith Ismael

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Grade: Incomplete We can basically consider this a redshirt season for Keith Ismael, who played a total of 4 offensive snaps in 2020 and was sparingly thrown into special teams work as well. A lot of people might have raised their eyebrows at the selection of Ismael in the fifth-round of the 2020 draft, simply because Washington has a dynamite center in Chase Roullier already set at the position, though his contract was set to expire soon. Well, Washington gave him a big extension this season, so the path to playing time for Ismael is not quite clear yet, but we will see if he's able to crack the lineup some way next season.

LB Khaleke Hudson

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Grade: C+ Khaleke Hudson didn't see any defensive snaps until near the end of the year, but once he got onto the field he was solid. The rookie LB spent most of his rookie season contributing on special teams, working his way up the ladder of playing time, and trying to find a spot on the depth chart. With Washington's lack of certainty at the LB position, there is some hope that Hudson can be a solid contributor in the coming months.

S Kamren Curl

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Grade: A+ Any time you have a 7th-round draft pick vying for a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, then you know you hit big. Kamren Curl has been a revelation this season and is easily the biggest surprise on Washington's roster after coming in and acting like a complete gamechanger at the safety position. He finished the year with 88 total tackles, with was second-most on the team despite only starting in 11 games. He also added 2 sacks, three interceptions, 4 passes defended, and 1 touchdown. More significant than all, his year-one performance has us all wondering what we’re going to do with veteran Landon Collins in the future because there is no way that you can take the starting SS job away from Curl at this point.

DE James Smith-Williams

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Grade: C- It was tough for James Smith-Williams to have any impact on Washington's defense this year, simply because he was playing behind an honor roll of defensive lineman who didn't really need the help. Smith-Williams played sparingly on defense and racked up 10 tackles this season to go along with 0.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 QB hits. There is certainly a path for him to become a contributing piece of this defensive line in the future, but it's hard to judge him too much after Year 1 simply because he was overshadowed by the guys up front.

WR Isaiah Wright

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Grade: B- Had Isaiah Wright been part of Washington's 2020 draft class, his stats from the past season might have warranted a lower grade. However, the fact that he was able to come in as an undrafted free-agent and find a role on the team, eventually cracking the depth chart and seeing some real action on the field, he gets a pass in our books. Wright finished the season with 27 receptions for 197 yards and started in seven games. In a year where even drafted rookies had a tough road acclimating to the NFL, the fact that a UDFA like Wright could do it is all that more impressive.