Redskins Notes: Alexander, Kelley, Perine

On Wednesday, the Redskins selected cornerback Adonis Alexander in the sixth round of the NFL’s supplemental draft. Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports gives the Redskins a “B” grade for the pick, noting his size (6’2″, 194 pounds), ball skills, and potential as a development press corner. However, there are concerns about his maturity and a slow 40-yard-dash time (4.64 seconds) at his pro day earlier this year.

The Redskins have reason to believe that Alexander can shine, warts and all, thanks to the presence of defensive backs coach Torrian Gray. Gray coached Alexander during his freshman All-American season at Virginia Tech in 2015 and has seen what he can do at his best. Paylor also has some optimism about Alexander thanks to the veteran leadership of D.J. Swearinger. If Alexander can contribute in 2018, he’ll help to offset the loss of corners Kendall Fuller and Bashaud Breeland this offseason.

Here’s more out of D.C.:

  • Alexander’s potential upside outweighed the risk for the Redskins, Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com writes. The Redskins tend to steer away from red flags, but Alexander has been honest about his academic troubles at Virginia Tech. It’s also worth noting that the Redskins had three sixth-round picks heading into the supplemental draft, so they still have plenty of late-round ammo for 2019.
  • Derrius Guice and Chris Thompson are the only running backs that are locks for the Redskins’ roster, Tandler writes. After that, he classifies Samaje Perine and Rob Kelley as being “on the bubble.” It would be a surprise to see Perine, a 2017 fourth-round pick, on the outs, but Tandler says he must learn to follow his blocks in order to be a contributor for the club. Kelley, meanwhile, is a favorite of coach Jay Gruden, but injuries limited him to just seven games and 194 yards last year. If Kelley doesn’t look strong this summer, it’s possible that he could be leapfrogged by Byron Marshall or Kapri Bibbs as the fourth RB on the roster.
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