The Washington Redskins picked CB Brandyn Thompson out of Boise State with the 213th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Thompson is 5’9″, 189 pounds and he runs a 4.53 40.  Thompson is a gunslinger as he likes to take chances on the field, so the Redskins are going to need to help him over the top when he’s on the field.  That being said, he also makes his fair share of big plays because of his attitude.  Thompson started 13 games for Boise State last year and he had 31 tackles, he broke up 7 passes, had 3 interceptions, had 2 tackles for a loss and he forced 1 fumble.  Thompson played in 49 games in his four years in college and he had 146 tackles, he broke up 16 passes, had 13 interceptions (1 TD), had 7 tackles for a loss and he forced 1 fumble.

The Redskins picked WR Aldrick Robinson out of SMU with the 178th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Robinson is 5’10″, 178 pounds and he runs a 4.43 40.  Robinson harkens back to the days of the Smurfs in Washington.  He’s tiny but he can really fly like the wind.  Robinson played in 14 games for SMU last year and he caught 65 passes for 1,301 yards (20.0 avg) with 14 TD grabs.  He played in 46 games in his four years with the Mustangs and he caught 181 passes for 3,314 yards (18.3 avg) with 30 TD grabs.  Robinson also could possibly help out the Redskins on special teams as a return man.

The Redskins took 23-year old RB Evan Royster out of Penn State with the 177th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Royster is 5’11″, 218 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40.  Royster is a perfect fit in Mike Shanahan’s offense as he does his best running between the tackles.  He’s Penn State’s all time leading rusher.  Royster also has nice hands catching the ball out of the backfield.  Royster played in 13 games (all starts) at Penn State last year and he carried the ball 208 times for 1,014 yards (4.9 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also caught 25 passes for 202 yards (8.1 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  Royster played in 50 games (38 starts) in his four years with the Nittany Lions and he carried the ball 686 times for 3,932 yards (5.7 ypc) with 29 TD runs.  He also caught 61 passes for 562 yards (9.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs at Penn State.

The Redskins picked 22-year old WR Niles Paul out of Nebraska with the 155th overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Paul is 6’0″, 225 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  Paul is a big guy and he plays that was as he picks up gobs of yards after the catch.  He is also a solid run blocker and a good return man.  Paul played in 12 games (11 starts) for Nebraska last year and he caught 39 passes for 516 yards (13.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He played in 46 games (29 starts) in his four years with the Cornhuskers and he caught 103 passes for 1,532 yards (14.9 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Paul also returned 76 kickoffs for 1,879 yards (24.7 avg) with 2 TD returns and 60 punts for 647 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD return.  Paul is going to help the Redskins right away on special teams and maybe offense too.

The Redskins picked strong safety DeJon Gomes out of Nebraska with the 146th overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Gomes is 6’0″, 200 pounds and he runs a 4.56 40.  Gomes appeared to be in the right place at the right time often last year for the Cornhuskers.  But, he’s not a very good cover man and he’s just average against the run.  Gomes played in 14 games last year for Nebraska and he had 99 tackles, broke up 7 passes, had 3 interceptions, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles and 1 sack.  Gomes played in 27 games in his two years at Nebraska and he had 145 tackles, broke up 12 passes, had 7 interceptions, had 8 tackles for a loss, forced 5 fumbles and he had 1 sack.  Gomes will need help over the top when he’s on the field.  I do think he will help out the Skins right away on special teams.

The Washington Redskins picked 22-year old RB Roy Helu Jr. out of Nebraska with the 105th overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Helu is 5’11″, 216 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  Helu Jr. sometimes gets a bad rap of being an underachiever and a disinterested blocker.  That won’t fly with Mike Shanahan.  That being said, Helu’s style is a great fit for the type of running game the Redskins employ, as he can make one cut and get down the field with his speed.  Helu played in 14 games (12 starts) for Nebraska last year and he carried the ball 188 times for 1,245 yards (6.6 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He also caught 5 passes for 46 yards (9.2 avg) last year.  Helu played in 48 games (28 starts) in his four years with the Cornhuskers and he carried the ball 578 times for 3,404 yards (5.9 ypc) with 28 TD runs.  He also caught 54 passes for 501 yards (9.3 avg) at Nebraska.  Helu is the kind of player that Mike Shanahan can turn into a star.

The Washington Redskins picked 22-year old WR Leonard Hankerson out of Miami (FL) with the 79th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Hankerson is 6’1″, 205 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Hankerson is not a speed burned but he makes a lot of eye popping catches.  He played in 13 games (11 starts) for Miami (FL) last year and he caught 72 passes for 1,156 yards (16.1 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  Hankerson played in 41 games (27 starts) in his four years with the Hurricanes and he caught 134 passes for 2,160 yards (16.1 avg) with 22 TD grabs.  This was another good pick for the Redskins, as Hankerson will fill a need for them.

The Washington Redskins picked 23-year old DT Jarvis Jenkins out of USC with the 41st overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Jenkins fills a huge need for the Redskins on the interior of the D-Line.  He is 6’3″, 309 pounds, so he has the size required to man the middle of the D.  The Redskins need to work with Jenkins on staying low as that seems to be one of his only problems as a player.  Jenkins played in 12 games (all starts) for USC last year and he had 39 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 batted down ball and he forced 1 fumble.  He played in 48 games (37 starts) in his four years with the Trojans and he had 152 tackles, 30 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 1 batted down ball and he forced 1 fumble.  This was a good pick for the Redskins who really needed help on the interior of the D.

The Washington Redskins decided to trade down from the 10th spot in the draft with the Jacksonville Jaguars (they picked QB Blaine Gabbert out of Missouri).  The Redskins got the #16 overall pick (1st round) and the #49 overall pick (2nd round) in the deal.  The Redskins then took 23-year old DE Ryan Kerrigan out of Purdue.  Kerrigan is 6’3″, 255 pounds and he runs a 4.8 40.  It will be interesting to see if the Redskins leave him at DE or try to convert him to OLB.  Kerrigan played in 12 games (all starts) for Purdue last year and he had 70 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks, batted down 1 pass, forced 5 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.  Kerrigan played in 48 games (35 starts) in his four years with the Boilermakers and he had 210 tackles, 57 tackles for a loss, 33.5 sacks, batted down 7 passes, forced 14 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.  The Redskins needed pass rushing help, so I like this pick for them.  I also liked the deal as the Redskins picked up a much needed extra second round pick.

The Washington Redskins only have 2 draft picks in the first four rounds of this draft (#10 and #41 overall), and I look for them to fill their two biggest needs (QB and NT) with those two picks.  Head Coach Mike Shanahan believes that he can make a star RB out of a late round pick, so look for him to try that again this year.  Here is a look at the players I have the Redskins taking in my mock draft:

1st round (#10 overall) – Jake Locker, QB, Washington

2nd round (#41 overall) – Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple

5th round (#144 overall) – Joel Devine, RB, West Virginia

6th round (#177 overall) – Detron Lewis, WR, Texas Tech

7th round (#213 overall) -Evan Royster, RB, Penn State

7th round (#224 overall) – DeAndre Brown, WR, Southern Mississippi

7th round (#253 overall) – Mike Hartline, QB, Kentucky

This would be a very nice haul for the Redskins, especially if Shanahan works his RB magic and hits big with either Devine or Royster.