Redskins roll the dice on Adonis Alexander

Adonis Alexander has the talent to be an NFL starter, but the Washington Redskins will have to work hard to help their Supplemental Draft pick mature.

The Redskins don’t have an immediate need to insert another defensive back into their depth chart, but they didn’t feel like they could pass on Adonis Alexander’s talent. That’s why Washington selected the former Virginia Tech linebacker in the sixth round of today’s Supplemental Draft.

Alexander comes with his share of off-the-field issues, but it’s nothing the Redskins don’t think they can handle. He admits it was his own arrogance hat caused him to fall behind academically at Virginia Tech. Instead of playing his senior season for the Hokies in hopes of becoming a high draft pick, his lack of academic progress forced him to enter the NFL through the side door.

Fortunately, he’ll join a pretty strong group of defensive backs in Washington. Josh Norman may have plenty of arrogance on his own, but he can back it up on the field. Having the chance to learn from Norman and Orlando Scandrick should position Alexander to succeed as a professional.

Even if Alexander fails, it’s a very small investment from the Redskins. They will forfeit their sixth round pick in next year’s draft, but that won’t make or break their roster. Their line of thinking is that they were able to acquire a player who might have risen into the second or third round of next year’s draft with a sixth round pick this season. That’s a move NFL teams will make 100% of the time.

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Alexander may look like an Adonis on the field, but he’s got a long way to go before he becomes a quality NFL defender. Despite his lack of maturity, this is a risk worth taking for the Redskins. If he finds a way to become a starter in another year or two the front office will celebrate this move as a big win.