For the first three years of his career in Washington, Brian Orakpo was excellent, accumulating 29 sacks and two Pro Bowl bids. In the ensuing three beyond that, however, Orakpo surrounded a 10-sack campaign in 2012 with two injury-riddled seasons in which he only played nine total games. Being in and out of the lineup hurt Washington's efforts defensively, and Orakpo signed a four-year free agent deal with Tennessee last month.
2015 NFL mock draft: Eli Harold to Washington at No. 38
Washington needs an edge-rushing replacement for the departed Brian Orakpo, and it just so happens that a pretty good one is still around in the second round of our mock draft.
Washington is therefore in the market for a permanent replacement, and Ken Meringolo of Hogs Haven has identified one in the second round of our 2015 NFL mock draft.
38. Washington: Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
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Meringolo: Washington lost Brian Orakpo in free agency, as expected, and they haven’t signed his replacement. The offensive line was addressed in the first round, which means we missed out on the top tier of pass rushers. Eli Harold is easily the best option of the next tier of outside linebackers, and we believe he is a first-round talent this year. Washington used its second-round pick last year on Trent Murphy, and he made his way into the starting lineup last season after Orakpo’s third pectoral muscle tear midseason.
Murphy had been a situational player until that point, and once he took over, he showed up better than expected in run defense. He still needs to work on his strength and pass rushing at the NFL level, but was able to put up 2.5 sacks. The coaches want more competition at the position this year, and brought in guys like Jackson Jeffcoat last year for depth/injury replacement. Harold’s athleticism and pass rushing ability will give him a chance to earn playing time early.
Dan Kadar, SBNation.com: The gamble of not taking a pass rusher in the first round has paid off with Harold still available. Harold is a fringe first-round player. He might come into the NFL as a player mostly relied on to get after the quarterback. That might be what’s best for Washington. A player like Trent Murphy, who is very good against the run, could make for a nice tandem with Harold.
Dan’s Top 5 players remaining
- 29. Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
- 30. Paul Dawson, LB, TCU
- 31. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA
- 32. P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State
- 33. Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
Washington picks
- 1-5: La’el Collins, OT, LSU
- 2-38: Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
The No. 39 overall pick, made by Windy City Gridiron for the Chicago Bears, is coming your way at 3 p.m. ET. Stay tuned!
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