Washington Redskins rookie tackle Geron Christian partook in his first on-field work as an NFL player on Friday, getting the opportunity to learn from offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
Heading into the offseason, the Washington Redskins' hierarchy at the tackle position appeared to be set in the same order it had been for a few years now.
Trent Williams, of course, remains one of the top left tackles in the NFL with six straight Pro Bowl nods while Moses is entrenched at right tackle, having started every game at the position over the last three seasons.
But with Williams, Moses, Nsekhe and T.J. Clemmings all recovering from injuries this offseason, the Redskins knew that they'd likely have to take a tackle at some point in the 2018 NFL Draft.
After a trade in the second round recouped Washington a third round pick once again, the Redskins used the No. 74-overall selection on Louisville tackle Geron Christian.
It was a bit surprising to Christian that the Redskins were ultimately the team that made the call based on his interactions with Washington prior to the draft.
"I was more surprised because I didn't have too many conversations with the Redskins," Christian said. "I talked to a lot of teams, but the Redskins wasn't one of them."
Christian, like the rest of his rookie teammates, began his first on-field work as NFL player on Friday afternoon at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Loudoun County, Va., participating in every drill.
"Been a long time, really," said Christian of finally being able to put on a helmet once again and go through drills. "Now finally football type of training and stuff. But it feels real good to be back on the field."
Friday also marked the first time that Christian has received on-field instruction from esteemed offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
Check out photos of Louisville tackle Geron Christian, selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
"He's a really good coach," Christian said. "A lot of different techniques that I haven't used before, but just watching film he shows you how to work and you can see it in the players he has [with] Trent [and] some of the best tackles."
Christian joins the Redskins are spending three seasons at Louisville, where he started all 39 of his appearances for the Cardinals.
During his freshman season in 2015, the 6-foot-5, 298 pounder was the only offensive lineman to start every game, earning an All-ACC honorable mention selection in the process.
As a sophomore, meanwhile, he protected Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson on an offense that averaged more than 40 points and 500 yards of offense per game.
Then last season, Christian once again earned an honorable mention nod from the ACC before entering the NFL Draft.
As he continues to look to build off the foundation built during his days at Louisville, he'll remain at tackle, which he confirmed on Friday.
It's the type of depth selection the Redskins were happy to make in the draft.
"He was able to swing from the right side to the left side. He's got great feet," said Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Williams. "If there's a knock on the kid – and I think with some of these gurus, they said that he's not strong enough – that's to be debatable. And he's coming here. Fortunately enough, we've got two pretty good tackles. If we can keep those guys healthy, he'll get a chance to develop into a pretty good tackle and learn from one of the best coaches and the players that are going to be in front of him."
