In the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins enhanced their depth at tackle with the addition of University of Louisville product Geron Christian.
The NFL Draft process is different for every player.
While offensive tackle Geron Christian heard from a few teams about the potential of being selected during the pre-draft process, it was the Washington Redskins who selected him in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Entering the second night of the draft, it didn't seem like Washington would be in position to select Christian, but after a trade netted the Redskins a third-round selection, they used it on Christian.
"I'm excited. I'm excited about coming to Washington," Christian said. "The whole [draft] process was just busy. I really had no idea. I talked to a lot of teams at the combine and had quite a few visits. I think I had seven visits, five workouts and had a whole lot of meetings, so really I had just had interaction with a lot of teams so I really didn't have any idea where I would have been or when I would have gotten picked honestly."
Christian is described as athletic and agile who, despite exceptional collegiate performance, has even more room for growth as he enters the NFL.
The Florida native originally committed to play at the University of Miami, but later chose the University of Louisville.
Despite the change in school selection, Christian never doubted his potential.
"I've always believed in myself. I've always pretty much kind of knew I would be in this position as far as going to the league," Christian said. "Even coming out of high school, I had a good idea and then went in my position as a freshman and getting all of those starts under my belt and just playing a lot. Then going into this season, I had a good idea of what I needed to do to put myself in a position to obtain those goals. So, I mean, I've always had a good idea of it and then it started coming through during my time at Louisville."
Christian started all three seasons of his collegiate career and earned an honorable mention All-ACC his senior year. Coming off of a strong 2017 season with the Cardinals, the Redskins were eager to add Christian's talents to the team.
"To get a guy like Geron was very important," head coach Jay Gruden said. "I think we did a great thing getting that extra body in here, big body, big tackle to compete.
"He's a great, young tackle. He's one of the best pass blocking tackles in this draft in my opinion. He plays left and right side and will provide ample depth for that position, a position that you can never have too many of."
After losing multiple players to injury during the 2017 season, the Redskins value depth on their offensive line, and the team plans on utilizing Christian's diverse skillset.
"We will keep him at the swing tackle," Gruden explained. "You know, what we went through at tackle last year was catastrophic with all the injuries and still a lot of these guys are recovering from their injuries."
As tackles Trent Williams, Morgan Moses, Ty Nsekhe and TJ Clemmings work back to full health, Christian will be able to demonstrate his intelligence, skill, and drive.
"I think I'm a smart, athletic player who works hard," he said. "I'm very excited, ready to get there and help out."
