Rookies played a whopping 5,428 snaps for the Washington Redskins during the regular season, which ranked third in the NFL behind the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins. And with those snaps, three Redskins stood out among the rest.
Over the past month, NFL.com recognized wide receiver Terry McLaurin, edge defender Montez Sweat and linebacker Cole Holcomb with multiple honors. Not only were they named to the All-Rookie team, but they were also among the top 25 rookies of 2019.
McLaurin, a third-round pick (76th overall), landed at No. 13 in the rankings following one of the best rookie seasons by a wide receiver in Redskins history. In just 14 games played, he finished second behind Gary Clark with 919 receiving yards, second behind Charlie Taylor with seven touchdowns and tied for third with 58 receptions. Furthermore, he ended the year tied for first among Redskins rookies in 100-yard receiving games (three) and receptions of at least 25 yards (nine). Among NFL rookies this season, McLaurin was tied for second in receptions, second in yards and tied for third in touchdowns.
"McLaurin is an excellent route runner -- and he takes the top off the defense in a hurry!" NFL Media Analyst Daniel Jeremiah wrote. "He should be the focal point of the Redskins' passing attack for the foreseeable future."
Two spots below McLaurin was Sweat, who the Redskins selected 26th overall after trading back into the first round. After a quiet first half of the season, Sweat began showcasing what made him such a desirable pass rusher coming out of Mississippi State. He recorded 5.5 sacks during the final eight games to bring his season total to seven, which ranked fifth among all rookies. He also totaled 50 tackles (31 solo) and forced two fumbles in 2019.
His best performance came in the regular season finale in Dallas, when Sweat brought down quarterback Dak Prescott twice, forced a fumble and amassed five solo tackles (two for a loss).
"Sweat is a blur off the edge and he improved his hands throughout the season," Jeremiah wrote. "He will be a Pro Bowl player very soon."
Holcomb, a fifth-round pick (173rd overall), was the Redskins' third member of the rookie rankings. The former walk-on at North Carolina started 15 games for the burgundy and gold this season and was one of three players with 100-plus tackles (safety Landon Collins and linebacker Jon Bostic were the others).
Among rookies, Holcomb finished first in solo tackles (74), second in total tackles (105) and tied for second in forced fumbles (three). He landed at No. 20 on Jeremiah's list.
"Holcomb was a tackling machine for Washington," Jeremiah wrote, "consistently showing he has the ability to sift and sort through traffic to find ball carriers."
San Francisco 49ers edge defender Nick Bosa topped the list, while Oakland Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Jacksonville Jaguars edge defender Josh Allen rounded out the top 5.
