The Washington Redskins have signed seven members of their 2018 draft class. Their first on-field action will come this weekend at the team's annual rookie minicamp.
Pen has hit paper for seven members of the Washington Redskins' 2018 draft class.
The Redskins announced on Thursday that defensive linemen Daron Payne and Tim Settle, running back Derrius Guice, safety Troy Apke, linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton, cornerback Greg Stroman and wide receiver Trey Quinn have signed their first NFL contracts.
Terms of their deals were not disclosed.
Check out photos of Alabama defensive lineman Da'Ron Payne, who was selected with the No. 13 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Photo courtesy of University of Alabama Athletics.
For the second time in as many drafts, the Redskins used their first round selection on an Alabama defensive lineman by picking Payne at No. 13 overall.
The expectation is that the 20-year-old will be able to provide Washington with another defensive lineman that can be productive in multiple spots.
"He can play nose, three, five," said Redskins head coach Jay Gruden last month. "I mean, he did that at Alabama and you look at the tape when he played with Jonathan [Allen] and I can remember watching Jonathan and I loved Jonathan Allen but I don't know who this 94 guy is. He was still an underclassman last year and it was Daron. Putting some of that tape on from a year ago and watching those two guys side-by-side working, it's tough sledding."
In the second round, meanwhile, the Redskins selected Guice with the No. 59-overall pick. Despite a consensus belief that Guice was going to come off the board in the first round, Washington was able to trade back in the second round and still pick up the former first-team All-America selection.
"When you talk about a value pick, you've got to say that Derrius Guice is a value pick that will fit in perfectly with this football team," said Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Williams. "When he's there at your pick, you've got to take advantage of it and pick that guy. And we did that."
In the fourth round, the Redskins added to their defensive backfield by picking Apke. In four seasons at Penn State, the safety appeared in 44 games to register 111 tackles along with six passes defensed and two interceptions.
Apke believes he can make an immediate impact for the Redskins on special teams while learning the defensive system.
"That's what I'm going to make my name on – special teams – there," Apke said. "And then, you know, I played it all throughout college, I played on all four special teams so that will be big for me."
After picking Apke in the fourth round, the Redskins went back to the defensive line with the selection of Settle at pick No. 163.
"We were surprised, very surprised, you know?" Gruden said of Settle being available in the fifth round. "Pleasantly surprised we got him. He's a big, wide body, has good feet, good short-area quickness, plays off blocks well.
"He's disruptive in the passing game and I think can play multiple spots along the defensive line as Payne, as Allen. So it's very important to have versatile defensive lineman and have a lot of big guys that can do multiple things and he'll add to the mix."
In the sixth round, meanwhile, the Redskins traded up in a move with the Los Angeles Rams before picking Hamilton, the fourth Alabama defensive player picked by Washington in the last two years.
"I think that I can bring a physical linebacker who is tough, a guy who is going to be the signal caller, a guy who is going to make the coaches' job easier and the guy who's going to be able to make the plays," Hamilton said. "Just a natural-born winner so I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help the team. It's all about the team, not about myself."
Then in the seventh round, the Redskins had two picks, first with the selection of Stroman before using the very last pick on Quinn, who led the nation in receptions per game (8.8) in 2017.
Stroman, like Apke, could make an immediate contribution on special teams. For his career at Virginia Tech, Stroman returned 127 punts for 1,108 yards (8.7 yards per return) and four touchdowns.
As for Quinn, the wide receiver wants to build off his lone season at SMU and prove that his value exceeds the final selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.
"There's a big chip on my shoulder and you'll see it on me, but I'm excited," Quinn said shortly after being picked. "I'm excited to be a part of an organization, and after a long day, I'm kind of stressed out. I'm just excited to be a part of the 'Skins and go dominate a little bit."
