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Five Rookies to Watch At Training Camp

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Redskins.com counts down to the start of Redskins Training Camp Built by The Home Depot. Here are five rookies to keep an eye on as training camp unfolds:

-- REED DOUGHTY, S

Doughty, the Redskins' sixth-round selection last April, showed progression from the OTAs to the June mini-camp, impressing assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams.

Williams called Doughty a player who is "very bright" and "extremely prideful." But Doughty still has a significant learning curve to earn playing time at safety, a position that includes Sean Taylor, Adam Archuleta and Pierson Prioleau.

"The thing he is going to have to do in training camp is slow his heartbeat down," Williams said. "He wants it so bad that sometimes he over-analyzes things."

Early on, Doughty will have to make his mark on special teams. At Northern Colorado, he played special teams all four years with an all-out effort. He says he brings a "passion and enthusiasm in every play of the game, every play of practice."

-- JASPER HARVEY, OL

Kili Lefotu, an interior offensive lineman, will draw attention because he was the Redskins' seventh-round draft pick out of Arizona. But undrafted rookie lineman Jasper Harvey, out of San Diego State, could compete with Lefotu for a roster spot.

Harvey drew some praise from assistant head coach-offense Joe Bugel last month after the June mini-camp.

"We think he can compete at guard or center," Bugel said. "He has a powerful burst, and he's pretty smart for a young player."

Harvey, who is wearing jersey No. 56, started 12 games at center for the Aztecs last season and the 6-3, 305-pounder earned a spot in the Las Vegas All-American Classic. In 2003, he started all 12 contests and did not yield a sack.

-- SPENCER HAVNER, LB

It's still surprising that Havner, a 6-4, 237-pound linebacker out of UCLA, went undrafted last April. Some draft guides projected him as a third- or fourth-round selection.

Havner, a 2005 semifinalist for the Butkus and Lombardi awards, was a four-year starter at UCLA. He ranks third all-time in school history with 402 tackles. He logged 11 career interceptions and scored four touchdowns, three on interception returns and one on a fumble return.

As an undrafted rookie, Havner comes into training camp with a "chip on his shoulder," Williams said. The Redskins have had success developing players with something to prove, including Lemar Marshall and Ryan Clark.

Havner is expected to be in the mix for a backup job at strong-side linebacker, but he also could fit in at weak-side linebacker.

"Our strong- and weak-side linebackers are inter-changeable, as we flip the formations," Williams said. "Spencer can play either. We'll start him at [strong-side], but he'll get reps at the weak-side linebacker spot, too."

Regarding Havner's skills, Williams added: "He has a smooth movement to him and he has a nice instinctive feel for coverage. That's usually one of the things that young linebackers do the worst. The next thing he has to do is show us how tough he is. We'll only know that when the pads come on.

-- ROCKY MCINTOSH, LB

As the Redskins' second-round draft pick last April, McIntosh is one of the top candidates to earn playing time at weak-side linebacker. He is expected to compete with Warrick Holdman, Chris Clemons and Robert McCune, among others.

In early June, during OTAs, McIntosh wowed coaches with some impressive plays. But he underwent minor arthroscopic knee surgery and was sidelined for the June mini-camp.

McIntosh, who as of July 24 had not yet signed his rookie contract, is expected to be fully healthy by the start of training camp.

What to watch for in McIntosh at camp, after he has signed his rookie contract? The 6-2, 231-pounder has already shown that he can adjust to the speed of the NFL game, according to Williams.

In training camp, McIntosh must continue to show that he knows and understands the defensive scheme. He must show solid pass coverage skills when covering running backs and tight ends, and also be able to read the offensive play call at the line of scrimmage.

-- ANTHONY MONTGOMERY, DT

At defensive tackle, the Redskins will start with veterans Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a. Backup roles? There are a number of candidates in line for playing time, including fifth-round selection Anthony Montgomery and sixth-round pick Kedric Golston.

Montgomery and Golston will likely compete against each other in training camp. The prize could be a spot on the 53-man roster.

Montgomery stands at 6-5 and 305 pounds. The team drafted him because he was a solid run-stuffer in college, but he impressed with his pass rush ability during off-season work.

"Montgomery has great hand placement [when fending off blocks] and might have a little more pass rush in him [than Golston]," Williams said. "But that's in shorts. You don't know about a player until you see them go in live competition with the pads on."

At Minnesota, Montgomery logged 137 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss and eight sacks in 23 starts.

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