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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Washington's 2020 Draft Class Signs Rookies Contracts

With training camp scheduled to start week, the Washington Football Team's 2020 draft class is officially on board.

The team announced Friday that its eight draft picks signed their rookie contracts. Terms of the these deals were not disclosed.

The entire 2020 rookie class reported to the club facility Thursday for training camp, which is scheduled to begin July 28. Here's a breakdown of each each draft pick.

DE Chase Young (Round 1, Pick 2)

Young played in 38 games at Ohio State from 2017-19 and recorded 98 tackles (68 solo), 40.5 tackles for loss, 30.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and eight passes defensed. As a junior in 2019, Young registered 16.5 sacks, which set the Ohio State single-season record and was the highest total in the nation. Young also led college football in forced fumbles (seven). He was named a unanimous All-American, won the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which both are presented annually to college football's top defensive players, and was the ninth defensive player out of 159 total Heisman Trophy finalists since 1982.

"I felt that Chase was the one guy that would really carry the load for us as far as that pick," head coach Ron Rivera said after the draft. "From my perspective, it'd have been very hard to convince me that somebody else would be as impactful as the guy we drafted."

RB Antonio Gibson (Round 3, Pick 66)

Gibson played two seasons at East Central Community College before transferring to the University of Memphis in 2018. He caught 44 passes for 834 yards and 10 touchdowns with the Tigers while averaging 19 yards per catch. As a senior in 2019, Gibson was second on the team with 735 receiving yards and 38 receptions. His 19.3 average yards per catch led all Tigers with at least 10 receptions, while his eight receiving touchdowns were also second on the team.

"He's a little bit bigger than Christian [McCaffrey], but he's got a skillset like Christian," Rivera said of Gibson. "He's shown some position flexibility playing in the slot, then he shows position flexibility playing in the backfield. Ran some wildcat with him behind the center taking direct snaps. This is a very versatile, young football player that we really think is going to be a guy that can get on the field for us early and contribute."

T Saahdiq Charles (Round 4, Pick 108)

Charles grew up in New Orleans, attended Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Mississippi and played collegiately at LSU. He immediately appeared in 13 games (nine starts), including seven at left tackle, en route to earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors. After a sophomore season during which he started 10 games at left tackle, Charles was a part of an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award as the nation's best unit in 2019.

"We feel very confident in the kid, we're comfortable with everything, the research that we've done, and we're really excited for the kid," Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith said about Charles. "I know he is, too. He's got a chip on his shoulder, he understands why he was taken where he was. We're excited about the structure that we're going to give this kid, the culture that Coach was talking about that we're going to provide this kid. And we're excited to give him an opportunity."

WR Antonio Gandy-Golden (Round 4, Pick 142)

Gandy-Golden grew up in Dallas, Georgia, and played at Paulding County High School before attending Liberty in Virginia. Gandy-Golden immediately became an important piece of the Flames' offense with 21 catches for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Over the next three seasons, Gandy-Golden had at least 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He finished his senior season fourth among FBS wideouts with 1,396 receiving yards.

"He's got good size, good speed, good play speed, he's a physical player. He's a guy that can make his presence felt," Rivera said of Gandy-Golden. "So that's how we think a guy like that's going to develop and grow and be a guy that can help impact and participate in what we're trying to do."

C Keith Ismael (Round 5, Pick 156)

Ismael was a three-time All-Mountain West performer at San Diego State. He earned second-team honors as a redshirt freshman during which he started eight games at center and filled in at right guard because of an injury. He garnered first-team All-Conference honors the past two seasons, starting 25 games during that stretch.

"He's a center/guard combination, a young man that can help with one or two positions for us. We always feel good about that," Rivera said of Ismael. "He's just a stout, physical football player, a smart football player that had a really good test score as well. We just feel confident when you add those kinds of young men that have that kind of ability."

LB Khaleke Hudson (Round 5, Pick 162)

Hudson played in 44 games at Michigan and recorded 225 tackles, including 114 solo and 23 for a loss. He had 10 sacks in four seasons while grabbing two interceptions and deflecting 14 passes. Hudson collected several honors while playing for the Wolverines. He was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree and a semifinalist for the Jason Witten College Man of the Year in 2019.

"He's a kid that we really feel is a dynamic, dynamic player," Rivera said of Hudson. "He's very athletic, he's going to be a special teams ace for us."

S Kamren Curl (Round 7, Pick 216)

Curl was a three-year starter at Arkansas who played strong safety the past two seasons. After playing in 12 games at cornerback, he moved over to safety, where he recorded 129 tackles and seven pass breakups across 22 contests.

"Curl is a safety that started at corner," Rivera said. "He's got cover skills, so he may be able to come down into the slot and cover receivers."

DE James Smith-Williams (Round 7, Pick 229)

Smith-Williams played in 29 games at N.C. State and recorded eight sacks in his career. A five-year player for the Wolfpack, Smith-Williams accounted for 82 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three pass deflections. Smith-Williams' best season came in 2018 -- his first opportunity as a full-time starter -- when he had 36 tackles, nine of which were for a loss, and six sacks.

"Not only could he be an outside edge guy," Rivera said of Smith-Williams. "But he can come down every now and then and probably play as a three technique for you."

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