The unknown player stood off to the side while a teammate worked out for the Redskins. Joe Gibbs, though, was intrigued by the other player: he looked big. So he asked him to run. And Gibbs and his staff saw that he had speed.
They returned to Washington and told then-general manager Bobby Beathard about a tight end at Portland State named Clint Didier. He was unknown because he played receiver in a run-and-shoot offense; but he had H-back skills.
The Redskins eventually drafted him in the 12th round and he became a key player for six seasons.
It’s the kind of story Gibbs hopes they discovered this past weekend.
After drafting linebacker Rocky McIntosh in the second round, the Redskins tried to recreate long-ago success stories by unearthing a late-round gem.
“’There will be some great players drafted from the fifth on down,” Gibbs said. “The team that hits on a couple of those, it changes the atmosphere of a team. They’ll be here a long time and they won’t be a big cap guy. Those are where the home runs [of the draft] are.
“We knew if we were going to have a quality draft, we’d have to do it down low.”
So they opted for a player who once was a 295-pound high school quarterback; another player who played at a 1-AA college (safety Reed Doughty) and one who brings character issues – and not much production. They also took a big guard/center (Kili Lefotu), who wasn’t discussed much by draft guides and a linebacker (Kevin Simon) with an injured past, but one who could become a solid backup in the middle.
Their sixth-round pick, defensive tackle Kedric Golston, was suspended for last year’s season opener after he was arrested a year ago. He was charged with simple battery and disorderly conduct after breaking up a bar fight involving a teammate.
One intriguing pick is fifth-rounder, defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery, who played some quarterback in high school. Some consider him a major longshot; others, such as Russ Lande of GMJr.com, consider him a steal. Montgomery dropped 30 pounds before last season. Early in his career, he admitted having a problem with getting to meetings on time.
“I came in and I was real out of shape,” said Montgomery, who started at 330 pounds and is now around 315 pounds. “It was bad weight and I wanted to get faster and put the weight back on the right way. [Now] it’s more muscle and I can carry it better and run well with it.”
Redskins defensive line coach Greg Blache told Gibbs he was excited about Montgomery.
“When I quizzed Greg before the draft,” Gibbs said, “he told me that there weren’t two other tackles he wanted to draft with higher picks.”
