Skip to main content
Advertising

News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Joe Gibbs: Day 1 NFL Draft Recap

On drafting University of Miami linebacker Roger "Rocky" McIntosh:

"Obviously the spot on our team where we were the thinnest everyone would have said would be linebacker. We had a game plan there. We know a lot about Rocky. First of all he is from Miami. We have a very good background. Here are the things that we liked. He has a very high test score. He has shown he is very durable over the time that he has been at Miami. We feel like he has a lot of flexibility from the stand point that we think he could play any of the three spots. We think he can play the SAM backer. He could play the weak side backer which he has played a lot. He could also play inside. He is very smart and we think he is capable of doing that. He is a very good athlete."

On moving up to No. 35 to acquire McIntosh:

"As we went through the draft we had a game plan laid out. We made up our mind that if it got down to the end of the first round that we would like to try and move. We didn't feel like we were going to get him at 53. We worked real hard on the phone."

On when they started making calls about trading up:

"Later, after 20 or so and in particular after teams made their first round pick and started thinking about their second round pick, we made some calls before that. We made some phone calls yesterday just seeing if there would be a possibility. Most times when you call the day before people say they want to wait and see what is on the clock and I the pick they want is there."

On where he thinks Rocky McIntosh will play:

"If I had to guess, I would say we would start him out playing outside for us. He will give us a lot of flexibility. Another thing about him is that he can rush. We feel like he is a rush guy too."

On what they saw on film that made Rocky McIntosh stand out:

"He is explosive. He can really run and he is explosive. He covers a lot of ground. You see when he gets matched up covering people like tight ends and backs he does a very good job there. If you see him and watch him play he is an athletic guy is what you would say."

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.
Advertising