04/29/2012 - A closer look at the Redskins' picks: Round 7/213 -- Richard Crawford, CB, 5-11, 191, Southern Methodist...The 5-11, 191-pound Crawford, a two-year starter at SMU who had previously played for Saddleback Community College, will have the chance to compete for a reserve job behind starters DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson. - The Sports Xchange
The Mission Viejo, Calif. native chose SMU over offers from Portland State and San Diego coming out of Saddleback community college.
At 5-11 and 189 pounds, he has good size for cornerback, and proved his excellent speed with a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at his April 14 pro day. Along with a 39 1/2-inch vertical, Crawford was a very late riser up draft boards.
Crawford played in 13 games each of the past two seasons. After an All-Conference USA honorable mention junior year, he registered 47 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 13 pass breakups, 15 passes defensed and a pair of interceptions as a senior.
Analysis
Strengths: Speedy athlete and fleet-of-foot, accelerating in a flash. Has the agility to stick in a receiver's hip pocket up and down the field. Plays with a lot of confidence and doesn't back down. Aggressive in run support and looks for the big hit. Impressive punt return specialist. Good vision to see the crease and allow blocks to develop. Quickly earned a starting job after enrolling at SMU last year, starting the past two seasons.
Weaknesses: Lean, wiry build with limited strength on his frame. Lacks long arms and doesn't have ideal size to match up at the next level. Needs to spend more time in the weight room to add bulk onto his frame. Not a reliable wrap-up tackler and is more of a hitter. Suspect instincts in coverage and tends to freelance, missing his assignments. Opens his hips too early in coverage and showed little improvement with his cover technique from 2010 to now.
--Dane Brugler
