Washington Redskins rookie wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24 but thankfully has recovered fully. Here are Gandy-Golden’s odds at Mybookie to win 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the Redskins’ over/under win total.
- Odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year: +10000
- Redskins’ win total: 5 (both -115)
Gandy-Golden comes from little Liberty University and was the 142nd pick in April’s draft by the Redskins. ACC and SEC coaches recruited Gandy-Golden out of high school, but because he did not participate in summer camps and did not run the 40-yard dash the spring before his senior year, they questioned his speed and therefore did not offer him.
He broke out there as a sophomore in being named to the Big South All-Conference first team. Despite missing a game, he led the Big South in receiving yards (1,066) and receptions (69). He was the seventh 1,000-yard receiver in program history and tied for the Big South lead in touchdown receptions (10)
Gandy-Golden was the lone Big South wide receiver to finish the season averaging more than 100 yards per game (106.6). He would have ranked No. 9 in the country in receiving yards per game if Liberty’s players were eligible to be ranked in the national statistics.
Liberty was transition to FBS then and also was in 2018 when Gandy-Golden finished with 1,037 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He became the second player in program history to post back-to-back 1,000 receiving yard seasons and would have ranked No. 14 in the country in receiving yards per game (94.3) if Liberty was eligible for the FBS national rankings.
Last year, he caught 79 balls for 1,396 yards and 10 touchdowns. He recorded 245 receiving yards against New Mexico, breaking the school’s record. His catches (79), yards per catch (19.3) and receiving touchdowns (10) all ranked in the top 20 nationally. And in three games against Power 5 programs, he combined for 17 receptions, 247 yards and a pair of scores. He finished his career at Liberty as the only player there to post three connective 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Gandy-Golden put up some solid testing numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine, running the 40 in 4.6 seconds and recording 22 reps in the bench press. He then became the eighth Liberty player ever drafted and the first since defensive back Walt Aikens in 2014. Notable Liberty draft picks include Pro Bowl tight end Eric Green (first-round pick in 1990) and running back Rashad Jennings (seventh-round pick in 2009).
He is an intriguing height/weight/speed prospect at 6-foot-4, 223 pounds. He has a big catch radius and is terrific with the ball in his hands, though short-area quickness is a concern. Gandy-Golden showed well in most efficiency stats last season despite only 62% (87 of 140) of his targets registering as catchable (second lowest in this class). He projects as a perimeter vertical receiver in the pros and will immediately compete with the likes of Kelvin Harmon and Cody Latimer opposite Terry McLaurin on the Redskins.
Yahoo! Sports published a report about the top small-school steals in the NFL Draft. They polled more than 120 college coaches and assistants. Gandy-Golden ended up topping that list. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranked Gandy-Golden 79th on his list of the top 150 draft prospects.
Draft analysts have praised Gandy-Golden’s ability to attack the ball at the height of his jump and his strength to rip it away from contact. The greatest knocks against Gandy-Golden are his route running, yards after catch ability, and deep threat ability. He’s not much of a tackle-breaker or make-you-miss player. He was infrequently targeted on designed run-after-catch plays and rarely runs away from opponents.
Gandy-Golden tested positive for COVID-19 in late March and was forced to self-quarantine while dealing with symptoms.
“During my pre-draft training, I tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24,” Gandy-Golden said in a statement. “My symptoms thankfully were mild, but I self-quarantined for two weeks and followed all guidelines from health experts. I was fully cleared April 7. I feel 100% now and can’t wait to get on the field for the Redskins ASAP! #HTTR!!”
