“He comes from Pittsburgh, [they] ran a lot of two-gap systems back there when he played for the Steelers when he was very effective there,” Gruden explained, “so we weren’t really sure how he was with the up-the-field rushes there, but he’s been very effective. The ability for him with the size and strength that he has to play all three spots is exciting. Ziggy has definitely showed up. He’s been one of the brightest spots in camp.”

That versatility and pass-rushing ability Gruden mentioned certainly stood out against the Falcons. Hood lined up in multiple spots along the defensive line and was equally effective. Despite not registering a sack, his pass rush was disruptive.

Here, Hood lines up as a three-technique defensive tackle in Washington’s nickel front.

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Hood is slightly slow off the snap, but he makes up for it with a good combination of moves. He bursts up the field before working back inside. He clubs away the right guard’s inside arm and moves straight into a swim move that helps him beat the blocker. Hood gets into the backfield, but the quarterback was quick to get rid of the ball.

Later in the game, Hood displayed a solid spin move.

This time, Hood lines up as a one-technique nose guard, between the center and right guard.

The Falcons run a play-action pass. Hood initially reads run, taking on a double team from the guard and center, allowing linebacker Su’a Cravens to go unblocked. But once Hood recognizes the fake, he disengages with the center and uses a spin move to beat the guard. Pressure off the edge from Trent Murphy forces the quarterback to step up in the pocket, where Hood begins to chase him down. The quarterback scrambles out of the pocket, narrowly avoiding Hood as he throws the ball incomplete.

Getting interior pressure is something Washington struggled with last year, so Hood’s emergence with a promising performance against the Falcons is encouraging. But Washington also had troubles defending the run last year. Hood’s history as a two-gap run defender with the Steelers meant coaches couldn’t be sure how he would adapt to Washington’s one-gap scheme. But Hood helped answer those questions against Atlanta.

Hood moves back to the three-technique on this play.

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Hood gets off the ball incredibly quickly this time. He’s the first defender to engage with a blocker. But he’s not only quick off the snap, he’s also technically sound. His pad level is lower than the guard and his gets his hands inside. He wins the block and works into the backfield, forcing the running back to cut back much earlier than the play is designed to. Unfortunately, the back side of the defense couldn’t back up Hood’s penetration and the running back manages to pick up a solid gain.

When Hood kicked inside to nose tackle against the run, he looked stout.

Here, Hood moves back inside between the center and right guard.

Hood initially engages with the center, before the right guard works across to help make the block. Hood shows a good ability to bend, stay low and maintain his gap while being blocked by two players. He stops the center from working up to the second level, allowing linebacker Martrell Spaight to work freely. Spaight works inside to plug the A gap on to the left of the center. At that point, the center manages to peel off Hood, but Hood manages to stay stout and hold his position without being driven back. With little running room inside, the running back cuts outside behind Hood and into the arms of unblocked safety Duke Ihenacho.

Hood also flashed the potential to be disruptive and penetrate in the run game from the nose tackle position.

On this play, Hood lines up over the center, perhaps slightly shaded to the side of the left guard.

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The Falcons run an outside zone play to the left, but Hood works across the face of the center and against the direction of the run. He catches the right guard and center by surprise, occupying both of them as he bursts through the gap. That move allows Cravens to burst through the line of scrimmage completely unblocked and make a tackle for loss.

Hood’s versatility wasn’t just limited to his position along the defensive line or his ability to pass rush and penetrate against the run. On one play, Washington had him drop into coverage.

For this play, Hood lines up as a three-technique defensive tackle, perfect for rushing the quarterback on third and long.

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But after taking one step up the field, Hood drops back into coverage. Washington is playing a form of Tampa-two coverage designed for the red zone. The Mike ‘backer drops between the safeties, giving them a third deep zone, but leaving a hole vacant underneath. To plug that hole, Washington fakes a four-man rush, but instead rushes just three and has Hood drop back into coverage.

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Hood moves pretty well for a man listed at 6 feet 5, 305 pounds. He did his job of taking away the check down as the quarterback felt pressure and began to scramble. That resulted in the quarterback just throwing the ball away. Dropping into coverage isn’t something Hood will do often; he may never do it again. But it was something worth testing in a preseason game and gives Hood another string to the bow.

It’s important not to overreact to one preseason game, but it was certainly a promising start. Judging by Gruden’s comments after the game, Hood has certainly turned some heads. The defensive-line rotation is far from set. If Hood can continue impressing coaches in the remaining preseason games, then not only will he earn a spot on the final 53-man roster, but some significant playing time to go with it.

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Mark Bullock is The Insider’s Outsider, sharing his Redskins impressions usually without the benefit of access to the team. For more, click here.