Best Draft-Day Contingency Plans for Washington Redskins

Without a first-round pick the past two seasons, the Washington Redskins are in uncharted waters entering the 2015 NFL draft.

In need of reinforcements in the secondary, at linebacker and along both lines, the team will have its pick of the litter, for once, to fill at least one of these needs with the No. 5 overall pick.

Still, with so many needs and a new general manager in Scot McCloughan running things, "value" is the word that will rule the Redskins' draft.

As he demonstrated with the San Francisco 49ers, McCloughan won't hesitate to trade back if it brings him the maximum value for his pick.

Doing this does have its risks, though. While there's a strength in numbers, it can't be at the expense of quality. 

With that mind, here are five draft-day contingency plans that will ensure Washington comes away with an impact player at each position of need.

Arik Armstead for Leonard Williams

Doug Benc/Associated Press

The purge has begun. Already, Washington has made changes along its defensive line. Coupled with its signing of Ricky Jean-Francois, the team bid adieu to veterans Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen.

McCloughan's changes won't stop there, though. With Jason Hatcher set to open next season at the age of 33, the Redskins will be in the market for a defensive lineman in the draft.

Rated as the draft's top prospect by Scouts Inc., Leonard Williams would be an ideal fit in D.C. But with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans both starved for defensive talent and ahead of Washington in the draft's pecking order, he may be off the board before it picks.

Enter Arik Armstead. He isn't the slam dunk Williams would be, but Armstead would fit nicely at defensive end in defensive coordinator Joe Barry's 3-4 front. Rated as the No. 9 overall prospect by Scouts Inc., Armstead has his fans in the NFL scouting community. And you can count ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. as one of them.

In addition to calling him a potential star, Kiper said of Armstead, "He's also a powerful edge player who can simply move people backwards when he's playing with leverage and is going to disrupt passing lanes with his length."

Armstead does have his flaws. He didn't concentrate solely on football until his sophomore year at Oregon—he played basketball as well. As a result, he's still a relatively raw player, and it shows in his production.

He only posted 4.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in three years at Oregon.

Still, with Hatcher's cap hit due to grow to $8.7 million in 2016, according to Spotrac.com, Washington would be wise to groom a player of Armstead's talent as his replacement.

Cameron Erving for Brandon Scherff

Brandon Scherff's standing as Scouts Inc.'s top offensive tackle prospect may lead you to believe otherwise, but there's much debate on whether he can actually stick at tackle in the NFL.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, for one, feels Scherff is better suited to play guard on the next level.

As far as his impact on the field, with Washington surrendering 58 sacks last season, Scherff's position hardly matters. Whether he's replacing a Chris Chester or Shawn Lauvao at guard, or Tom Compton and Tyler Polumbus opposite Trent Williams, the team's offensive line would be better for it. 

The reality is, though, in the context of the draft, Scherff can only be a target of the Skins with the fifth overall pick if he is indeed a tackle. History tells us that much. 

Dating back to 2000, only two guards—Chance Warmack and Josh Cooper—have been selected in the top 10 of the draft. Knowing that full well, if Scherff is a target, the Redskins will have to trade back to acquire him if they're to maximize the value of their pick. 

But with that comes risk. They could lose him outright. 

Under such a scenario, the team would be wise to look to Cameron Erving as a fallback option. Like Scherff, versatility is a strength of Erving's. 

At Florida State, he earned All-ACC honors at both center and tackle. Mind you, he was a defensive lineman for the Seminoles in 2011.

His technique and footwork are far from polished as a result of this, a sentiment CBSSports.com's Rob Rang and Derek Stephens both touched on, but Erving is a quick study nonetheless.

With Erving's combination of strength and agility, whether it's at center or tackle—or even guard, which he relayed his openness to playing there to Kyle Meinke of MLive Media Group—he will vie for a starting gig right out of the gate.

Anthony Harris for Landon Collins

Mike Stewart/Associated Press

Last year's starting safeties, Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather, are retired and without a contract, respectively. What are the Redskins to do now?

Drafting Landon Collins would be a start. An All-American and All-SEC performer in his time at Alabama, Collins is universally revered as the draft's top safety prospect.

A true game-changer at the safety position, though? Not so much. And therein lies the problem. To warrant a top-five pick, a safety has to be just that. 

Dating back to 1991, only three safeties—Eric Turner, Eric Berry and the late Sean Taylor—have gone that high. In light of this, if Washington is to select Collins, the team will need to trade back to acquire him. 

But to what pick? There's no definitive answer. And the reason why is desperation. 

As ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. notes, Collins is the only safety prospect worthy of going in the first round. With no assurances that Collins will be available past the No. 5 overall pick, the Redskins may have to go to option No. 2: Anthony Harris.

CBSSports.com currently projects Harris to be selected between the second and third round. 

An All-ACC performer at Virginia, Harris brings the type of balance Washington has long lacked at the safety position.

On the nation's 20th-ranked rushing defense in 2014, Harris was the team's second-leading tackler on rushing plays with 66 tackles, according to the team's official website.

A notable ball hawk, Harris finished his career with 11 interceptions. In 2013, he matched former NFL standout Ronde Barber's mark for interceptions in a season with eight—second all-time in school history.

Some consolation prize, right?

Vic Beasley for Dante Fowler Jr.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Brian Orakpo's return to Washington may be in the works, via NBC Washington's Dianna Marie Russini, but finding a pass-rusher has to remain a priority for the Redskins. Simply put, Orakpo can't be trusted to stay healthy.

He's played in a combined 24 games the past three years, after all. And even when he's been healthy, he hasn't been a game-changer. Orakpo has posted 10 sacks or more in a season just twice, and he only registered half a sack in seven games in 2014. Furthermore, his last forced fumble came in 2012.

In other words, he's not the player Dante Fowler Jr. could be. Let draft guru Mike Mayock tell you, via Reid Ferrin of the Atlanta Falcon's official website: Fowler is the best edge-rusher in the draft.

For NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, in Fowler, he sees a player with Pro Bowl potential. With such praise, it goes without saying the Redskins can't bank on him being available when it's their turn to pick in the first round.

Fortunately enough, unlike the safety spot, Washington will be flush with options to fill this need. With the career he had at Clemson, Vic Beasley certainly registers as one of them.

In 48 games (25 starts) at Clemson, Beasley amassed 52.5 tackles for loss, 33.0 sacks, 29 quarterback pressures and seven forced fumbles, according to the school's official website. Clemson's career leader in sacks, he was also a two-time first-team All-American.

The No. 5 overall pick may be too high for Scouts Inc.'s 19th overall prospect, but considering the performance Beasley put on at the combine, Washington can't trade back too far if it's to acquire his services.

Bud Dupree for Vic Beasley

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Even contingency plans need contingency plans. Beasley may be Washington's second choice, but for the teams with no shot at Fowler and are concerned with Randy Gregory's weight or Shane Ray's injury, he is option numero uno.

We see it yearly with quarterbacks in the draft, and it's really no different for pass-rushers. With a low supply and a high demand, need trumps all at these positions often times for teams.

In light of that, the Redskins should do their homework on another pass-rusher: Bud Dupree.

Like Beasley, he too is a freakish athlete. Via NFL.com, Dupree was one of the top performers at the combine in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jump.

Raw from a technique perspective, he leaned on his 4.5 speed to wreak havoc on opposing offenses at Kentucky. In his final two seasons, Dupree tallied 13.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss.

Scouts Inc.'s 32nd-ranked prospect, Dupree, at minimum, should carve out a role as a situational pass-rusher in his rookie season.