Washington Redskins 2010 NFL Draft: Should They Consider Bradford or Clausen?

With the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins look to bounce back from a disappointing 2009 season that consisted of a 4-12 record. 

It took the Redskins until Week 10 before they scored more than 17 points in a single game. However, this team was much better than their record showed considering that eight of their 12 losses were by single digits—including a three-game losing streak lost by a combined seven points.

So what position should Washington focus on in the first round of the upcoming draft? According to a number of NFL analysts, the Redskins should focus their attention on a quarterback in the first round—despite Jason Campbell throwing for 3,618 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.

If this is the case, the Redskins will most likely select Oklahoma's Sam Bradford or Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen.

The only question is, which quarterback would be the better fit for the Redskins?

Bradford would arguably have been the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft had he not decided to stay with Oklahoma one more year to try and win a National Championship. After becoming the second sophomore in history to ever win the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns, he wanted one more chance to bring Oklahoma their first National Title since 2003.

Unfortunately, that was far from the case during his junior season.

In the first game of the 2009 season, Bradford suffered a shoulder injury on his throwing arm that kept him sidelined for three weeks. A few weeks later, he re-injured the same shoulder and would eventually undergo season-ending surgery.

So much for waiting one more season before entering the NFL to make millions of dollars, huh?

Clausen, on the other hand, finds himself in a different situation considering the transition process at Notre Dame from Charlie Weis to Brian Kelly. He will forgo his senior season with the Fighting Irish in hopes of becoming a top 10 pick in this year's draft.

After entering the 2009 season as a potential Heisman candidate, Clausen seemed to be living up to the expectations after leading the Irish to a 6-2 start. Even though they finished the season on a four-game losing skid, it was obvious he had developed into a mature quarterback and established himself as a strong leader for Notre Dame's offense.

It wasn't his 3,722 passing yards and 28 touchdowns that were impressive, but the low number of interceptions thrown all season that showed how far along he had come as a quarterback. After throwing for 17 interceptions his sophomore season, Clausen threw just four in 2009 and completed 68 percent of his passes.

There's no question Bradford and Clausen both have the potential to be the type of franchise quarterback the Redskins are looking for. Both players had successful careers in college and should be selected in the first round once April 22 rolls around.

The only question now is with the fourth pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, will the Washington Redskins select Bradford or Clausen as their quarterback? That is, if they intend on selecting a new franchise quarterback in this year's draft.

Dan Parzych is the founder of the new NFCEastFootball.com