Mel Kiper 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Washington Redskins Select CB Morris Claiborne

In his second mock draft of the 2012 NFL draft season, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has the Washington Redskins taking Louisiana State cornerback Morris Claiborne with the fifth overall pick in the first round. 

While cornerback is far from the Redskins' top need this offseason, Kiper acknowledges that the Redskins could address their most-pressing hole—quarterback—with either a trade up in the draft or in free agency. 

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The Redskins are a team I could certainly see moving off this pick, but if the draft broke this way, the pick makes a lot of sense on both need and value. And obviously, what the Skins could do in free agency for their offense is something I'm considering. 

Tyrann Mathieu got the headlines at LSU, but the best cornerback on the team was Claiborne. He's the top corner in the draft, and while the Skins have offensive needs, they should also be willing to draft best available when possible because the roster needs more talent, period. While not quite the athlete, Claiborne is actually a better pure cover corner than Patrick Peterson, the No. 5 overall pick from last year.

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If the 2012 draft did play out this way, the Redskins would really need to do some wheeling and dealing in free agency. The quarterback position, which struggled under Rex Grossman and John Beck in 2011, has to be improved if the Redskins are to take the next step under Mike Shanahan.  

Throughout this process, Washington has been considered a top candidate to move up from No. 6 to acquire a quarterback, mostly notably Baylor's Robert Griffin III. Kiper obviously didn't factor trades into his mock draft, so it's impossible to forecast through this pick what the Redskins could potentially do.

However, Kiper did avoid reaching for a player at that position once Andrew Luck and Griffin III were off the board. Some mocks have the Redskins taking a player such as Ryan Tannehill, which might be too high at No. 6.

But if Claiborne is available at No. 6 and the quarterback position was fixed through a free agent such as Matt Flynn, this pick makes some sense.

According to Pro Football Focus, both DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson—the Redskins' most-used cornerbacks in 2011—received negative grades.

Claiborne would give the Redskins an immediate starter, likely besides Hall, in 2012.

Almost every draft site has Claiborne as the top cornerback in the 2012 draft, too.

National Football Post's draft lab, run by Wes Bunting, has Claiborne as the No. 2 overall prospect behind Luck and the top rated cornerback.

Here is NFP's brief scouting report on Claiborne:

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The top corner in this year's draft. He's tall and long which allows him to play big off the line. However, he showcases the footwork, balance and quick-twitch ability of a much smaller corner out of his breaks. With improved technique he should mature into one of the leagues best.

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Overall, the Redskins are a hard team to project in this draft if trades aren't going to be used. Somehow, someway, a quarterback has to be found. But for the value, the Redskins would struggle to find a better player than Claiborne.

If Washington can sneak back into the first round to grab Tannehill or somehow snag him if he drops into the second, a Claiborne-Tannehill draft for the Redskins would make for a high early grade.