Robert Griffin III Is Making Terrible Mistake By Refusing Colts Workout

With the 2012 NFL draft a little more than three weeks away, Robert Griffin III remains the projected No. 2 overall selection behind Andrew Luck.

And although RG3 is expected to land in our nation's capital to the Washington Redskins, the Indianapolis Colts didn't want to rule anything out. That said, according to Colts' owner Jim Irsay, Griffin declined to workout for Indy:

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A Luck private workout 2day..we want 2b as thorough n disciplined n process of #1 pick..we wanted 2do private with RG3,but his agent said no

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"— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) April 3, 2012"

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Now although this isn't surprising news, Griffin missed on a unique opportunity.

Had he been willing to work out for the Colts, RG3 would have raised his value a bit more in the eyes of the Redskins. This is not about trying to be the No. 1 selection over Andrew Luck as it is leverage heading into the draft and ultimately, his rookie season.

Consider the situation from Washington's perspective.

For one, the Redskins gave up quite a bit to move up just four spots and are obviously going to get either Luck or Griffin. However, Griffin not working out for the Colts might as well solidify Luck going No. 1 overall.

So, Griffin's draft value to the Colts goes down while it remains stagnant for the Redskins. Even the lightest of workouts to increase Irsay's interest in RG3 would then also increase Washington's interest.

In other words: the Redskins would not have as clear of an idea of which quarterback will be available at No. 2 overall. Therefore, even if Griffin were to still go after Luck, he could possibly get a better contract, endorsements and Washington would be more gracious to have him.

After all, the Redskins haven't had a legit franchise quarterback since the days of Joe Theismann and Mark Rypien was their most recent one to appear in more than four straight seasons.

Washington is desperate for a quarterback and the Redskins would have only become more desperate had RG3 worked out for the Colts. At this juncture now, Griffin getting selected by the Redskins just appears to be a foregone conclusion.

John Rozum on Twitter.