2012 NFL Draft: Why the Washington Redskins Should Look at Case Keenum

The NFL draft, finally, is just a few hours away.

Is everyone thoroughly sick of mock drafts yet?

So am I.

For Redskins fans, we have known for over a month who the Skins would take with the second pick in the draft. For those who looked at the title of this article and thought I had lost my mind by suggesting the Skins draft Case Keenum instead of Robert Griffin III—no, not even close.

RG3 is the type of player who can transform a franchise and the Redskins are going to draft him No. 2 and move on.

But the Redskins have some picks later on in the draft, particularly in the sixth and seventh rounds, where I really think they should take a look at drafting Case Keenum as a backup to RG3.

This then is my case for Keenum. 

First off, is any Washington Redskins fan really that comfortable with the idea of Rex Grossman being our backup quarterback this year?

Grossman is one of the streakiest quarterbacks ever. He can have pinpoint accuracy on one series and then be horribly erratic the next. With Rex, it always feels like a game changing interception is just around the corner.

That is not exactly the most conducive environment to a winning attitude.

After Grossman, you have John Beck, who was massively underwhelming in 2011, and Jonathon Crompton, an unknown commodity to say the least.

So, would it really be such a tragic mistake to draft Case Keenum in the sixth or seventh round (assuming he is still available) and see if he can't at least compete for the third string job, perhaps even more?

Now let's be honest here. Keenum had a poor showing at the NFL combine. His arm strength was not good and his accuracy suffered. It has always been the biggest knock against his being able to succeed in the NFL.

But arm strength does not always translate into NFL success. If it did, Jamarcus Russell would be the All-Pro quarterback of the Raiders instead of one of the biggest busts in NFL draft history.

Instead, look at some of the things that Keenum does bring to the table.

Keenum is the all-time leader in FBS career passing yards with 19,217. His next closest competitor, Timmy Chang, who played for Hawaii from 2000-2004, is more than 2,000 yards off the pace with a career passing total of 17,072.

Keenum is also the career FBS leader in touchdown passes with 155. Kellen Moore, who might get drafted before Keenum, is a distant second with 142.

And for all the questions about Keenum's arm strength and accuracy, no one has questioned his pocket presence or decision making ability.

As for finishing strong, Keenum's final collegiate game was a 30-14 rout of the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Ticket City Bowl. Keenum's stat line for that game included 532 yards passing, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 144.3.

Yes, we all know that Penn State was not the same Penn State of old, particularly after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Nevertheless, in his final college game, against one of the most storied programs in college football, Keenum delivered, and then some.

So would it really be so ludicrous for the Redskins to maybe spend that seventh round pick on Case Keenum and see what he can do with some proper mentoring from Coach Shanahan?

If you are looking for someone to whom to compare Keenum, take a look at Andy Dalton.

Dalton stands 6'2" and weighs 200 pounds.

Keenum stands 6'2" and weighs 210 pounds.

Both of them grew up in Texas. They both played college ball at Texas universities.

Dalton's arm strength was considered somewhat better than Keenum's at this time last year. But people were saying many of the same things about Dalton that I have heard said about Keenum. Things like intangibles, being a proven winner, having great awareness and better than average pocket presence.

All Dalton did in his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals was lead a team who many picked to finish dead last in the AFC North back to the playoffs. He started all 16 games for the Bengals, threw for 20 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and was named as a Pro Bowl alternate, eventually being added to the roster.

Rex Grossman did not accomplish that, not by a long shot.

If Case Keenum could bring that kind of an insurance policy to the Redskins, and at the very little cost of a sixth or seventh round draft pick, what a great steal that would be for Washington.

RG3 is the quarterback of the future for Washington. There is no question about that. But backing him up is a major issue for the Skins and it is an area that should not be overlooked.

Rex Grossman is not the answer. Neither is John Beck. The jury is still out on what Jonathon Crompton might be able to do.

Over the next couple of days, as the 2012 NFL draft progresses, there will come a point where the Redskins will have to look at who is available and match that up against the needs of the team. Some difficult decisions, as is always the case, will need to be made.

One of those areas of concern should be backup quarterback. There will likely be a quarterback available who holds every major passing record in FBS history just sitting there, waiting for someone to take a chance on him.

He could be the next Andy Dalton, maybe even better.

Ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case.