Washington Redskins: Is the NFC East Now Taking Them Seriously?

In a manner to which you will perhaps be unaccustomed, I’m going to start with a confession.

I don’t look at mock drafts. In fact, every time I see one, I actively avoid it. I understand there’s a lot of work that goes into producing one, and I see a great deal of merit in looking through the draft class and discussing which players would be a good fit in which organization.

I get it, and I'm full of admiration for those who produce such a thorough document.

It’s just that the speculation of what might happen isn’t very interesting to me—it feels like gambling without the monetary incentive. Plus, there are scouts and staff members on each team who have spent hundreds of hours studying the players they think will make an impact, so the sheer volume of mock drafts that appear each year seems a little superfluous.

For me, the interest arises once the names have been called and the players are in place.

Assuming all the picks were made for a good reason—maybe Bryan Anger will be the difference for the Jaguars in 2012?—I like to wonder why they were made and the factors that influenced the decisions.

Which brings me to the point of this article, in case you were wondering.

Once the trade was reported, everyone knew the Washington Redskins would take Robert Griffin III. Even when we were saying that it might be Andrew Luck, we knew it would be Griffin. This means all the other teams also knew, specifically the ones in the NFC East.  Also, when a team drafts a player whom it hopes will be its franchise quarterback, it builds its offense around him.

This begs the question: If you knew ahead of time whom a division rival would base its draft around, wouldn’t you try and do something to counteract it?

Looking at the drafts of the NFC East, I think that idea occurred to a few others, too.

Dallas Cowboys

Morris Claiborne (CB, LSU), Round 1, 6th overall pick

You could argue the Dallas Cowboys needed some help in the secondary—and you would be correct. However, I would draw your attention to a statistic that highlights a more pressing deficiency, and that is that the Cowboys totaled five rushing touchdowns last year.

Firstly, that puts a huge burden on the shoulders of Tony Romo, a guy who isn’t known for thriving under such pressurised circumstances.

And more tellingly, it shows the offensive line is coming second on a lot of rushing plays. I fully expected the Cowboys to address this in the early rounds of the draft, but instead they traded up and took Claiborne, sacrificing their second-round pick in the process.

Had the Cowboys been serious about their OL they could have stayed put at 14 and drafted David DeCastro, kept their second-round pick and taken Peter Konz at 45. That makes perfect sense to me, and I can’t think of a reason why they traded up for Claiborne except for the Washington Redskins.

Morris Claiborne has the potential to be a great NFL cornerback, that much is true. I watched a lot of his games at LSU and he is a born athlete with great awareness, along with instinctive knowledge of position and angle. However, is he worth more to the team than the two players mentioned earlier? I’m not so sure.

I think that Griffin’s arm—and, in particular, his accuracy—has led them to reach for a player whom they hope can instantly negate this in his rookie season, ignoring Claiborne’s occasional lapses in concentration during games, as well as the fact that he perhaps isn’t as strong as he should be for his size. Griffin’s ability to extend the play with his feet has also likely caused them concern, and Claiborne’s excellent knowledge of his position will no doubt have aided the decision to move up.

It’s a contest I’m very much looking forward to witnessing each year.

Philadelphia Eagles

Fletcher Cox (DT, Mississippi St.), Round 1, 12th overall pick

Mychal Kendricks (LB, California), Round 2, 46th overall pick

It’s hard to argue with the Philadelphia Eagles’ draft, really. They moved up three spots to get Fletcher Cox, and in doing so got good value, just like most of the other rounds.

It’s likely Cox will compete with Mike Patterson for the starting job and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up displacing him before this season is out. He looks ready for the NFL and the experience can only help with the Eagles’ long-term plan for him, which must be to replace Cullen Jenkins.

However, aside from the sake of depth, did they really need him?

The Eagles’ defensive line was a source of strength for them last year, and I’ll admit to being a little surprised they used their first pick on a DT—and traded up to get him—even one as talented as Cox. With LeSean McCoy’s contract still up in the air, I expected them to address the running back position early on, at the very least to offer McCoy some help.

The second round brought another surprise as Mychal Kendricks was brought on board. Again, this is a good value pick, but was it a necessary one? Kendricks played ILB in a 3-4 system in California, meaning he’ll likely be shifted to an unfamiliar position upon joining the Eagles’ predominantly 4-3 lineup. There are also concerns about his size being detrimental to his position at 5’11, leaving him open to being dominated by offensive linemen.

While these two players are both undoubtedly an asset for any team that drafts them, when you look at the attributes that they bring to the Eagles, it brings you back to the Redskins once more.

Cox was perhaps the most talented pass-rusher in this year’s draft, so it’s not surprising the Eagles would want to stop a highly touted rookie quarterback like Robert Griffin III as quickly as possible. Even if he sees limited playing time, it seems to me that Cox was brought on board to add three or four sacks to the team each season.

While Kendricks has been referred to as undersized, he was also the fastest linebacker in the draft, as well as being the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and posting a 37’’ vertical jump. Griffin’s quickness and accuracy may have played a part in this selection also, with Kendricks able to escape tackles and get to the quarterback in blitz packages.

Time will tell if RG3 can evade them.

New York Giants

Jayron Hosley (CB, Virginia Tech), Round 3, 94th overall pick

Bizarrely enough, the New York Giants gave up more points than they scored last year, and with the loss of Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham it made sense that this draft focused on the offensive side of the ball. However, the selection of Hosley was an interesting one and reveals that maybe the two defeats at the hands of the Redskins have preyed upon the mind of Tom Coughlin more than you might think.

Aside from being dumb enough to fail a drug test at the combine, the big question surrounding Hosley is whether the version from 2010 or 2011 will show up. The Giants hope he can recapture the earlier form that enabled him to lead the nation with nine interceptions and eight pass breakups.

Although he isn’t the tallest of corners, he makes up for it with precision timing on his jumps to take the ball from taller receivers and should slot in nicely to the Giants’ Cover-2 and Tampa-2 systems, as well as using his Virginia Tech special teams experience to make an impact in that regard.

The Giants’ depth chart at cornerback was unable to cope last year, and the speed of RG3 now has to be a factor when choosing defensive players for the NFCE. Hosley has a quick change of direction, as well as the ability to read the offense with his eyes and make early decisions on plays. This will often lead to interceptions against a rookie quarterback. He’ll need to add weight to his 5’10" frame to compete against larger receivers, though.

While it may not be the most obvious example of the Redskins draft influencing their rivals, Hosley’s ability to read the intentions of the offense and control his body will have been a factor in drafting him in a league with two quarterbacks who are able to adjust their skill set as the play breaks down.

A Huge Nod of Respect

Last year it didn’t really matter how many points a team surrendered to the Redskins—Rex Grossman was always on hand with a turnover to get them back in the game.  

This year promises to be a different matter, and it serves as a huge nod of respect to Griffin that two of his division rivals traded up in the first round to get defensive players that have skills to combat his own.

With his offseason maneuvers, Mike Shanahan has sent out a message to the division that he is ready to compete for the full 60 minutes of every game, and the NFC East has responded with draft decisions that leave me with no doubt that the NFL is preparing to take the Washington Redskins seriously again.