Redskins Draft Needs: Where Does Washington Need Help Most?

It's not often the Washington Redskins enter a draft armed with all of their picks. But with the franchise no longer paying the price for the Robert Griffin III trade, the 2015 draft is a great chance to significantly bolster the roster's weakest positions.

Those positions are clearly defined along both trenches and across the defensive backfield. Finding better talent in these areas will provide a major boost to a team otherwise loaded with talent at some of football's more glamorous positions.

The addition of a new general manager and the pursuit of a new defensive coordinator are two factors that could positively influence Washington's draft strategy.

Here's where 2014's 4-12 roster needs the most help.

Setting the Strategy

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When Washington enters the 2015 NFL draft, the franchise won't just have the luxury of a full quota of picks, it will have a new general manager making them.

Highly regarded talent-spotter Scot McCloughan has taken over the role, per NFL Media insider Albert Breer. He's also confirmed how much authority McCloughan will have to rebuild a team that's won just seven games in two years:

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Redskins GM Scot McCloughan has final say over the 53-man roster.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 7, 2015"

McCloughan helped retool the San Francisco 49ers with perennial Pro Bowlers and crafted the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning roster. He was also part of the Green Bay Packers recruitment team in the late 90s, which had a culture based on "draft and develop" and building through the draft, according to former Packers Vice President Andrew Brandt, per Liz Clarke of The Washington Post.

So it seems clear McCloughan will place a premium on Washington's seven choices.

One factor sure to influence some of the selections he makes will be the scheme favored by the eventual replacement for former defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.

B/R insider Jason Cole has named Wade Phillips as the clear favorite. The former Houston Texans play-caller will interview with the Redskins, per ESPN reporter John Keim.

Phillips runs a different kind of 3-4 than the one Haslett called. His scheme is less complex but at least equally aggressive. It could call for smaller, more dynamic linemen and quicker linebackers.

With McCloughan's arrival and the potential hiring of Phillips in mind, here are the players who can offer the most help at Washington's positions of need.

Safety

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It won't make a bit of difference who's calling the defense in 2015 if the safety position is not completely overhauled. The Redskins have suffered from lacking range, speed and playmaking instincts along the last line of defense.

It's a problem that's persisted for years, although the 2014 season might have represented the nadir moment. Washington entered the season with hard-hitting veterans Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather as starters.

Not surprisingly, their aging legs couldn't cope with the pace of virtually every passing game the Redskins faced. Meriweather continued to take bad angles in coverage, while Clark could rarely get close enough to a play to stop it.

The new-look defense will need "Joker-style" skills at both safety positions. That means stout physicality in run support, smarts in coverage and the athleticism to be a factor on the blitz.

One candidate in particular, leaps off the draft board:

Landon Collins, SS, Alabama

As a classic strong safety who can patrol the middle of the field and play in the box, Landon Collins might be too good for the Redskins to miss on draft day.

He's a player who's been expertly tutored by Alabama head coach Nick Saban, a savvy defensive mind and a respected authority on defensive backs. He's honed Collins into a lethal weapon who's at his best the closer to the line of scrimmage he plays.

Collins is a safety with linebacker-style qualities. He's a force against the run and useful on the blitz. He will also punish any receiver trying to turn a shallow crossing pattern into a big gain.

If there's one concern, it's Collins' limitations in space. Walter Football writer Charlie Campbell detailed the problem:

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Collins isn't a rangy center fielder and can struggle to play man coverage on tight ends and wide receivers in the deep part of the field. At the next level, he'll need to be protected from those kind of mismatches with a quality free safety to handle those duties.

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But if his aggressive instincts are used properly by an attack-minded coordinator, Collins could be an instant hit in Washington's base 3-4. He would also offer tremendous flexibility to the sub-package defenses, being able to align as a linebacker or edge-blitzer in nickel and dime fronts. That's something Phillips loves to do in dime packages.

A smart coordinator will value what Collins does well and seek to mask what he can't. In that scenario, the Redskins could justify using the fifth overall pick to help solve their biggest weakness on defense, an idea endorsed by B/R draft analyst Matt Miller.

Cornerback

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If safety is the biggest problem on defense, cornerback is just a whisker behind. Last year's fourth-round pick Bashaud Breeland was the only bright spot among a woeful rotation.

Breeland appears to have a positive future, even if his aggression too often gets the better of him. However, the same can't be said for 2013 second-rounder David Amerson.

Amerson found himself consistently targeted during the second half of the 2014 season. He needs major improvement in every area of his game, particularly when it comes to using his size to his advantage.

It doesn't help that depth rates as a major concern. Veterans E.J. Biggers and Tracy Porter are brittle and below par, although the latter would be useful on the blitz if he were ever healthy.

There are also plenty of question marks surrounding DeAngelo Hall's future. The 31-year-old tore the same Achilles twice in 2014. He also enters this offseason carrying a hefty cap hit, per Spotrac.com.

Now might be the ideal moment to move Hall. It's certainly the perfect time to refresh this position.

A recently declared junior corner should appeal:

Jalen Collins, LSU

Amerson might play too soft, but that's the last problem Jalen Collins has. He's tough as nails out on the perimeter.

The LSU ace loves to hit and never shies away from run support. He also has a knack for getting his hands on the ball. Collins only intercepted one pass in 2014, but he broke up nine others, per CFBStats.com.

He's a scrappy corner with excellent size for the position at 6'2" and 198 pounds. Those qualities could appeal to McCloughan, who was part of the Seahawks recruitment team that placed a premium on tall and stout cornerbacks.

Having helped draft Richard Sherman, McCloughan knows the value of physicality on the perimeter.

Collins would make a lot of sense at the top of Round 2.

Defensive Line

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Any time your defense ranks 30th in points, there are serious issues up front. That's true in Washington, despite the presence of talented bodies like Jason Hatcher, Chris Baker and Barry Cofield Jr.

To put it simply, this defense needs more impact plays from the men in the trenches. That means more pressure and more tackles behind the line.

One superstar prospect would offer plenty of both:

Leonard Williams, DT, USC

Leonard Williams' position as the best D-lineman in this draft class isn't likely to change between now and when his name is called on draft day. That's a reflection of the USC behemoth's physical dominance.

Williams won't just control gaps, he'll split them en route to wrecking plays at their source. He's the kind of versatile and destructive centerpiece every successful defensive scheme needs.

At 6'5" and 300 pounds, he has the ideal dimensions to play in Washington's 3-4, where B/R draft columnist Matt Miller believes he'd be a great fit. In fact, Williams could emerge as a prime target on draft day if Phillips lands the job as coordinator.

Dominant ends have often thrived in Phillips' 1-gap version of the 3-4. Bruce Smith did with the Buffalo Bills, while J.J. Watt started terrorizing NFL offenses under Phillips' watch in Houston.

Assuming Williams makes it past the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars—and that's a big assumption—Washington might find him too good to resist.

But Williams isn't the only interior D-linemen this team's reshuffled front office should run the rule over.

Malcom Brown, DT, Texas

Malcom Brown could be the playmaking nose tackle Washington has lacked since switching to the 3-4 in 2010. He's not the biggest, but Brown's quickness and agility make him a nightmare—head up over the center or taking on guards.

If Phillips is hired as coordinator, Brown's above-average athletic range for a D-tackle will warrant a long look. Unlike many 3-4 coordinators, Phillips hasn't always insisted on having a hulking mass of humanity anchoring the front.

He's sometimes resisted the prototype in favor of a smaller, quicker player on the nose. That strategy helped make a Pro Bowl star out of the undersized Jay Ratliff with the Dallas Cowboys.

In Houston, Phillips trusted underrated mighty-mite Earl Mitchell over center. Brown's style of play fits this approach, per CBS Sports analysts Dane Brugler and Rob Rang:

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Brown looks natural on his feet with the range and redirection skills to make plays away from the line of scrimmage. Frequently among the quickest off the ball, showing the ability to penetrate and create havoc on behind the line of scrimmage. Brown locates the ball quickly, keeping his eyes up even as he is fighting through multiple blockers and works hard to get to the action, spinning and sliding to get involved.

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Back in November, Brown hinted he will declare for this year's draft, per Austin American-Statesman writer Ryan Autullo (subscription required). The junior tackle has qualities not many members of Washington's current line rotation possess.

He'd be an excellent second- or third-round choice.

Offensive Line

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The Redskins could field a laboratory-created amalgamation of Joe Montana and Peyton Manning at quarterback next season and still lose unless the offensive line is significantly reinforced.

Washington surrendered 58 sacks in 2014, but the problems up front go back to the end of Joe Gibbs' second tenure as head coach. It's high time those issues were fixed.

The best way to do that is to target bigger, better and nastier blockers for right tackle and both guard positions. The former spot has been a revolving door of one uninspiring player after another. Tyler Polumbus, Morgan Moses and Tom Compton all failed to make the position their own during 2014.

Meanwhile, Washington is just too light at the guard positions. Shawn Lauvao and Chris Chester are often pushed around by the game's beefier and more talented defensive tackles.

Here are two prospects who could help solve both problems:

Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford

Projected as a quality left tackle, man-mountain Andrus Peat would have little trouble switching over to the right. Swapping sides won't undermine his power and drive in the running game.

It also wouldn't change his awesome 6'7", 312-pound frame. When he puts that size to use, Peat simply makes pass-rushers disappear.

He is also blessed with a quick first step. That's an asset for the kind of blocking in space Washington's coaches ask their linemen to do in the running game.

Peat's presence might actually encourage a change in some of the blocking techniques this team employs. Coming from Stanford's power-based program, Peat has the size and tenacity head coach Jay Gruden favored in the trenches when he was offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.

This year's draft is rich in quality tackles. Peat, who recently declared, is among the best of the group and a player Washington's scouts should study closely.

Arie Kouandjio, G, Alabama

If Gruden really wants to remodel his line into a bigger, more aggressive unit, he'll take a risk on Alabama's Arie Kouandjio. The Crimson Tide monster is a violent bruiser in the ground game.

Kounadjio is a pure power player most effective when he pulls around the corner to obliterate an unfortunate second-level defender. His 6'5", 315-pound frame can make him the focal point of a rushing attack, with plays schemed to go his way.

But the beefy senior is not without question marks, some of them significant.

Specifically, Kouandjio has health concerns. He's undergone "multiple knee surgeries", per Walter Football writer Walter Cherepinsky.

However, McCloughan has a history of taking a risk with injury concerns. He did exactly that when the 49ers selected Frank Gore in the third round in 2005, despite the running back's lengthy history of serious knee issues.

If McCloughan can get the inside skinny on Kouandjio's durability, the natural guard would be a second- or third-round steal for Washington.

Simply by hiring a new general manager and getting rid of a failing defensive coordinator, the Redskins have created some optimism about the 2015 season. But the good will only lasts so long.

It has to be cemented by proof that things really are changing. A coherent draft strategy targeting talent prospects where Washington needs the most help will be a step in the right direction.