Washington Redskins: Ideal Draft Picks for Each Position of Need

With the hiring of Scot McCloughan as their new general manager, abrupt changes are on the horizon for the Washington Redskins in how they construct their roster. There are sure to be forays into free agency—Daniel Snyder is still the owner, right?—but the foundation of the team will be built through the draft.

Done surrendering first-round picks as a part of the Robert Griffin III trade, the team can go in a variety of directions with the No. 5 overall pick. Particularly weak along the offensive and defensive fronts, in addition to the secondary, there are a share of prospects in the 2015 NFL draft who can fill these needs.

So let's examine some worthy candidates. Here before you are the ideal draft picks—in the first round now—for each position of need the Redskins have.

LB Randy Gregory

It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Redskins keep Brian Orakpo, Trent Murphy and Ryan Kerrigan on their roster next season. But as is the case for every NFL team, you can never have enough pass-rushers.

With that said, after finishing 21st in sacks in 2014, with 36, Washington could use the services of one Randy Gregory. A defensive end at Nebraska, Gregory projects to be a linebacker in the team's 3-4 scheme, if it keeps it that is.

Although he still needs to add some weight to his frame—he's only 240 pounds—Gregory can wreak havoc in the backfield with just his athleticism. During his past two collegiate seasons, he tallied 17.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss.

Then there's the value in taking him. If he lasts to the No. 5 pick, the team would be getting the No. 2 overall prospect in the draft, according to the rankings of CBSSports.com's Rob Rang.

Gregory isn't without his concerns, though. Durability is an issue for him. He missed the 2012 season with a broken leg, and he was saddled with an assortment of injuries in 2014, mainly revolving around his knee. After suffering through the extended absences of Orakpo, Washington could have pause in selecting him because of this.

In the event he checks out medically, though, the team would be hard-pressed to pass on a player Rang has compared to Aldon Smith.

OL Ereck Flowers

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The struggles along the Redskins offensive line are well-documented. It's allowed 101 total sacks over the past two seasons. With a fragile quarterback in RG3 under center, it goes without saying that this can't continue.

As the top-rated offensive lineman in the draft, according to ESPN.com (subscription required), Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff would seem to be a fit in Washington.

Problem is, his strength isn't in pass protection. In fact, with ESPN rating him as an exceptional run-blocker and just average in pass protection, some have wondered if he's better suited playing guard, his former position. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. (subscription required) for one compared him to the Dallas Cowboys' Zack Martin in this respect.

Considering that Chance Warmack and Josh Cooper are the lone guards to be selected in the top 10 of the draft since 2000—and they're not exactly setting the world on fire—it'd be a reach for the 'Skins to select Scherff if guard is indeed his best position.

With the offensive line a glaring weakness, though, the team could look to trade back and fill this need. If so, Ereck Flowers is a player worth considering.

More of a balanced lineman than Scherff, Flowers is equally capable in run and pass blocking. A starter since his freshman season at Miami, don't let Flowers' underclassman status fool you into thinking he lacks experience.

An immediate upgrade over Morgan Moses, Flowers could potentially move to left tackle if injuries or contract concerns expedite Trent Williams' exit.

DL Leonard Williams

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The quarterback position may grab all the headlines, but in the NFL, it's the battle in the trenches that often dictates the outcome of games. On the losing side of this battle because of their porous offensive line, this is a reality the Redskins know all too well.

Knowing that there isn't an offensive lineman worthy of selecting to fix this problem with its current draft position, Washington should set its sights on bolstering its line on the other side of the ball.

In Jason Hatcher, Chris Baker and Barry Cofield, the team has a solid foundation along the defensive line. After all, Washington was 11th against the run in 2014. Still, with Hatcher and Cofield approaching the downside of their careers, the team should look to inject some youth at this position to pair with Baker and Frank Kearse down the road.

So why not draft Leonard Williams?

Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston may be the two players most pundits are penciling in to go first overall, but it's Williams who ranks as the draft's top prospect—on the draft board of CBSSports.com's Rob Rang at least.

Yeah, he's athletic and has a high motor, but all you really need to know about Williams is that he's been compared to J.J. Watt and Gerald McCoy.

The man at USC from the moment he arrived on campus, Williams' production gives insight into why he's drawn such comparisons. A player who has seen time at defensive tackle and defensive end, Williams finished with 26 tackles for loss and 13 sacks his first two collegiate seasons. During his just-finished junior year, he tallied seven more sacks.

All told, with an increased emphasis on getting after the quarterback, the Redskins shouldn't hesitate to select Williams if he's available at the No. 5 spot.

DT Danny Shelton

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A strength of the 2015 draft, Washington can't give up on upgrading its defensive line if Williams isn't available.

Having to combat the strong offensive lines that the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles possess, a prospect like Danny Shelton could be just what the doctor ordered.

A player of mammoth size—he's 6'2", 339 pounds—Shelton would give the team the beef it currently lacks up front with Cofield as the starter. And not only does he eat up blocks and in turn free up his linebackers to make plays, but Shelton is a playmaker himself. He had 9.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss and, get this, 93 tackles in 2014 at Washington.  

He'd certainly be a reach at the No. 5 spot, but in the event the team looks to trade back to acquire more picks, he's a prospect worth targeting with a draft pick in the teens of the first round.

S Landon Collins

Let there be no doubt: Landon Collins is the best safety prospect in this draft. Regardless of what draft guru you look to, you'll find that Collins is universally seen in this light.

Question is, would it be a reach for the Redskins to take him with the No. 5 overall pick?

From a need perspective, the answer is a resounding no.

Washington's secondary was notoriously vulnerable to big plays under former defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. For five years running now, the 'Skins have surrendered at least 56 receptions of 20-plus yards in a season.

Included in that timespan are 49 receptions of 40-plus yards allowed and just one pass defense that eclipsed 20th overall in yards allowed. 

While you can place some of this blame at the feet of the team's cornerbacks, as the last line of defense, the safeties are the most culpable. Consistently looking to the scrapheap to address this shortcoming, Washington exacerbated this problem by either starting players past their physical peak or players who had no business starting—Reed Doughty?

For all of their veteran know-how, ultimately, the physical decline of Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather left them overwhelmed on Sundays in 2014.

Enter Collins. A player who doesn't shy away from sticking his nose into the backfield in run support, when looking at what ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. had to say, Collins can also be an asset in coverage.

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(Collins) Has no trouble handling deep-half zone responsibilities and appears capable of holding up in deep-third coverage if he makes proper reads. Can mirror TE's one-on-one and has no trouble carrying them down the seam.

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Even with that said, he does have his warts. Both Dane Brugler and Rob Rang of CBSSports.com cited lapses in coverage as a weakness of Collins. And going back to the question posed earlier, selecting Collins at its current spot would be a bit of a reach for Washington from a value standpoint.

There have been only three safeties chosen with a top-five NFL draft pick since 1991—Eric Turner, Eric Berry and the late Sean Taylor. Looking at the performance of the safeties taken in the top 10 since 1991, with the exception of Berry and Mark Barron, via WalterFootball.com, it's even harder to justify taking a safety that early:

Safety	Draft No.	Hit, OK or Bust
LaRon Landry	2007, No. 6	OK - Has played fine at times but blows tons of coverages. Not nearly the player the Redskins thought they were getting at No. 6.
Michael Huff	2006, No. 7	OK - Has had an up-and-down career but been benched in the past. Again, not the great player the Oakland Raiders were expecting at No. 7 overall.
Donte Whitner	2006, No. 8	OK - A decent strong safety but not anything special.
Sean Taylor	2004, No. 5	Hit - What a shame his life ended so early.
Roy Williams	2002, No. 8	Bust - Became famous with his hard hits but was torched in coverage week in and week out.
Eric Turner	1991, No. 2	Hit - A two-time Pro Bowler.
Stanley Richard	1991, No. 9	OK- A solid safety who played eight years. No Pro Bowls.

In light of this, while Collins would fill a big need, it'd be in the team's best interest to trade back if it had designs on selecting him.