How the Washington Redskins Can Make the Most of Each 2015 Draft Pick
It feels almost foreign to put as much stock in the 2015 NFL draft as the Washington Redskins are preparing to do. With Scot McCloughan calling the shots, it is understood that the draft will be the lifeline for the franchise's future as it should be.
Even with all of their draft picks, the Redskins must still figure out how to make the most out of each one.
They have needs, and they probably have wants. But Washington must find a balance between eye-opening talent at a position it doesn't need and drafting to plug a hole regardless of round or talent.
Here is how the Redskins can get the most value out of each of their picks.
Needs
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Drafting purely for need is a mistake. The Redskins have plenty of needs but cannot base their entire draft process on filling those needs while ignoring available talent and value of their picks.
However, the needs should still be addressed to give some perspective to Washington's approach to this draft.
The offensive line is in desperate need of a right tackle and at least one guard, presumably the right guard, where Chris Chester has proved unreliable. Tackle wins out but isn't necessarily a position of value in the top five.
The secondary is in dire need of a free safety and perhaps a corner, as David Amerson has regressed as a starter and might see his role limited until he shows his sophomore slump was a mere fluke.
For the defensive front, it wouldn't hurt to get another pass-rushing linebacker to create a rotation, but there definitely needs to be an improvement to the three-down linemen.
Chris Baker can play nose tackle or defensive end; Jason Hatcher can too, though he's better suited as an end. The Redskins could use a disruptive type of player to go along with the group of solid if unspectacular veterans they currently have.
Other, less pressing needs would be tight end and receiver, though the latter is more of a concern because there has been little production behind starters DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.
1st Round: Best Player Available
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There is no scenario where the Redskins can draft purely to fill a need. They need good, young prospects to develop and factor into their long-term franchise goals.
Best player available is the only approach they can have with their first pick in the draft, especially because they haven't had a first-round pick in the past two drafts.
So who do they pick? That depends a great deal on how the first four picks shake out. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that at least one quarterback will go in the top four, with the possibility of both Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota being drafted.
That means Washington could land the likes of Leonard Williams, Amari Cooper, Randy Gregory, Brandon Scherff, Landon Collins and Shane Ray to name more than a few.
If the Redskins stand pat with the fifth pick, Scherff doesn't offer great value. He may be the best right tackle in the draft and worthy of a first-round selection, but a right tackle isn't something you spend a fifth overall pick on.
You spend the fifth overall pick on a game-changer like Williams, Cooper, Collins or Gregory.
If by some chance Williams falls, he is a no-brainer for the Redskins. Realistically, Dante Fowler is an excellent pick. He flashed the potential to be dominant at Florida but needs to improve his consistency.
Fowler would fill the gap left by Brian Orakpo's exit, assuming Orakpo does not re-sign with the Redskins.
2nd Round: Free Safety
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Very few people if anyone will argue in favor of Ryan Clark sticking around for another season in the NFL. He probably shouldn't have suited up for the 2014 season. But he did, and he was consistently disappointing at free safety.
There's solid amount of talent at free safety available in the first three rounds; the Redskins just have to jump on the right prospect.
Landon Collins and Gerod Holliman are likely to be off the board in the first round, which benefits Washington because it won't have to worry about reaching for Collins or risking its top pick on Holliman.
That leaves Michigan State's Kurtis Drummond as one of the best free safeties on the board and definitely the best senior safety.
The Redskins need a safety who is smart and with excellent instincts, which is precisely the player Drummond is. He is an asset in run support as well as coverage and is an instant upgrade over Clark, even as a rookie.
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3rd Round: Right Tackle
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The combination of Tyler Polumbus and Tom Compton was a nightmare at right tackle for Washington. Neither player proved capable of locking down the position, which supported the well-known fact there hasn't been a bookend right tackle since Jon Jansen was with the Redskins.
On the bright side, this draft class has plenty of top-flight prospects with enough questions regarding their ideal positions for the Redskins to choose from.
That isn't to say there isn't talent to be found in the first and second rounds, but players like La'el Collins from LSU and even Ereck Flowers aren't locks for the first round, let alone at left tackle. The doubt surrounding them will push talented right tackles back into the second and third rounds.
For Washington, it could do worse than Daryl Williams out of Oklahoma. He's big, he's mobile and he's got experience as a right tackle.
4th Round: Defensive End
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Defense is the strength of this year’s draft, and as such, the Redskins should see it as an opportunity to add bodies to their roster, whether it be to provide depth or vie for a starting job.
Though largely dependent upon their first overall pick, there is still a need to improve the defensive front.
Jarvis Jenkins is set to be a free agent, Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield may be cap casualties and Jason Hatcher alone is not enough to provide a consistent push up front.
A shot of youth could do the group some good.
Clemson's Corey Crawford or Georgia's Ray Drew would be suited to this position in the draft. Both have good size to play 3-4 defensive end, and both have great ability. But neither really lived up to his potential in college.
That just means both will hit the NFL with a chip or two on their shoulders, which is always a plus for late-round picks.
The Redskins need someone to get push up front, and both players showed their abilities in 2013 with a combined 18.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
5th Round: Guard
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This offseason should bring at least one major improvement to the offensive line, but there’s no reason to ignore depth in this draft.
Even if the Redskins sign a guard in free agency, they still have Spencer Long and Josh LeRibeus hanging on, though neither has distinguished himself as capable of starting.
Long is at least a Jay Gruden pick, whereas LeRibeus stuck around from one of Mike Shanahan’s earlier drafts.
Offensive line talent is available across the board, which means the Redskins can’t wait to draft a guard in the later rounds. If they make the one improvement at right tackle or sign a free agent at guard, this can be an insurance pick as well as a depth pick.
The meat of the class is middle of the draft as it is, and if you factor in the number of tackles who could be drafted as guards, the cream of the true guard crop will be ripe for the Redskins' picking.
They may not get Arie Kouandjio, but Texas A&M's Jarvis Harrison will be there. And he has success both in pass protection and opening holes in the ground game.
6th Round: Tight End
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Tight end talent seems to skew toward the more athletic, hybrid type of players. Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham aren't the models for prospective tight ends anymore.
The Redskins already have their joker tight end in Jordan Reed, at least when he’s healthy. Even Niles Paul has proved to be a good target in the passing game.
What Washington lacks is a capable blocker, particularly with Logan Paulsen declining in that aspect of his game.
Nick Boyle is a big body (6'6", 270 lbs) with solid receiving skills who more than anything else is a better blocking tight end prospect than has been the norm in the last several years.
Reiterating the idea that the Redskins are making long-term decisions means a tight end isn’t a bad selection.
If Boyle or even Florida's Clay Burton can come in and be a blocking tight end while doing some work in the passing game as well, there's no reason to write off the position as not being a priority.
7th Round: Cornerback
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The Redskins need a lot of help in their secondary, and this may be an opportune time to dig for gems late in the draft. Depending on their moves in free agency, there may be no cause to take a shot on a running back or draft offensive line depth in the seventh round.
There is still the matter of David Amerson to figure out, whether he is demoted upon Hall's return, moves to free safety or is allowed to prove he can bounce back.
Connecticut's Byron Jones is the perfect candidate to come in and push Amerson and anyone else vying for a spot in the secondary.
If not for a shoulder injury that ended his final season with the Huskies, Jones could be a middle-round prospect for his skills. He finished with eight career interceptions and scored three defensive touchdowns, so the ability is there.
Not that he's a health concern, but his immediate availability is in question, which may make him a practice-squad stash or someone the Redskins understand will not be a factor until his second season.
But again, this draft is about the big picture, the long-term direction of the franchise. Jones might fit well if he has a full recovery. He's definitely a value pick because of his upside.
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