Ranking Washington Redskins' Biggest Needs to Address in the 2015 NFL Draft

Every team has them, but coming off a 4-12 campaign, the list of needs for the Washington Redskins entering the 2015 NFL draft is a long one. 

Juggling the team's needs in the short and long term, it'll be new general manager Scot McCloughan's job to prioritize them. While ideally he'd nab multiple impact rookies to address Washington's needs, the draft hardly plays out like that.

For every rookie who's able to transition into the NFL right out of the gate, there are at least three to four other draftees whose impact won't be felt for years into their careers, if at all.

Keeping this in mind, the present and future needs of each position group will be weighed in ranking the team's needs entering the draft. 

So without further ado, here is the ranking of the six biggest needs the Redskins must address in the 2015 NFL draft.

6. Receiver

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

At receiver, Washington isn't short on talent. After all, DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon headline its receiving corps. 

Andre Roberts had a tough go at things in his first season in D.C., but between him and promising sophomore Ryan Grant, the cupboard isn't exactly bare after Jackson and Garcon. 

When looking at this tandem, though, one thing stands out—or rather, it doesn't. There's a glaring lack of size here. At 6'0" and 216 pounds, Garcon is the Redskins' most physically imposing wideout.

With bigger, taller cornerbacks now in vogue throughout the league, you don't have be told how this puts the team at a disadvantage, particularly in the red zone. But I'll tell you, anyway. 

According to Sporting Charts, Washington's quarterback rating in the red zone was 24th in the NFL. This statistic falls on the team's quarterbacks as well, but as Football Outsiders' Scott Kacsmar notes, the lack of size at receiver is also to blame:

"

This is 1998-2013, but I have little doubt size does matter for WRs in the red zone. pic.twitter.com/sSwV0XAYR9

— Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) February 26, 2015"

There's another aspect to look at aside from this need for size. The financials at this position all but mandate the team investing a draft pick in a receiver. 

Per Spotrac.com, Washington has $23.2 million committed to its receivers in 2015 and $27.2 million in 2016, both second in the NFL. With cornerstones like Trent Williams and Ryan Kerrigan due new contracts, this is a number the team can't sustain long term. 

So while the state of their receiving corps is more than adequate at present, there's a need for the Redskins to draft another receiver, ideally one with size, for the future.

5. Defensive Line

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Last offseason, in the wake of signing Jason Hatcher, Stephen Bowen said the team's defensive line had the potential to be the most dominant in the NFL.

It was a statement of hubris at the time. But now that Bowen and Barry Cofield have been swapped for Stephen Paea, Terrance Knighton and Ricky Jean-Francois, Bowen's statement—while a year late—could hold some truth.

Paired with holdovers Hatcher, Frank Kearse and Chris Baker, in the eyes of The Washington Post's Mike Jones, these additions have dramatically improved the team's defensive line:

"

#Redskins D-line significantly upgraded in the last two weeks with the signings of Ricky Jean Francois, Stephen Paea and Terrance Knighton.

— Mike Jones (@MikeJonesWaPo) March 12, 2015"

Question is, for how long?

2015 will be Hatcher's 10th NFL season and it just happens to be the only year the team has Knighton under contract.

Paea is in the prime of his career at 26. Outside of his contract year, though, he's never played a full NFL season. 

When looking at the long-term outlook of this position group, it's evident the Redskins' work in bolstering their defensive line is incomplete.

4. Cornerback

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

In the aftermath of signing a four-year, $32 million contract, Chris Culliver figures to be a staple in Washington's secondary. Provided he can cut down on his penalties, Bashaud Breeland flashed enough last season to warrant significant playing time as well.

But that's where the certainties end.

On the heels of not one but two surgeries on his torn Achilles, DeAngelo Hall isn't even a shoo-in to make the team. His contract was reworked this offseason to protect the team against injury. According to ESPN's Field Yates, Hall's 2015 base salary is now non-guaranteed.

Speaking of injuries, when isn't Tracy Porter sidelined by one? He's missed at least three games in six of his seven NFL seasons.

Lastly, there's David Amerson. Of the players currently on the roster, Amerson was rated by Pro Football Focus as the worst defender in the secondary in 2014.

The team has positioned itself to improve on last year's showing. Considering the Redskins were ranked as Football Outsiders' worst pass defense, though, this is hardly saying much.

All told, while Washington's current depth at cornerback may prohibit it from taking one early, it's a need the team has to address at some point in the draft.

3. Offensive Line

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Unlike the previous positions, the state of the Redskins' offensive line in the present and future is one and the same—bleak!

And yet, as it stands, the team is slated to trot out the same starting lineup in 2015 that finished last season. 

What gives, right?

Well, either new offensive line coach Bill Callahan is a magician, or an upgrade is coming through the draft. Or maybe both?

For all the struggles Washington's had up front—58 sacks allowed in 2014—Callahan does have talent to work with. Williams, when healthy, has long been an elite tackle. Transitioning from guard to center, Kory Lichtensteiger received a positive rating from Pro Football Focus for his play last season.

Looking to the bench, there's a wealth of recent moderately high draft picks. Josh LeRibeus, Morgan Moses and Spencer Long are all former third-round picks, selected in the past three drafts. 

But now for the bad news: McCloughan didn't draft any of these players.

Furthermore, even with his quarterbacks resembling human pinatas on most Sundays, head coach Jay Gruden was never inclined to insert any of the aforementioned prospects into the lineup unless injury called for it. 

Not the most promising sign, right?

So in this respect, the writing is on the wall for Washington to upgrade this unit early in the draft.

With Tom Compton getting the nod as the team's worst starter from Pro Football Focus, finding a right tackle has to be tops on the Skins' priority list.

2. Outside Linebacker

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Already saddled with a porous secondary, the Redskins' underwhelming pass rush certainly didn't help matters.

Projected to be a strength with Kerrigan, Brian Orakpo and top draft pick Trent Murphy in tow, the team's pass rush only netted 36 sacks in 2014.

Not that the team wasn't already used to playing without him because of injury, but with Orakpo moving on in free agency, Washington's need for another pass-rusher has only increased.

After a banner season in which he tallied a career-high 13.5 sacks, Kerrigan now figures to draw the most attention from opposing offenses. A player who's steadily improved since being selected 16th overall in 2011, Kerrigan will be a free agent following the 2015 campaign. 

While he doesn't have the same injury concerns as Orakpo did, Washington will still face a similar dilemma in contract negotiations with Kerrigan.

Is he a top-tier pass-rusher? Last season was the first of Kerrigan's career in which he posted double-digit sacks. 

Looking opposite Kerrigan, there's Murphy. While he was no slouch his rookie year, Murphy's contributions as a pass-rusher were minimal. In 15 games, eight of which were starts, he tallied 2.5 sacks and 11 quarterback pressures.

Factoring in the immediate need for a starter along with the absence of in-house alternatives, the Redskins' need at outside linebacker eclipses the one along the offensive line.

1. Safety

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Unlike the offensive line, at safety the Redskins didn't go with the status quo. In place of last year's starters, Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark, the team brought aboard Jeron Johnson and Dashon Goldson. 

Between Clark leading the league in missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus, and Meriweather's shoddy coverage and durability concerns, a change was in order at safety. 

Still, on production alone, you have to question how much of an upgrade Johnson and Goldson are as potential starters.

Signed to a five-year, $41 million contract in 2013, Goldson was a free-agent bust with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The lasting memory fans in Tampa have of Goldson is of him missing a tackle, not unlike the way Washington fans will remember Clark.

Despite playing nearly 200 fewer snaps, his 20 missed tackles in 2014 were just two off from Clark's league-leading total. 

In the case of Johnson, he had a cap on his playing time with the Seattle Seahawks. An understudy of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, he has started one game in four years.

With that said, you have to chalk up Johnson and Goldson's places on Washington's roster to their ties to McCloughan in Seattle and San Francisco, respectively. McCloughan drafted Goldson in 2007, and he worked in Seattle in 2011 when Johnson was signed as an undrafted free agent.

Even in the event both players work out in D.C., it'll be a short-lived tandem because of Goldson's age and contract.

Goldson will be 32 in 2016, and his deal calls for him to earn $7.5 million, per ESPN's John Keim. 

Couple the murky present state of this position with its bleak long-term outlook, and it's evident the safety spot is Washington's chief need entering the 2015 NFL draft.