Washington Redskins Mock Draft Roundup

So you haven't read enough about the Washington Redskins' need for an edge-rusher in the 2015 NFL draft yet? You haven't already had your fill of deciding who's better among Vic Beasley, Dante Fowler Jr. and Shane Ray?

Well, if that's the case, you're in luck because most of the mock draft landscape is still dominated by pass-rushers heading to D.C. A lot of pundits still believe new general manager Scot McCloughan won't be able to resist a ready made replacement for Brian Orakpo.

Yet there are a few brave souls out there willing to buck the trend and resist the prevailing winds. In fact, a former team official believes the Redskins will score the steal of this draft, in the form of a dominant defensive tackle.

Meanwhile, one writer is convinced Washington cannot possibly justify passing on the top cover man in this class. Somewhere out there they may even be a lonely sage who still thinks this team will play a very dangerous game if the offensive line isn't bolstered on draft day.

Read on to find out what the latest mocks suggest about McCloughan and the Redskins intentions.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein and Chad Reuter

A pair of leading draft analysts on the league's official site believe McCloughan needn't waste much time thinking about what to do with the fifth pick. In fact, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein and Chad Reuter think the the choice to select rush end Dante Fowler Jr. is a simple one: "Might be an easy decision for the Redskins, as they would get their hands on one of the most talented players in the draft."

There's certainly plenty to recommend the former Gators ace for a defense that registered just 36 sacks in 2014. Fowler has the skills to quickly improve Washington's ability to make life tough on quarterbacks.

Nobody can dispute his flair for making plays in the backfield. Fowler logged 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss during his final year in the Sunshine State, per CFBStats.com.

Numbers aside though, it's Fowler's versatility that really makes him stand out. He described the many he guises he took on for the Gators, per Mike Jones of The Washington Post:

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I really can play anywhere. Florida’s defense was multiple. We played a 3-4 and a 4-3. … My first year, my freshman year, I played a lot of defensive end. My sophomore year I did a lot. My junior year we played a lot of 3-4, so I was the [outside linebacker]. I stood up and just roamed and things like that, I played all over the place.

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Modern, hybrid defenses need a player this flexible to help blur the lines between three- and four-man front schemes and confuse blockers. The Redskins are no exception as they prepare to be a more multiple unit in 2015 under the direction of new coordinator Joe Barry.

But opting to make Fowler Washington's Swiss Army Knife of choice may be a tougher decision than Zierlein and Reuter imagine. There's always a danger with selecting 'tweeners of getting a player who's a jack of all trades, but a master of none.

There's also a minor worry that Fowler's sack production has hardly wowed people. He's logged 14.5 sacks in three years—not the kind of elite number a team needing pass-rush help is likely to be impressed by.

Yet even those concerns won't put many off a player expected to come off the board in the top-five picks. Waiting for five could be Washington's biggest obstacle in acquiring Fowler.

Two out of four NFL.com Media analysts have Fowler headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 3. The player himself has indicated he'd be "stunned" if the Jags don't take him, according to Hays Carlyon of The Florida Times-Union.

It might be wiser and more realistic for the Redskins to set their sights on a different top-five talent. But that doesn't mean it's the end of the conversation regarding pass-rushers.

Walter Football's Walter Cherepinsky

If taking a chance on a multi-use chess piece finding his niche is a decision taken out of McCloughan's hands, he might opt for Vic Beasley. In the process, he'd get a prospect nobody would struggle to characterize.

Beasley is a pure pass-rusher, and Walter Football's Walter Cherepinsky believes he'll fit well in D.C. Cherepinsky thinks although Beasley may be a luxury pick, he's a luxury worth indulging:

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Beasley doesn't really fill a glaring need, as the Redskins have Ryan Kerrigan and Trent Murphy as edge rushers. However, Brian Orakpo left for Tennessee, so depth is needed. Beasley would join the two to form a very strong rotation of pass-rushers to harass Tony Romo and the other opposing quarterbacks in the NFC East. And yes, he's worth a first-round pick.

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The rotation idea is a familiar one and certainly represents wise early use of a player who lacks the frame to set the edge against the run. Beasley may be a one-dimensional speed rusher, but this is a one-trick pony who's made his sole talent an art form.

His kind of quickness off the edge is likely to be valued by McCloughan, who's often targeted speed in the opening round, according to ESPN's John Keim.

Situational duty would ease the pressure on the 6'3", 246-pounder to expand his repertoire and bulk up for the run immediately. Instead, Beasley could simply be put in the positions that maximize his core talents.

But as valuable as a prolific nickel pass-rusher is, can McCloughan really justify using a top-five pick on a part-time agent of destruction? It's not an easy question to answer when the numbers are so sparse at the edges of this 3-4 defense.

Yet if McCloughan, head coach Jay Gruden and Barry believe Beasley won't take long developing into a weapon more suited to heavy use, his pass-rushing niche could be too good to overlook.

A player with this kind of skill pressuring the pocket can be invaluable for a coordinator content to rely on a four-man rush. That's the type of scheme Barry wants according to new signing Ricky Jean Francois, per CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir.

Imagine a front four with Beasley and Ryan Kerrigan flying off the edges while Jason Hatcher and another new arrival, Stephen Paea, kick down the walls from the inside.

Considering how often teams use four-man front nickel packages in the modern game, Bealsey's role may not be so situational after all.

NFL.com's Charley Casserly

Some prospects are just too good to resist. That's likely the thinking behind ex-Redskins general manager, now NFL Media analyst, Charley Casserly, sending Leonard Williams to Washington.

Casserly thinks Williams is so good he'll convince McCloughan to overlook some more obvious needs: "Scot McCloughan bypasses the need of an outside linebacker for the best defensive player in the draft."

It's the best player available or need argument played out to its often inevitable conclusion. McCloughan is certainly a noted fan of the former philosophy.

Washington's new GM made that crystal clear during his latest pre-draft presser, per NFL Media's Albert Breer. It would be hard to fault the logic if Williams were to fall Washington's way.

Walter Foobtall's Charlie Campbell believes the one-time star USC defensive tackle might. So does B/R draft analyst Matt Miller.

Not many would begrudge the Redskins taking Williams. After all, his long arms, amazing speed and lateral agility for a 300-pounder make him a consistent presence in offensive backfields.

Williams is a game-wrecker from multiple spots along a defensive front. He can play 5-technique end and absorb double teams, or even kick out wider and crash the edge.

But Williams is arguably at his disruptive best whenever he kicks inside to the guard tackle-gap as a 3-tech pass-rusher. Whenever he does, Williams can make a pass pocket disappear in an instant.

So taking Williams if he's still on the board at five is a no-brainer, right? Well, maybe it's not so simple.

Even a GM who puts best players first doesn't sound as though he's content stacking talent on top of talent. McCloughan made that clear when he directly referenced the idea of Williams falling and what it might mean for Washington, per Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith: “It might bring a trade more into play. We do feel good about our defensive front.”

McCloughan's reasoning is sound here. It couldn't be anything else after he added a trio of D-linemen in free agency.

A group that's welcomed Francois, Paea and Terrance Knighton alongside Hatcher and Chris Baker, hardly needs more reinforcements. At least not at the expense of more pressing needs.

Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier

Finally, a genuine step in a different direction. B/R's Mike Tanier thinks a shutdown cornerback like Trae Waynes is more of a necessity at Redskins Park than another front-seven stud:

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Let’s see, we have a tall cornerback who ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at the combine and has lots of (good) tape as an isolated man-to-man cornerback, a team that notched just seven interceptions last season and still hopes to wring some starts out of DeAngelo Hall, and a new general manager who made a name for himself by finding extra-long cornerbacks. So why do most mock drafters have the Redskins taking an edge-rusher like Fowler or Vic Beasley?

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It's good reasoning from Tanier, particularly the part about adding an edge-rusher not being the lock many believe it is. There's also little argument that last season's 24th-ranked pass defense needs all the talent it can get.

Yet it's not as if McCloughan and the Redskins stood still when it came to bolstering the defensive backfield this offseason. Corner Chris Culliver and safety Jeron Johnson joined in free agency, while the trade that earned free safety Dashon Goldson was a solid piece of business.

So there may not be an obvious spot for Waynes. Or, more specifically, this team may not be ready to give up on some of its incumbent cover men just yet.

DeAngelo Hall may be coming off rupturing the same Achilles twice, but the veteran is still a capable performer on the outside, with some experience operating in the slot.

Tracy Porter is another experienced pro who contributed little in 2014, appearing in just three games. But the 28-year-old still hasn't been released and also hasn't lost his penchant for big plays or his useful blitz skills.

Then there's David Amerson. Mediocre to solid as a rookie, the 2013 second-rounder regressed mightily last season.

The emergence of 2014 fourth-round steal Bashaud Breeland marginalized Amerson. Adding another young standout at the position would almost certainly condemn him to the exit.

Perhaps that's a reality McCloughan can live with, especially if he views Waynes as the best player on his board. At the moment though, Waynes remains an outsider as Washington's first-rounder of choice on draft day.

CSN Washington's Ben Standig

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, this seems like a good spot to consider the growing perception McCloughan will trade out of the fifth pick to acquire extra selections. CSN Washington's Ben Standig notes how those he's discussed things with belief McCloughan will trade.

The idea gained credence after McCloughan's latest presser, when the new GM didn't hide how keen he is to arm himself with additional choices, per CSN Washington's Rich Tandler.

Any trade scenario that puts extra picks as the reward fits for a team with so many needs. More to the point, a team that may have trouble separating and prioritizing those needs.

For instance, what's the more important get for the Redskins ahead of the new season, a pass-rusher, or better blockers up front? That's a question rightly sure to prompt contentious debate between any group of people connected with the franchise.

Of course, McCloughan may not make a judgement call on those terms, not when he simply wants the best players available. Having the chance to take more of those at additional stages of the draft can only be a good thing for a team that's won seven games in two years and simply has to escape the NFC East cellar.

Expect the trading back talk to gather real momentum as McCloughan prepares for his first draft in charge. Yet even if he stays put, it would be hard to bemoan any of the players the latest mocks send to the Redskins arriving in the nation's capital.