Washington Redskins' 2015 Draft: Aggregating Report Card Grades Around the Web
The reaction to general manager Scot McCloughan's first draft running the show for the Washington Redskins has been overwhelmingly positive. Analysis has taken two distinct directions.
The first has been to credit what's being dubbed a "professional" approach. McCloughan has rightly scored points with writers, pundits and fans for establishing and following a clear plan for 2015's selection meeting.
This is being deemed as a refreshing change from a franchise that has often approached draft day in a scattershot manner. Such an endorsement is merely a continuation of the positive press that's surrounded McCloughan's arrival in D.C. as one of the shrewdest talent evaluators in football.
Any hint of dissent regarding choices the GM made in the Windy City generally concerns the decision made at the top of the draft. Passing on defensive tackle Leonard Williams in favor of offensive lineman Brandon Scherff has raised en eyebrow or two in certain quarters.
On the whole, though, the critics have been prepared to assume even McCloughan's more questionable choices make sense in the context of his grand plan.
Find out exactly how Washington's latest draft class is being graded.
CBSSports.com's Rob Rang, Grade: B
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CBSSports.com's Rob Rang sticks firmly with the theme of McCloughan favoring gritty picks over glamour ones. Rang sees the decision to take Scherff fifth overall as the epitome of this preference:
"Brandon Scherff wasn't the most exciting pick at No. 5 overall but for a club that so often has gambled on dynamic athletes, the brawling blocker is the perfect meat-and-potatoes pick to start the Scot McCloughan era in Washington. Jay Gruden's scheme calls for bigger, stronger blockers than used by former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, and with Scherff and fourth-round guard Arie Kouandjio, the Redskins certainly added that.
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Rang's reference to what the demands of head coach Jay Gruden's desire to use more power blocking mean for the offensive line is the key here. Gruden's shift in the way this team blocks was always going to demand new faces along the offensive front.
Predecessor Mike Shanahan needed lighter, nimble trench warriors for his mobility-based, zone-style scheme. There was simply no way the Redskins could enter the 2015 season trying to utilize more gap and drive-blocking with their incumbent crew of lightweights.
That's why Scherff wasn't a reach, a curveball or even a surprise. The 6'5", 319-pounder is merely the necessary building block for the new system. So is Arie Kouandjio, who, despite his history of knee problems, is a natural and skilled power blocker.
Put the need to find fresh personnel for a new scheme together with the natural priority of beefing up an O-line that gave up 58 sacks in 2014, and passing on Williams wasn't a risk.
Instead, it was the only sensible decision McCloughan could make. Tabbing the ultra-athletic phenom for a defensive front already bolstered by the arrival of a trio of veteran free agents would've looked like yet another luxury pick.
Rang also saw schematic affinity at the root of the decisions to select running Matt Jones in the third, as well as using a fourth-rounder to take wideout Jamison Crowder. As a smashmouth, between-the-tackles thumper, Jones definitely suits the type of ground attack both Gruden and McCloughan prefer.
Maybe that'll be the defining hallmark of this draft class. After enduring a year with many of the schemes and personnel of his predecessor, Gruden is now being given everything he needs to puts his own stamp on the team he wants.
Whether that produces better results on the field obviously remains to be seen. But Rang at least sees McCloughan's first draft class as a very solid start.
Fox Sports, Grade: B+
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You know Fox Sports is enamored with what the Redskins did in Chicago when the analysis begins by calling McCloughan's work a "spectacular draft." Yet, while that's welcome praise, it's a strangely effusive phrase for a class defined more by its solid citizens rather than any marquee names.
Fox even seems to be aware of that when stating the decision to take Scherff "isn't sexy." But this analysis is more focused on endorsing some of McCloughan's later moves.
Washington's new GM is particularly lauded for landing versatile front-seven pass-rusher Preston Smith in Round 2. But clearly Fox was mostly won over by the trade with the Seattle Seahawks in the third round that netted the Redskins a trio of extra picks.
Dealing for volume always reflects well on general managers. It makes it seem as though they are really earning their keep.
Of course, that won't be proved until the picks McCloughan earned in the trade take the field. What's surprising is the statement McCloughan got a "load of talent in Round 3 and beyond."
Considering it's tough to recall any mock draft that had the likes of Jones, Crowder, Kouandjio and sixth-rounders Kyshoen Jarrett and Tevin Mitchel heading to D.C., such lofty early praise may be jumping the gun.
What this gushing review proves, once again, is how critics have been won over by what they see as McCloughan's fidelity to a coherent strategy. It's almost as if his reputation alone is convincing some to simply take it for granted that Washington scored big on draft day.
Certainly, McCloughan is earning as many plaudits for the way he works as those awarded to the picks he made.
Rich Tandler, Grade: B+
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Real Redskins blogger and CSN Washington analyst Rich Tandler commends McCloughan for a "very professional draft." Like many, Tandler was impressed by the way McCloughan worked the board over three days in Chicago.
Aside from the specific players chosen, Tandler is more interested by the philosophy and its implications. Specifically, he believes future drafts will be approached in a similar way, one that emphasizes volume aimed at securing big and physical football players.
There's no doubt McCloughan has taken just one free-agency cycle and a single draft to alter the personality of this roster. His work is far from done, but the Redskins are sure to be a blue-collar, smashmouth team on McCloughan's watch.
It's important to note that won't guarantee success, but it is certainly a sharp change from recent seasons.
As for the picks, Tandler remains cautiously optimistic about the decision to take Scherff ahead of Williams:
"I’ll ding the grade a little bit for value but we really don’t know at this point. If Scherff turns out to be a very good right tackle who holds the job for the next eight years or so or a Pro Bowl-caliber guard, the value for the pick will be there. If his career turns out to be something less and if Williams lights things up with the Jets, the pick may go down as a mistake.
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A fraction of skepticism is understandable here. Nobody can dispute Williams' extraordinary physical talent. Few athletes on the planet can shift a 6'5", 302-pound frame with such alarming quickness.
But the inconsistent, or downright middling, effort he often showed at USC would give yours truly as much cause for pause as many see in the decision to take Scherff ahead of this draft's biggest defensive star.
Tandler also had a very minor gripe about how many needs were met over 10 picks. In particular, he cited lack of depth at both free safety and tight end as concerns that were missed.
Yet, that doesn't stop him from assigning an A- for the way McCloughan married talent with need. Like many, Tandler was easily won over by the commitment to taking tough, big bodies off the board early on.
It's great to see analysis focus so closely on how needs were met. All the talk of "best player available" strategies, typically irritating, proved a proverbial smoke screen.
Instead, McCloughan wisely stuck to taking prospects he wanted, players who can fill obvious gaps on the roster. It was the right approach for rebuilding a threadbare roster.
It's also why even though this draft class will ultimately be judged by how Williams pans out in comparison to Scherff, the judgement is not a fair one. Simply put, Washington didn't need Williams. Had the Redskins taken him, he would have been a luxury pick—something that rarely guarantees winning.
Look at it this way: The Detroit Lions had first-round defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley together for four seasons. Yet, the Lions made the playoffs twice in that time, suffering first-round elimination on both occasions.
How about an example closer to home? Washington didn't need DeSean Jackson last season. Yes, he tallied over 1,000 yards and remains perhaps the best deep threat in football. But the team still finished 4-12.
The Lions already had Suh and a solid D-line when they drafted Fairley. Had they used the pick on fixing a dire secondary, maybe all their pressure up front wouldn't have been wasted come playoff time.
Similarly, Washington might've spent free-agency dollars on a capable O-lineman instead of adding Jackson alongside Pierre Garcon and Andre Roberts. Then perhaps last season's quarterbacks wouldn't have taken so many hits.
Overall, Tandler awards a solid strategy that met needs with a B+. He puts obvious importance on the potential contributions of Scherff and Smith, who could each fix the most pressing weaknesses from last season.
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ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., Grade: A-
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Once again, McCloughan scores a positive grade from a premier analyst for the way his draft picks remade the Redskins. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. was left suitably impressed by how much tougher Washington's roster looks post-draft:
"I don't think there was a softer team in the NFL the past season than the Redskins, especially on defense, where they simply didn't tackle. If there was a clear trend with this draft, it was a new GM drafting for toughness and attitude. Washington got a lot tougher on both sides of the ball in the first two rounds.
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It's interesting that McCloughan is receiving almost universal praise for following a blueprint that used to define teams in the NFC East. Has it really been that long since Joe Gibbs patrolled the sidelines and the Redskins were all about the Hogs on offense and interior power defensively?
Of course, one truth about the passage of time in football is how the NFL is cyclical. The NFC East is no longer football's big-boys division. In fact, it hasn't been for a long time now.
Instead, that distinction belongs to the NFC West. It belongs to the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, two physical powerhouses McCloughan helped build.
That mentality is now firmly a part of how the Redskins do things. The approach is enough to earn high praise from Kiper.
His analysis also featured one very interesting note regarding Crowder: "Bill Polian threw out a Wes Welker comparison, and he doesn't typically exaggerate."
Lost in all the talk of road-graders and bruising runners is how important Crowder's selection could prove to be. Quarterback Robert Griffin III and his feature-length decision-making process would benefit immensely from the type of quick, get-out-of-trouble checkdown a diminutive burner from the slot can provide.
Ryan Grant was supposed to offer that type of outlet last season but was barely used. Perhaps Gruden will be more inclined to design plays for Crowder, a more naturally explosive weapon than Grant.
It would be similar to the way Gruden tried to use Andrew Hawkins when he ran the offense for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Crowder's the riff on the plan that Kiper and most of the post-draft analysts just love.
Mark Maske, Grade: B-
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Ironically, the closest thing to a dissenting voice comes from a more local perspective. It's offered by Mark Maske of The Washington Post.
He's far from negative in assigning the Redskins a B-. Instead, Maske injects a note of caution regarding the two headline acts from McCloughan's first draft class.
Like many, Maske queries the decision to opt for Scherff ahead of Williams and wonders whether Washington may rue passing on the more obvious impact player. He also questions how well Smith fits in the team's hybrid defense:
"Brandon Scherff is a good player and if he becomes a reliable starter at right tackle, all is well. But if he ends up playing guard, he might not have been worth the No. 5 overall pick. Will the Redskins regret passing up DE Leonard Williams, perhaps the draft’s top defensive player? The pass rusher they took in Round 2, Preston Smith, might not be an ideal fit for a 3-4 defense if the Redskins try to use him at outside linebacker, at 271 pounds.
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Now, before the quicker-to-anger among you jump in to savage Maske, remember a couple of things. First, assigning grades for draft classes is dirty, but necessary, work.
Or, more to the point, it's a thankless task. A grade distinction is an obvious and inevitable starting point for assessment. But ultimately, grades are empty until the prospects put on the pads and regularly endure pro competition.
That's why it's important to try to understand the intent of a draft as much as its execution. Equally, it's also important to respect those brave enough to offer a value judgement for discussion.
Also, if a B- is the closest thing to negative out of five different assessments, there really isn't much reason to be irked by how Washington's rebuild is being viewed.
Right, as I climb down off this particular soapbox, let's examine some of Maske's statements. The argument with Williams is valid because his and Scherff's selections strike at the heart of the "needs or best player" debate.
How you judge that may ultimately depend on how you assign value. From a personal perspective, it's close to impossible to assign enough value to a potential premier blocker for a team hampered for so long by dire line play.
That's why Scherff to Washington always made the most sense, even if this scribe's jelly-like spine prompted an 11th-hour change. Yet, the point is it won't matter if Williams takes the league by storm—Washington needed offensive line help more.
It was something that couldn't be put off any longer. It was also something that could no longer be done on the cheap.
Expending a top pick to improve the O-line, whether that improvement comes at tackle or guard, is the most sensible investment McCloughan could have made.
As for Smith, it's easy to be wary about how a prospect with the build (6'5", 271 lbs) and movement of a traditional defensive end fits on the edge of a 3-4. But it's just as important to remember the lines between traditional 3-4 and 4-3 fronts aren't just blurred in the modern game; they've practically been removed altogether.
Washington's will be a hybrid defense, perhaps the best landing spot for Smith's intriguing flexibility. That doesn't alter the assessment of the pick, it just says there's another side to this coin that perhaps explains the thinking.
The McCloughan Effect Influencing Graders
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Put a lofty reputation together with a coherent strategy and you get almost unanimous high praise for Washington's 2015 draft haul. While this isn't the first time in recent memory the Redskins worked the board, hit needs and earned volume (2011 ring a bell?), McCloughan's fingerprints add some gravitas to this class.
While it's always a mistake to wholeheartedly trust any new regime, particularly when this franchise has had enough false dawns for a lifetime, the McCloughan effect is understandable.
It's understandable for a fanbase still desperate for its team to be regarded by the rest of the league as a professional outfit that builds the right way. While the perception otherwise is a little overplayed, it's difficult to remember the last time it was possible to see meaning and intent in every one of Washington's draft picks.
McCloughan's road map for success won't guarantee the journey back to relevance ends with a championship. But at least the Redskins know exactly how they're going to try to get there.
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