2011 NFL Draft: Why the Washington Redskins Will Have First-Round Success

Head-scratching quarterback decisions. 

Inept offense performances. 

Future-mortgaging trades.

Ownership, shall we say...issues.

Plenty of reasons to always wonder what the collective group at Redskins Park is thinking, but there’s also plenty of evidence to have complete confidence the team’s 2011 first-round draft pick will be successful. 

I’m defining success as a long-term, full-time starter, flirting with Pro Bowl potential.

Since 1999, when the team has actually had a first-round pick, those 11 selections have produced multiple anchors at their respective positions, five pro players and a future hall of fame candidate.

Like all teams, their drafts haven’t been perfect.  

• Rod Gardner (2001) was released by Washington in 2005 and has not caught an NFL pass since 2006. 
• Patrick Ramsey (2002) embodies the "journeyman" title, spending parts of the past two seasons with Detroit, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Miami and Minnesota. Ramsey has not thrown a pass since 2008—while in Denver—and has never played a complete season his entire career. Frequent-flyer miles do not count in evaluating a draftee’s career success.
• Jason Campbell (2005) suffered from system overload. Changes in offenses between Joe Gibbs, Al Saunders and Jim Zorn forced the quarterback to mentally juggle new playbooks through the early portion of his career. Campbell’s quarterback skills are still under question in Oakland, where he fluctuated between started and reserve in 2010.

Now for reasons to be optimistic.

Though the decision-makers have changed over the past years, the majority of those first-day draft decisions resulted in valuable starters, and a few truly great players.

Take a trip into the "way-back" machine through the ghosts of first rounds past.

Champ Bailey (1999)

During his time in Washington and Denver, Bailey’s been viewed as arguably the NFL’s best "shut-down" conerback. Bailey’s earned 10 Pro Bowl appearances, a record for cornerbacks. 

Picking off 48 passes in his career, Bailey will be in the debate for Hall of Fame enshrinement five years after he retires.

LaVar Arrington (2000)

The second overall selection in 2000, Arrington joined the Redskins and made almost an instant impact. 

From his second season, the linebacker made three straight Pro Bowl appearances, averaging 95 tackles during ’01-’03. Knee injuries curtailed Arrington’s career, ending with the New York Giants in 2006.

Three Pro Bowls in seven seasons? A successful draft selection.

Chris Samuels (2000)

Washington’s draft war room must have been a weekend-long party within the draft’s first hour.

Immediately after selecting Arrington, Samuels walked into to the starting left tackle position and stayed there for 10 seasons.  A leader on the offensive line, Samuels earned six trips to the Pro Bowl before retiring after the 2009 season with a neck injury.

Sean Taylor (2004)

Who picks a free safety within the drafts first five picks? Smart people, that’s who.

Along the likes of Ronnie Lott, LeRoy Butler and Troy Polamalu, Sean Taylor proved a difference maker in the defensive backfield during his abbreviated career.

The fifth overall selection in ’04, Taylor’s hard-hitting style also came with significant substance. His ’06 season numbers: a team-leading 126 tackles, six passes defended, three forced fumbles and one interception. A Pro Bowl season.

Tragically, while rehabbing from injury in his Miami home, Taylor died from gunshot injuries suffered during a home invasion. No arguments Taylor would have been a stalwart at safety if his life was not cut short.

LaRon Landry (2007)

Again, another first-round safety, and continued success.

One of the NFL’s most physical players, the Redskins were forced to switch the rookie Landry to free safety after losing Sean Taylor in 2007. Landry was the first Redskins rookie to start all 16 games his first season since Champ Bailey, named an alternate to the ’07 Pro Bowl.

In 2010, Landry’s versatility showed again as he moved back to strong safety. Although a wrist injury forced Landry to being placed on the Redskins’ injured reserve list, fans voted him into the Pro Bowl.

Brian Orakpo (2009)

It may be too early to start judging the success of a draft pick with just two seasons of experience. However, when both seasons end in the Pro Bowl, you can project ahead with some confidence.

Pulling down 19.5 sacks in 31 games, the linebacker produced results both in Greg Blache’s 4-3 scheme in his rookie year and Jim Haslett’s 3-4 defense this past season.

When the Redskins dive into the ’11 draft, with the 10th overall selection, on-line and "expert" projections expect the talent pool to be fairly deep with defensive linemen. The possibility also exists for an offensive lineman or (gasp) a quarterback.

Don’t worry about wringing your hands in nervous anticipation. If we have learned anything over the past decade, there’s a better chance a few years from now you’ll be raising those hands in cheers instead of using them to scratch your head.