NFL Draft: Washington Redskins Team Draft Retrospective

This article is part of a series that looks at each NFL team’s recent draft history, with the hope of extracting information about the way they think and the players they value.

The analysis is limited to the past five drafts in the interest of relevance, and the first three rounds because that’s where most impact players are taken.

This entry will focus on the Washington Redskins.

DRAFT HISTORY

In the past five years, the Redskins have taken the following players in the early rounds. Their positions and the rounds in which they were drafted are listed next to their names.

2006:   Rocky McIntosh, LB (2)           

2007:   LaRon Landry, S (1)     

2008:   Devin Thomas, WR (2)

            Fred Davis, TE (2)

            Malcolm Kelly, WR (2)

            Chad Rinehart, OT (3)

2009:   Brian Orakpo, DE (1)

            Kevin Barnes, CB (3)

2010:   Trent Williams, OT (1)

BREAKDOWN BY POSITION

Here is the number of players the Redskins have drafted for each position:

Offensive Tackle: 2

Wide Receiver: 2

Cornerback: 1

Defensive End: 1

Linebacker: 1

Safety: 1

Tight End: 1

IMPACT

Rocky McIntosh has been a solid, if not exceptional, linebacker. However, he has struggled since the team moved to a 3-4 scheme. LaRon Landry is one of the better safeties in the league.

Fred Davis has played fairly well when given the chance, though his opportunities have been limited by the presence of first stringer Chris Cooley.

The real prize of the draft for Washington has been Brian Orakpo, a sensational pass rusher who has been one of the few bright spots in their 3-4 look.

TRENDS

The most glaring statistic here is how few players the Redskins have drafted over this span.

Incredibly, 2008 was the only year in which they picked in each of the first three rounds. Washington has repeatedly shown a willingness to trade early picks for big name veterans.

Unfortunately, the sparsity of their choices makes it difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions.

It is worth noting that they have spent multiple early picks on both receivers and offensive tackles. Clearly, they recognize that the anemic offense needs to be fixed; unfortunately, the players they’ve taken haven’t met expectations thus far.

Another notable point is that they’ve selected both a safety and a tight end—two positions that are generally considered to be of lesser value to a rebuilding team.

2011 OUTLOOK

The trade bug bit Washington again last offseason, and they parted with a third rounder in the upcoming draft to acquire offensive tackle Jammal Brown from the Saints. Once more, they are short on picks to help them upgrade a roster full of holes.

However, there is a silver lining here: because they have so many needs, they don’t need to key in on any one player. This could give them the versatility to trade down and replenish some of those draft picks.

If they do stay with the tenth pick, they have several blue chip prospects to choose from. The favorites to go here would be WR Julio Jones (Alabama) and DE/OLB Robert Quinn (North Carolina).

Jones is a tough, physical receiver who has drawn comparisons to Hines Ward, posting an electric 40 time at the Combine despite a broken foot. However, they could have a preference for the pass rusher Quinn after the success of Brian Orakpo.

An early second rounder also allows them the chance to fill another position with elite talent. It’s tough to project particular players for the Redskins because they can go in so many directions.

Washington needs to embrace this freedom and take the best players available, and possibly come away with some extra draft picks.