Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford arrived in town yesterday and meets at length with the Redskins today. This is rather anti-climactic, since the Redskins have already traded for Donovan McNabb and it appears increasingly likely the Rams will take Bradford with the first overall pick. Even if the Redskins wanted to trade up to get Bradford, I don’t see how they do it without a 2nd or 3rd round pick in this draft. Perhaps a combination of the 4th pick and Albert Haynesworth would get a deal done, but how Bradford would fit on a team with Donovan McNabb at QB for the next 3-4 years is a mystery.
ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper says the Redskins trade for Donovan McNabb has shaken up the first round.
• Jimmy Clausen’s stock takes a hit: Bottom line, Clausen will no longer end up in D.C. I had him as a possible pick with the Redskins at No. 4. Yes, I’ve been higher on Clausen than many others because I believe he’ll impress in his workouts, and he also brings the undeniable value of a guy who has played in a pro style system. (See: Ryan, Stafford, Sanchez, etc.) But because of the clear attraction the Rams have with Sam Bradford at No. 1, and no QB needs for Detroit or Tampa, Washington was likely the highest landing place for the former Notre Dame signal-caller. With McNabb in place, the Redskins will have to address a more pressing concern …
• Russell Okung becomes a likely choice: If they want to protect McNabb, addressing the left tackle position is the best course of action for the Skins. Unless …
• Washington could (and maybe should) trade down: The Skins have a choice. While it’s obvious they need to get a tackle, Okung isn’t that far ahead of guys like Bryan Bulaga or Anthony Davis as a pure LT. If the Skins can move down and perhaps recoup a third-rounder in the process, that could help them get more out of the draft. (Problem is, the teams just in back of them that could also need O-line help, such as Seattle, Buffalo, Oakland or San Fran, will know this group of LTs just as well. So Washington must hope one of those organizations truly covets a player like Okung.)
I think Okung is clearly the best left tackle in this draft, but if the Redskins get a good offer for the 4th overall pick, they should trade down. The team needs a lot more than a left tackle and a quarterback. If trading down means the Redskins wind up with Anthony Davis or Bryan Bulaga at left tackle and still has enough picks to address problems at right tackle, right guard and overall offensive line depth, that’s a deal they should make.
Here is a profile of Russell Okung:
While at Oklahoma State, Okung had a few battles with former Texas Longhorn defensive end Brian Orakpo. The current Redskins linebacker has a lot of respect for Okung.
“He and I had a good battle my senior year,” Orakpo said recently. “He’s a guy that has great feet, very strong, very athletic for a tackle. Whoever picks him up is getting a hell of a player because I know what kind of player he is, and he brings a lot to the table as far as stopping those big play pass rushers.”
“I’d love to see him here,” Orakpo said. “We need a blocker.”
Mean Joe Greene knows a little bit about blockers. The Steelers scout was a Hall of Fame defensive tackle on the Steel Curtain defenses in the 1970’s. Okung impressed him at Oklahoma State’s Pro Day on March 11.
“I like him a lot,” Greene said. “Russell is a good player. He’s got the size. He’s got the length, the athletic ability to play the position. He just needs to get a football team now.”
University of Tennessee DT Dan Williams visited with the Redskins yesterday. Williams should be well-suited to the nose tackle position the Redskins will need in their new 3-4 defense.
Watching the film tells you that Williams has outstanding strength at the point of attack – he can take on double teams without collapsing and he plays with a wide base. He can also explode off the snap and get into the backfield, and possesses the one trait all two-gappers must have if they are to pursue with consistency – he’s very good at sliding off an initial block and slamming through to the ball. This isn’t just a random big guy. Williams can make a real impact inside. And with more NFL teams moving to the 3-4 defense, guys like Williams, who can make that transition seamlessly, find themselves more valuable than ever.
However, Williams is not worth the 4th pick in the Draft so the Redskins would have to trade down to get him. That means not drafting a left tackle in the first round, which is what the Redskins need to do. They would also have to move Albert Haynesworth. The DC Pro Sports Report NFL Mock Draft 1.0 has Williams going to the Miami Dolphins at 12.
There has been talk of the Redskins drafting Texas QB Colt McCoy outside the first round.
Recently, one NFL quarterback who says he saw plenty of McCoy in college offered this scouting report:
“He’s of course an extremely good college quarterback. I don’t know about the NFL. He could be there for a number of years, I don’t doubt that. But as far as him being a starting quarterback and being the impact player he was in college, I don’t see it. I don’t think he has a real strong arm. I think their offense told you that. If you watch their games, 95 percent of their passes were somewhere between the 5-10-yard passing range. He’s a real good athlete, but he’s not real big. That could hurt him, too.”
I wouldn’t have a problem using a 3rd round pick on McCoy, but the Redskins don’t have a 3rd round pick, having used it in the supplemental draft last year to take DE Jeremy Jarmon. They also don’t have a 2nd round pick, having used it to trade for Donovan McNabb. And McCoy won’t be on the board in the 4th round. So unless the Redskins work another big trade, Colt McCoy will not be wearing the burgundy and gold.
Possibly Related Posts:
- El-Bashir leaving Post Caps beat
- All things Adam Dunn this morning
- Redskins training camp countdown
- Nats minor report: Jordan Zimmerman issue
- 4th round pick: P AJ Cole
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