Washington Owner Daniel Snyder loves nothing more than to make a splash and after striking out in the Jay Cutler sweepstakes most had the Redskins pegged as the favorites to trade up for Mark Sanchez on Draft Day. Alas it was not to be as the Jets beat them to the punch and while in the past Washington might have done something drastic, such as deal away a future first rounder, they managed to resist that urge. With just two picks in the first four rounds the Redskins were obviously a bit hamstrung and there was only so much they do but were they able to make the most out of the choices they did have?
Teams usually aren’t able to land the best pass rusher in the draft in the middle of round one but that is exactly what Washington did when they selected Texas’ Brian Orakpo at #13 overall. As a senior Orakpo notched 19.0 tackles for a loss and 11.0 sacks for the Longhorns en route to winning the Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defensive player), Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman), Hendricks Award (nation's top defensive end), and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Now that is an impressive collection of trophies! A Workout Warrior with excellent speed and quickness who is a beast in the weight room, “O-Sack-Po” needs to give a more consistent effort but he has the talent to become one of the most feared pass rushers in the league. In many ways Orakpo is a Vernon Gholston-clone and while that tag carries some negative connotations after Gholston’s disappointing rookie campaign they both still have a lot of upside. As a rookie the Redskins plan to use Orakpo in a hybrid role, utilizing him at both strongside linebacker and defensive end, but his main priority will be getting after the quarterback. With Jason Taylor gone after just one season with the team the Redskins were in desperate need of another pass rusher and they were very fortunate to get Orakpo where they did.
After trading away their second round pick last offseason for one disappointing, injury-riddled year from Jason Taylor the Redskins didn’t select again until round three, at which time they chose Maryland CB Kevin Barnes. An underrated prospect who had his senior season cut short by a shoulder injury, Barnes was selected a round or two earlier than expected but had he not gotten hurt he might have been a Day One pick. A good athlete with ideal height and long arms, Barnes is also very physical and is capable of delivering the big hit, as evidenced by the knockout blow he delivered to Cal’s Jahvid Best last year. The Skins already have three quality cornerbacks in DeAngelo Hall, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot so Barnes will likely battle for a nickel or dime role as a rookie but don’t be surprised if he competes for a starting job down the line.
In round five Washington reached for Nebraska OLB Cody Glenn, a raw project with some question marks. After playing running back for most of his Cornhusker career Glenn moved to linebacker as a senior and flashed some intriguing potential before being suspended late in the year for a “violation of team rules”. In addition to some character concerns Glenn may also have some durability issues but there is no denying his sheer talent and his best football is still probably ahead of him. Still, most considered Glenn to be a fringe draftable prospect and he would have offered much better value in the late rounds as a developmental type. If Glenn makes the roster he will work in a backup and special teams capacity but a stint on the practice squad might be the best thing for him. In round six the Redskins added another linebacker when they selected T.C.U.’s Robert Henson, who flew under the radar to a degree while his former Horned Frog teammates and fellow draftees Jason Phillips and Stephen Hodge got all the attention. An aggressive ‘backer with a great motor, Henson’s best chance to make the team will likely come by excelling on special teams.
Washington had two picks in the seventh round and they used the first on Idaho’s Eddie Williams, who was being looked at as a fullback, tight end and H-Back prospect. A versatile player who is able to contribute as a runner, receiver and blocker, Williams will try to win the backup fullback job and he could be groomed as a replacement for Mike Sellers, who is now in his mid-30’s. With their final pick the Redskins chose Nevada WR Marko Mitchell, who was considered to be a mid-round value at one point in the scouting process. On paper Mitchell has everything you look for but his impressive combination of size (6-35/8, 218) and speed (4.47) doesn’t always translate over to the field. However, even though he is a bit of a project Mitchell was definitely worth taking a flyer on that late in the draft. After drafting Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly in the second round of last year’s draft the Redskins already have a glut of young wideouts so unfortunately for Mitchell he could face an uphill battle just to make the roster.
After trading away their first round pick two of the past three years it was probably wise for the Redskins to stand pat and rejuvenate their roster with an infusion of youth. Then again, if Jason Campbell doesn’t emerge as a reliable starting quarterback they will be kicking themselves for not doing more to land Jay Cutler or Mark Sanchez… In terms of instant impact this was basically a one man class and how well Brian Orakpo plays will determine the success or failure of Washington’s effort. Long-term it’s pretty hard to envision any of their other picks becoming key contributors, with the possible exception of Kevin Barnes, so this class as a whole possesses the same type of Boom or Bust potential that their top pick does. On the bright side the Redskins still own all of their premium choices for the 2010 NFL Draft. For now that is...
