New GM Scot McCloughan likes to build through the draft, which is not the way the 'Skins have been trying to build in the past. It is also the first year the Redskins will have a 1st round draft pick since the team picked Robert Griffin III with the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 draft. That means McCloughan has to nail this draft, so we will take a look at potential players the Redskins could draft at each position this season.
Red - Injured
* - Underclassman
Red - Injured
* - Underclassman
Quarterback
When the Redskins took Robert Griffin III 2nd overall in the
2012 draft they thought they had all their problems solved. But 3 years later,
they find themselves in an even worse situation. People in the organization are
split between whether they think RGIII is still their franchise QB or not,
whether Kirk Cousins is the answer, and whether they want to trade one of their
QBs. They did decide to bring back Colt McCoy though for another year. And Jay
Gruden said it is Griffin’s job to lose, but they could still be looking to draft
a QB in this year’s draft. Gruden and McCloughan both said they would be open
to drafting Marcus Mariota with the 5th pick if he is the best
player available. I doubt they would pick him though because he may not even
make it to the 5th pick and I don’t think he’d be the best player available
at the time. The only reason I could see the ‘Skins taking him is if they
believe RGIII is injured at won’t be able to return full form. But maybe they
could be looking for a QB in a later round to coach up, you could take someone
like Garrett Grayson, Sean, Mannion, Connor Halliday, Bo Wallace, or Trevor
Siemian who are pocket QBs and come from more of a pro-style offense. Or another
option would be to take Bryce Petty, Brandon Bridge, or Jerry Lovelocke who are
more runners and come from different style offenses. So here are some QBs the Redskins
could be looking to possibly draft this season.
Name:
Jameis Winston Marcus Mariota Brett Hundley Garrett Grayson Bryce Petty Sean Mannion Brandon Bridge Connor Halliday Bo Wallace Trevor Siemian Cody Fajardo Shane Carden Taylor Heinicke Bryan Bennett Hutson Mason Ryan Williams Taylor Kelly Jerry Lovelocke |
School:
Florida State Oregon UCLA Colorado State Baylor Oregon State South Alabama Washington State Ole Miss Northwestern Nevada East Carolina Old Dominion Southeastern Louisiana Georgia Miami Arizona State Prairie View A&M |
Projected Round:
1st 1st 2nd 2nd - 3rd 2nd - 3rd 4th - 5th 6th 6th - 7th 6th - 7th 6th - FA 7th 7th 7th - FA 7th - FA 7th - FA 7th - FA 7th - FA 7th - FA |
Running Back
The Redskins lost their 3rd down back in Roy Helu
Jr. to the Raiders in free agency this offseason and Alfred Morris’s contract
runs out in 2016. So the ‘Skins should/want to add a running back in the draft
this season to play the 3rd down back and to potentially be the full
time back if they can not re-sign Morris. Jay Gruden said that he hopes to add
a running back in the draft this season, and also said that running back
position has pretty good depth this season in the draft, and indeed it does. The
Redskins are not likely to take a running back in the first round but in the 2nd
round things could get interesting. When Gruden was in Cincinnati they had a
good back in Benjarvus Green-Elis but decided to take the first running back in
the 2013 draft when they selected Giovani Bernard to balance the power/speed approach.
While I think it’s unlikely the Redskins address the running back position
until the 3rd round or later, it is still a possibility that they
could go this direction. Ameer Abdullah, Jay Ajayi, and Duke Johnson could all
be possible 2nd round picks that would fill the 3rd down
back roll well in 2015. Out of this group I’d have to go with Jay Ajayi, he is
great at catching the ball and he is a power/speedy back, he reminds me a lot
of DeMarco Murray, and could easily fill the starting roll if the Redskins don’t
sign Alfred Morris Back; and he is also fun to watch on film. The 3rd
and 4th rounds would be a good place to select a 3rd down
back because most RBs projected there fit that mold, Jeremy Langford, T.J.
Yeldon, David Cobb, Mike Davis, Javorius Allen, and Cameron Artis-Payne would
be great options. Mike Davis and Cameron Artis-Payne are both the same type of
running backs like Ajayi but Davis is a lot faster and Artis-Payne is a little smaller.
Josh Robinson and John Crockett could also be day 3 considerations, Robinson is
another bigger build type 3rd down back and Crockett comes from a
pro-style offense where is a one cut speed type back, can catch the ball, and is
great in pass protection; he would be a late round gem for the Redskins. See
below for the rest of the prospects.
Name:
Todd Gurley Melvin Gordon Ameer Abdullah Jay Ajayi Duke Johnson Tevin Coleman David Johnson Jeremy Langford T.J. Yeldon David Cobb Mike Davis Javorius Allen Cameron Artis-Payne Terrance Magee Karlos Williams Matt Jones Malcolm Brown Josh Robinson John Crockett Malcolm Agnew Akeem Hunt Dominique Brown Trey Williams Corey Grant Michael Dyer Terrell Watson Thomas Rawls |
School:
Georgia Wisconsin Nebraska Boise State Maimi Indiana Northern Iowa Michigan State Alabama Minnesota South Carolina USC Auburn LSU Florida State Florida Texas Mississippi State North Dakota State Southern Illinois Purdue Louisville Texas A&M Auburn Louisville Azusa Pacific Central Michigan |
Projected Round:
1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd - 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd - 4th 3rd - 4th 4th 4th - 5th 5th 5th - 6th 5th - 6th 5th - 6th 6th 6th 6th - 7th 7th 7th - FA 7th - FA 7th - FA 7th - FA 7th - FA |