ASHBURN, Virginia -- The Washington Redskins entered the draft eyeing one position in particular: The defensive line. It’s not as if they needed an overhaul up front,
but they did want to add at least one player here, giving them some needed youth.
After three rounds, the Redskins have yet to select a defensive lineman. However, before the draft, the prevailing notion was that you could find quality defensive linemen into the fourth and maybe even the fifth rounds.
Also, one newcomer along the line is someone who was on the roster the past two years: Trent Murphy, who is transitioning to end.
It’s not as if the Redskins are in bad shape up front; Chris Baker played well last season and Stephen Paea is returning from injury. But they also could use some youth at nose tackle. As of now, Kedric Golston would be the nose (they will play their base 3-4 about 20-25 percent of the game). Baker has said he wants no part of playing the position, though coach Jay Gruden mentioned him as a possibility earlier this offseason.
Thus far, the Redskins have drafted a receiver (Josh Doctson), whom they expected to be long gone when they selected; a linebacker/safety Su'a Cravens and a cornerback (Kendall Fuller). All three can help them as well.
"There’s a lot of debate going on for every pick," Gruden said. "We feel great about the guys we got, but I feel good about the line that we have. We’ll try to add one and see what happens."
Gruden pointed out that they have several players who can help up front in passing situations -- such as linebackers Ryan Kerrigan, Junior Galette and Preston Smith. They also have Ricky Jean Francois and he mentioned Corey Crawford as an "up-and-coming player."
"I feel good about the depth that we have," Gruden said. "I’d like to maybe add one, but we’ll see."
