A few leftover thoughts on the Washington Redskins' 2015 NFL draft:
General manager Scot McCloughan will conduct his post-draft news conference at noon Monday. Plenty of topics will be covered, including the draft's impact on veteran players, potential changes in the scouting department and why he selected the players he did.
The misnomer is that Washington hasn't had a lot of draft picks lately. In fact, the Redskins selected 36 players in the past four years. Of those 36, only 17 remain on the roster. The problem hasn't been the number of picks (though not having two first-rounders the past two years has an impact); it's either who's selecting them or who's developing them. So getting 10 is great, but the key is they have someone in charge with a good reputation. Now they just need the coaches to do their jobs.
The Redskins have drafted six offensive linemen in the first round, with five coming since 1996. The other one was a tackle in 1939 (I.B. Hale; he never played in the NFL. But imagine now if someone with his last name was drafted by the Redskins. The announcement: "Hale ... to the Redskins!" OK, sorry about that. Long weekend folks). Back to the point: fifth-overall pick Brandon Scherff is the third-highest linemen they've ever selected, behind only left tackle Trent Williams (fourth) and left tackle Chris Samuels (third).
For those wanting to re-create the Hogs: Of that group, there was one first-round pick (Mark May), a third-rounder (Russ Grimm), an 11th-rounder (George Starke) and two undrafted free agents (Jeff Bostic, Joe Jacoby). In the past few years, the Redskins have invested more heavily in the offensive line than they did back in the day; they just did a lot more right in the early 1980s.
I'm not a big fan of draft grades because too often they're based on a simple premise: Did a team fill all of its needs. I'll never look at a draft that way; if you take a guy only to fill a need, you're doing a disservice. Needs change all the time -- and drafting a guy in, say, the sixth round does not fill an immediate need. It's rare that sixth-rounders step in and contribute. The Alfred Morris' are outliers. Those later-round picks are to fill future holes, not immediate ones.
But, instead, what you do is find good players. Or find guys who can help while developing. That's what they potentially have in guys such as Kyshoen Jarrett and Evan Spencer, among others. Players who can help on special teams while developing. If they only end up as quality backups but strong special teamers, then they'll be good choices. Also, for what it's worth I was told by a source that the addition of two receivers did not mean the Redskins had no interest in bringing back Santana Moss. That doesn't mean they will or that if he does re-sign he's guaranteed a roster spot. Just that it's still a possibility.
And there are probably five players you can see becoming starters. Not all of them, mind you, but perhaps three of them. Getting three starters from a draft would be considered excellent. The other key is then finding two or three more who contribute to winning. I think they have a couple guys who can do that, too. Maybe as backups and special teamers, but those are needed.
I'm sure some fans will pay close attention to how defensive lineman Leonard Williams develops, considering he was available for Washington. I wrote this the other day, but there are two things to know: Some teams had medical concerns about Williams -- and McCloughan doesn't like to pass up defensive linemen. They liked Scherff better.
Teams make mistakes all the time, but they have slightly more information at their disposal than media or fans. And by slightly, I mean: A substantial amount. The Redskins will get a pass on some choices this year because of McCloughan. He's one of the few in the organization accomplished at the job he's now performing.
I'm a bit biased because of my Ohio State background, but I really do like receiver Evan Spencer. Trust me, the Redskins have had Ohio State players in the past I did not think could help. I'm not blindly loyal; never have been. But Spencer is just a tough player willing to do whatever it takes to help his team. He was a three-star recruit whose father played in the NFL, but Spencer did not act like an entitled player. Just the opposite. Don't know how well he'll do in the NFL, but his qualities are outstanding.
I could say the same about some of the other picks by Washington. It was a theme. This isn't about getting so-called choir boys -- besides, I have no idea what these players are like away from the field. Rather, it's about finding players with good football character: show up, work hard, play tough. Get enough of those types of players and you have the proper foundation. I thought Joe Gibbs' (2.0) teams had a tough-minded mentality as did Marty Schottenheimer's one team. Now, the question becomes: Can coach Jay Gruden turn them into winners? The burden is now placed on him and his staff.
