Redskins Day Two Draft Roundup

Ignore your doctor and you'll never get better

Update 3 May: Curly R has reviewed the Redskins thirteen post draft rookie free agent signings here.

With only one pick on day one the Redskins went into day two of the 2009 NFL Draft with plenty of needs, offensive tackle and outside linebacker chief among them. And while no draft can make everyone happy it sure seems like Washington was either picking best players or throwing darts, Rich Tandler notwithstanding, yes Rich the missing and second fourth round picks would have been nice to have, the draft results speak for themselves i.e. no offensive linemen selected, you heard Dan Snyder on the ESPN 980 interview as well as I did, they do not think a 32 year old Chris Samuels is old and right now Joe Bugel is the only one that thinks Stephon Heyer is a legitimate NFL starter. But but now I am babbling...

[For anyone that did not hear the pre draft interview by Rick Doc Walker with Redskins owner Dan Snyder, shadow general manager Vinny Cerrato and head coach Jim Zorn, here is the interview: part one | part two | part three | part four | part five]

The Redskins started day two with four picks, two fewer than the full complement, Washington had dealt this year's fourth round pick to the New York Jets for left guard Pete Kendall, a move necessitated by Washington having made no serious moves to replace left guard Derrick Dockery after his departure following the 2006 season.

Ding! Opportunity cost. Retaining Derrick or realizing Todd Wade is not a guard could have saved this pick, that said Pete never missed a game in two seasons and only took one play off.

Anyway, Washignton pulled off a trade early in the day, sending Washington's fifth round pick, number 150 overall, to Minnesota in exchange for Minnesota's fifth round pick, number 158 overall plus the Vikings' seventh round pick, number 221 overall. This raised Washington's number of day two picks from four to five and the team's overall number of picks from five to six.

As alluded to above, here were my draft priorities for the Redskins going into day two:

1. Offensive tackle, specifically for the right side
2. Outside linebacker, specifically for the strong side
3. Run stuffing defensive end

Recapping day one, here is what the team drafted:

1. First round, #13 overall, Brian Orakpo, defensive end/linebacker, Texas

On day two the team drafted the following players:

2. Third round, #80 overall, Kevin Barnes, cornerback, Maryland
3. Fifth round, #158 overall, Cody Glenn, outside linebacker, Nebraska
4. Sixth round, #186 overall, Robert Henson, linebacker, TCU
5. Seventh round, #221 overall, Eddie Williams, tight end, Idaho
6. Seventh round, #243 overall, Marko Mitchell, receiver, Nevada

Even if Kevin was the top player on the board at the time, that was an opportunity cost pick. It means clearly to me that last year's fourth round pick, cornerback Justin Tryon, who seemed like a good idea at the time and never got on the field thereby necessitating the signing of DeAngelo Hall and the restocking of the reserve cornerback position in this year's draft. Justin may be done.

The linebacker picks I can get behind in principle but there are caveats. Cody has all of nine games experience at linebacker, he came to Nebraska as a tailback and only switched positions before this past football season then was suspended for the end of the year. Robert was part of a the number two national defense at TCU and seems like a decent pick, at least he has experience.

The tight end pick is somewhere between bizarre and bewildering. Eddie will have a hard time making the roster at tight end, Jim Zorn's offensive does not use an H-back and if the team thinks Eddie can play fullback in place of Mike Sellers, well Eddie has never played that position.

The receiver pick I like inasmuch as I like any seventh round pick *kaff kaffChrisHortonkaff kaff*, it tends to signal to me that the Redskins are dissatisfied enough with ineffective and last year's second round pick receiver Malcolm Kelly that they are bringing in another guy exactly like him to see what happens. Note to Marko, get your wind and keep your hamstrings loose.

Brian Orakpo was nice, the team was guaranteed a player at the thirteen spot so I rate that a gimme. All in all I would not rate this a particularly effective draft, or so it would seem right now.



Redskins prescription from here via here, a way to waste a whole day making funny signs.