2011 NFL Draft

[warriorzpath]

Ok, here's my take of redskins priorities for the draft, 1st and 2nd round.
1. Quarterback - only if Shanahan can find a quarterback to bet his career on it because that's what he'll be doing.

2. Linebacker (outside/inside) - I understand the popular thinking with prioritizing the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense, which is why linebacker is one of my highest priority in a 3-4 defense. In addition to exerting control on the line of scrimmage, a 3-4 linebacker has the most defensive responsibilities and is the position that the 3-4 defense is centralized on (hence 4 versus 3 linebackers).

3. Guard - while this position should only be addressed in the 2nd round, this should be a redskins priority in the draft rather than in free agency in order to infuse youthful skills and hopefully some future long-term consistency along the offensive line. And while some consider the need to replace Jamal Brown, I believe in the old adage for the offensive line: "only as strong as your weakest link" and Brown is not the weakest.

[SkinzWin]

Originally Posted by warriorzpath

Ok, here's my take of redskins priorities for the draft, 1st and 2nd round.
1. Quarterback - only if Shanahan can find a quarterback to bet his career on it because that's what he'll be doing.

2. Linebacker (outside/inside) - I understand the popular thinking with prioritizing the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense, which is why linebacker is one of my highest priority in a 3-4 defense. In addition to exerting control on the line of scrimmage, a 3-4 linebacker has the most defensive responsibilities and is the position that the 3-4 defense is centralized on (hence 4 versus 3 linebackers).

3. Guard - while this position should only be addressed in the 2nd round, this should be a redskins priority in the draft rather than in free agency in order to infuse youthful skills and hopefully some future long-term consistency along the offensive line. And while some consider the need to replace Jamal Brown, I believe in the old adage for the offensive line: "only as strong as your weakest link" and Brown is not the weakest.

I agree with this with the exception of #3. I think that drafting a guard in the second round is a reach. Shanny has been able to find good guards in rounds 3-5 in past drafts. I know guard is an area of need, but I would rather address this through free agency.

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by SkinzWin

I agree with this with the exception of #3. I think that drafting a guard in the second round is a reach. Shanny has been able to find good guards in rounds 3-5 in past drafts. I know guard is an area of need, but I would rather address this through free agency.

I really think the only positions that can be counted out in early rounds are kicker & punter. Even then, I recall Chip Lohmiller as a 2nd round pick back in the day & he won a lot of games for us. That was when this team had great personel acquisition & FO mgmt.

With that said, a guard in the top 15 picks would have to be as good or better than Steve Hutchinson, but if the best player on the board is a guard & you know you need 1 or 2, I don't see it as a reach at all. This team just better make sure it isn't wrong on these first 2 picks.