Recapping the 2010 NFL Draft For The Washington Redskins

Well the 2010 NFL Draft has come and gone. In the last 10 NFL Drafts the Redskins have done well with the 1^st round draftees.  But everyone looks like a genius in the first three rounds so I don’t want to pat them on the back too much here.  You make your money in rounds 4-7.   Some names that come to mind for good 1^st Round picks are guys like Champ Bailey, Chris Samuels, Brian Orakpo, Sean Taylor, LaRon Landry, and Jason Campbell.  But one of the most successful late round picks for the Redskins that I have ever seen is Chris Horton.  It is rare to see a 7^th Round draft pick performing the way Horton did.  It kind of makes you think that the “experts” got it wrong.  I mean, even the great Tom Brady went late (6^th Round) in the NFL Draft.  In any event, this draft was a little intriguing and somewhat surprising.  But aren’t all of them like that?

In the 1^st Round the Redskins selected Trent Williams, Offensive Tackle from Oklahoma University.  Williams performed well enough at the NFL Scouting Combine to be rated an 8.6 out of a possible 10.  To me this was a good pick, but I wonder why we didn’t get Russell Okung.  I hear it was because Okung seemed to be too slow-footed for Coach Shanahan.  I hope that the Redskins do not live to regret this decision. We used our 2^nd Round pick to land Donovan McNabb in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, so I am not too upset about this one.  We used our 3^rd Round pick last year in the 2009 Supplemental Draft to get Jeremy Jarmon, Defensive End from Kentucky.  From what little I saw of Jarmon, he was worth the pick and he is going to be a major player on the Redskins’ Defense for years to come.  In the 4^th Round the Redskins selected Perry Riley from LSU Outside Linebacker from LSU.  A good pick up considering depth at the Linebacker positions are a priority now that the Redskins are planning on using the 3-4 a bit this upcoming season.  In the 6^th Round the Redskins selected Dennis Morris, Tight End from Louisiana Tech.  I am not really sure about this pick.  I mean depth at the Tight End position isn’t bad, but we had a bigger need at Cornerback considering that we just released Fred Smoot.  I know that Phillip Buchanon was signed to replace Smoot, but we still need one more Cornerback, unless the Redskins plan on using Justin Tryon and/or Kevin Barnes more this season.  To close out the draft, Terrance Austin, Wide Receiver from UCLA, Erik Cook, Center for New Mexico and Selvish Capers, Offensive Tackle from West Virginia were all selected in the 7^th Round.  These seem to be good draft picks, but we still need to fill a hole at Free Safety.  Hopefully the Redskins will address that need with an Undrafted Free Safety.  But the biggest surprise of the draft involved Jason Campbell.

Jason Campbell being traded to the Raiders was not that big of shock.  It was almost comical.  He is the poster child of how Black Quarterbacks are still being clowned in the NFL.  The Redskins NEVER had any intentions of taking care of Jason Campbell after coach Gibbs left.  Why draft this man in the 1^st Round just to waste his time?  I know all of the undercover racist football fans are going to say that my anger is misguided.  But how many non-Black QB’s have you seen mishandled the way Jason Campbell was?  Take your time. I have all day.  I have asked it before and I will ask it again, why is it with all of the Black QB’s in the NFL we cannot find one that people consider a Franchise Quarterback?  I’ll tell you why.  No one wants to admit that the requirements of the Quarterback position would change if Black QB’s are given a fair shot.  Amazing that Donovan McNabb, again, has accomplished all that he has with very little help, yet he is ridiculed for not “winning the big one.”  Yet, Fran Tarkenton, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly all played, and played well I might add, but they all, combined, have as many rings as Donovan McNabb.  Please stop making excuses.  Admit it people, the NFL has not gotten to the point where the Black QB is judged on a level playing field.  I just hope Al Davis takes care Jason Campbell the way he has taken care of JaMarcus Russell (and we all know, you cannot expect to groom a QB in that kind of circus environment that some refer to as a football franchise).  That is almost like giving a drug addict a newborn baby and then wonder why the hell the baby grew up to be a drug addict.  But any in any event I will always be a Jason Campbell fan.  Good luck Jay.

On a lighter note, although I was a bit pissed with the Redskins, I was happy to see some of my favorites get drafted. The other notable players that I actually took a liking to during the college season or during the NFL Combine were guys like Ndamokung Suh who is probably one of the most athletic Defensive Tackles I have ever seen, Gerald McKoy who is the other most athletic  Defensive Tackles that I have even seen, Eric Berry, Sam Bradford,  Tim Tebow, Joe Haden, Brandon Graham, Dez Brant and Aarelious Benn who I have had an eye on since he was right here in our backyard at Dunbar Senior High.  Benn was so good that he was featured on a show that replays on Fox 5 here in D.C., entitled Sports Stars of Tomorrow narrated by the great Pat Summerall.  This was, by far, the deepest draft that I have even seen and I have watched 6 NFL drafts.  There is usually a significant dropoff after the first 2 rounds, but not this year.  All the way through to the 6^th Round I was still seeing players that I liked and that I thought would do well.  This brings me to my analysis.

The QB that will have the best career in the draft will be, surprise, surprise….  Sam Bradford.  He has all of the tools to be a good QB and I think the Rams will surround him with enough talent to succeed.  I like his young receivers Keenan Burton and Donnie Avery.  And I like the running game with Stephen Jackson.  Message to St. Louis: GET THIS MAN A TIGHT END.  My surprise QB will be Tim Tebow.  For all of the criticism that this man endured, I still say the coaching failed to attempt to prepare him for the NFL. I cannot expect Tebow to do stuff that I have not taught him.  So coaches, get off of your lazy asses and teach the kid what you want him to know, then judge him.  The Terrell Owens of the draft will be Arrelious “Regis” Benn.  This kid is a sick talent that got lost in Illinois.  I think he will put the NFL on notice by the end of the season.  Bruce Campbell will be the steal of the draft.  I don’t care what the experts say.  If you have a complaint with a kid that has something to do with skill or strength development, YOU NEED TO TEACH/TRAIN HIM.  Stop making excuses.  Bruce Campbell has all of the physical tools to be the best Offensive Tackle in the NFL.  And guess what people, he will be.  The other steal of the draft will be Taylor Mays.  This is another case of a guy who was unfairly judge by numbers.  Turn on some film and you will think that you were watching another version of Sean Taylor.  He has all of the physical tools to be the best Free Safety in the NFL.  And in San Francisco, with coach Singletary, don’t be surprised if that happens within the next 3 years. 

All in all, the 2010 NFL Draft was a good one this year.  I love this part of the game.  This is where you have to groom the talent to fit your scheme.  But note to coaches: It is a fine line between grooming and changing.  You can’t change what made a player successful in college and then wonder why they are struggling in the NFL.  You have to groom the talent and fill holes in the talents game.  Get out of your egos and teach.  That is why guys like Coach Mike Singletary, Mike Tomlin, Bill Bellichek, Ton Dungy, and Jeff Fisher are so well respected.  They know how to handle talent.  And they will do it again this year.  I just hope Coach Mike Shanahan’s name is added to this list by the end of the 2010 season.  Barring injury I am expecting a 10-6 season from the Redskins and a playoff berth.  But I don’t think that the Redskins will make it past the Wild Card Game.  Sorry fans.  I still love them though.