Washington Redskins may surprise with their top pick in 2019 NFL Draft

The Washington Redskins may surprise a lot of people with their top selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. What will they do come next Spring?

The early stages of the 2019 NFL Draft appear to be heavily weighted with players at positions the Washington Redskins already feel good about. This could precipitate the fall of some very talented players at positions of need for the Redskins.

No team ever wants to stray too far from the “Best Player Available” approach to selecting players in the draft. However, this philosophy always comes with a caveat. I now refer to this as the ‘Chris Cooley Caveat’ as the former Redskins tight end turned TV and radio personality was so outspoken about this approach last year.

Essentially, Cooley’s point was that teams enter the draft with an eye on the most talented players while making it a priority to fill positions of need when possible. Therefore, this draft selection process would more aptly be called the best player available at a position of need approach.

The Redskins will go into the 2019 NFL Draft, like the other 31 teams, with a Big Board listing the players they consider to be the best at their respective positions. The player’s grade and subsequent ranking on the board helps the decision makers decide not only who to pick but when to pick them.

This year it is unlikely that Washington will use a top pick on a defensive lineman despite the draft being stocked to the gills with high level talent in that area because they have an abundance of quality players on their D line. It would be difficult to justify spending a first round pick, or even a second or a third, on a player that will more than likely be a perpetual backup. The Redskins have elite starting talent on the defensive line and even boast superb players as backups to the starters.

The fact that there are so many, some early mock drafts have as many as 10 defensive linemen being selected in the first round which should benefit the Redskins tremendously. As other teams scramble to secure the services of players that Washington could not spend high picks on, the possibility of trades comes into play and, if nothing else, Jay Gruden and company may be able to choose some players in the second or even third round that, were it not for the abundance defensive line talent, could very well have been positioned much higher on teams’ draft boards.

The Redskins’ top needs going into the draft will most likely be QB, CB, OG, TE, and WR. Of course, a team can never have too many pass rushers and the play of our ILBs has been suspect at times but the need for an infusion of linebacker talent pales in comparison to these other more pressing needs.

It’s unlikely Washington does the obvious and uses its first pick to select a QB as they will likely have acquired Joe Flacco to lead the team while the quarterback they appear to really want, Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson, should be available when they make their selection in round two.

There is not a player that could more immediately strengthen this team than a plug and play shut down corner. Because of the run on defensive linemen early in round one, either LSU’s Greedy Williams or Georgia’s Deandre Baker, both top 10 talents, should be waiting for the Redskins when they make their first round selection.

Adding a corner with the kind of ability that either of these guys have will immediately make Washington’s defense one of the most formidable in the league. They can then begin to repair the offense in round two and may not stop with offensive selections until very late in the draft.