Redskins 2011 Draft Tracker

BGO DRAFT TRACKER

It's not like I'm going to ignore this completely, you know.

And away we go ...

Round 1 (16) - Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue

With their first pick in 2011, the Redskins make news by not making news. They trade down from 10 to 16 (JAX) and grab a potential impact bookend to Pro Bowl OLB Brian Orakpo for their still-in-transition 3-4 defense. This pick may not be fully appreciated for 2-3 seasons; Karrigan is unlikely to be a regular on weekly highlight reels early on as he adapts both to the pro game and the shift from DE to OLB. But if the Purdue All American's quickness, instincts and high motor are what the Redskins hope they are, and Karrigan can integrate himself into the starting lineup by midseason, defensive coordinator Jim Hazlett should enjoy devising gameplans considerably more in 2011 and beyond than he was able to in his highwire-act Washington debut in 2010.

Round 2 (41) - Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Clemson

The Redskins continue to give every indication that the Shanahan/Allen Era signifies a sea change in how the team does personnel business. Again eschewing sexy in Round 2, they opt for size (when is the last time a high-round lineman pick was not a shock in Washington?), consistency, production and character over flash and attempts at instant gratification. The steady Jenkins almost surely becomes a regular rotation from opening day, and barring injury or developmental hiccups adjusting from a 4-3 DT at Clemson to a projected 3-4 DE, takes ownership of a starting DE slot by midseason and never looks back. The Redskins will hope that access to an NFL training table and regimen will quiet any concerns over stamina, and that he will develop enough as a pass rushing threat to obviate the need to spell him on passing downs.

Round 3 (79) - Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami

Is it too early to say it? Not at all. You have to hand it to the Redskins. It's all about the hands on this pick. On the one hand, scouting reports say the lanky, 6'2" 210 lb. wideout's hands are inconsistent. On the other hand, he has "massive hands, once compared by a former coach to Godzilla's, measure 105/8 inches from the tip of his pinky to the tip of his thumb - the largest of any player at the combine this year." On the one hand, reports say he lacks explosion off the line and doesn't get great separation. On the other hand, he runs a 4.43 and, oh by the way, broke Miami's "single-season receiving yards record on a team-high 72 receptions in 2010, his 13 receiving touchdowns broke Michael Irvin's mark of 11 set in 1986. His career numbers: 2,160 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns on 134 receptions." Hard for Redskins fans not to be pleased with the idea of a tall, athletic, productive and by all reports solid citizen wide receiver to come in and compete for a starting slot as a rookie. He may not turn out to be Jerry Rice, or even Larry Fitzgerald, but he doesn't have to be. He just has to be a productive professional and give the Redskins the big red zone and possession receiver they have lacked for so long. Another solid foundation-building pick, a developing pattern in year two of the Shanahan Era

Round 4 (105) - Roy Helu, RB, Nebraska

The Redskins trade back up in the 4th to grab Helu, a decisive, determined, downhill runner who seems to fit the "Shanahan mold" to a tee. But don't take anyone else's word for it. Sometimes, pictures really are worth a thousand words.

Round 5 (146) - Dejon Gomes, DB, Nebraska

The first "huh" pick of 2011. The Redskins grab an apparent nickle-depth DB and special teams player arguably a round or two earlier than his projections. Not known for coverage or open field skills, Gomes will have to earn his playing time on teams and ability to show coaches he can handle a role on defensive "packages" that ask him to support the run and clog passing lanes near the line of scrimmage. Will have to turn some heads in camp to earn his way onto the active roster. Best bet to stick around may be the developmental squad for a year.

Round 5 (155) - Niles Paul, WR, Nebraska
Round 6 (177) - Evan Royster, RB, Penn St
Round 6 (178) - Aldrick Robinson, WR, SMU
Round 7 (213) - Brandyn Thompson, DB, Boise St.
Round 7 (217) - Maurice Hurt, OG, Florida
Round 7 (224) - Markus White, DE, Florida St.
Round 7 (253) - Chris Nield, NT, West Virginia

NFL Draft - History of 10th Overall Pick

Thursday night, the Washington Redskins will have the option of making the 10th overall selection of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Should they use the pick instead of trading it away or abdicating (obligatory royal wedding reference), the young man selected could turn out to be a Hall of Famer. The great DB Rod Woodson was drafted tenth overall in 1987 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the immortal Redskins-killing RB Marcus Allen drafted tenth by the Oakland Raiders in 1982.

Of course, as with any pick, the gentleman selected could also turn into a future "who?" There's no need to embarrass anyone by naming names. Just look at the list below--you'll find plenty of examples.

As I like to do every year, I have assembled a list of the players selected at the Redskins' specific pick(s) in a given draft. For the record, this is not intended as a predictor of success or failure, or a suggestion of where I think the team could or should go.

It is simply a self-indulgent exercise in fandom. I'm always intrigued by what the history shows.

Perhaps you are as well.

I went back to 1970, the year of the NFL/AFL merger. I figure that encompasses a couple of generations of players and fans, and covers what most of us deem the "modern era" of the game. Plus, forty years seemed like a good round number (okay, so it's actually 41, but you get the drift).  And let's face it, 1970-2010 just looks better.

So on to the stuff...

Super Bowl XLV - Perspective

There are precious few slices of cyberspace out there today that do not contain sincere, in-depth X and O breakdowns of the who, what, how and why of what's going to happen in Super Bowl XLV.

You found one.

Let's get right to it.

Who I Want to Win

Green Bay. 

Why? I like 'em better. 

I like QB Aaron Rogers--the man looks like someone we all played pick-up ball with as kids, both in appearance and the semi-awkward (but damn effective) body language on the field.

I like the fact no one has the slightest idea who head coach Mike McCarthy is or where the hell he came from.

I like the traditional, almost quaint uniforms. For NFL fans of a certain age they just look right.

I even like the stupid cheesehead thing now that Brett Favre's gone. Don't ask me why they correlate. They just do.

I do not like the term "Dynasty" getting bandied about before a team has earned it. More on that below.

And because, like the (Damn) Yankees have to win the World Series, the Canadiens have to win the Stanley Cup and the Boston Celtics have to win the NBA Championship, every once in a while the Green Bay Packers simply have to win the Lombardi Trophy.

It's in the fine print of the universal fabric.

Who I Think Will Win

Pittsburgh. 

Why?  It's what they do, dammit.  They win the big game once they get there ... even if they're not always the best team that day. 

To be clear, I'm not talking about the four-title, Dynasty Steelers of the '70's. Those Steelers won four titles in six years and put half their team in the Hall of Fame. They practically defined the NFL 70's.

No, I'm talking about the two-title (and counting?) Big Ben Steelers of the '00's. Today's Steelers have so far defined something too--I'm just not sure quite what yet.

Who Are These Guys?

As fans, coaches and players of the Tennessee Titans watched the Redskins’ patchwork offensive line hold its own against their sack-happy defense two weeks ago, they could be forgiven for invoking Butch Cassidy.

“Who are those guys?”


As Minnesota Vikings interim head coach Leslie Frazier and his reshuffled coaching staff studied film of that game last week, in preparation to play the Redskins on Sunday, they too could be forgiven.

“Who ARE those guys?”

Think about it. Here was the projected starting offensive line heading into the Vikings game:

Trent Williams, Kory Lichtensteiger, Will Montgomery, Artis Hicks and Jammal Brown.

Redskins fans who have watched the offensive line evolve—some might say devolve—to its present state over the past decade may well have asked themselves the same question a few times, but more likely posed if the classic movie were remade today.

“Who the **** are those guys!?”

Introductions are in order.

A year ago at this time, the only name you would have found from that list on the Washington Redskins’ roster was Will Montgomery. For the benefit all who might stand behind him on line at the grocery store and think only, “whoa—big dude,” here is a quick primer:

Montgomery was a seventh-round (234th overall) draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2006. He stuck with the Panthers for one year, appearing in six games and starting four. Carolina released him before the 2007 season and he was picked up by the New York Jets. He played in seven games for the Jets over two seasons, recording two starts.

The Redskins then signed Montgomery as an unrestricted free agent in December of 2008. He appeared in all 16 games for them in 2009, starting three, and through this past weekend had played in eight games, with two starts, in 2010.

There are household names, and there is Will Montgomery.

Projected to start off Montgomery’s left hip against Minnesota on Sunday at left guard was Kory Lichtensteiger. For those who struggle with his name, the proper pronunciation is Koh-ree.

Drafted out of Bowling Green in 2008 by then-Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan, Lichtensteiger played one year in Denver, appearing in 16 games (no starts) before being released. He was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings for the 2009 season, but saw no action and was let go again before October. The Redskins signed him prior to the 2010 season, and by week two, he had earned his way into the starting lineup. He has nine NFL starts under his belt.

Starting at left tackle on Sunday was rookie Trent Williams. One year ago only Mel Kiper, Oklahoma Sooner fans and a few draft geeks could have told you anything meaningful about Williams. He has since become a top-five pick in the NFL Draft, however, so his name at least registers a blip on the average fan’s “yeah, I’ve heard of him” meter.

Still and all, Williams is a classic, raw rookie all of ten games into his NFL career.

At right guard on Shanahan’s projected lineup card Sunday was relative Methuselah and prototypical NFL journeyman Artis Hicks. An eight-year veteran, Hicks was brought into the NFL by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Memphis in 2002. By 2004 he had become a starter, and over the course of four years started 31 games for the Eagles. After being traded to the Minnesota Vikings prior to the 2006 season, Hicks went on to start 27 of 56 games over four years for the Vikings.

And yet, when he was inked by the Redskins as a free agent prior to the 2010 season, I would wager 95 out of 100 fans asked, “who?”

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