Looking Ahead to the NFL Draft

WIll the Redskins ditch Rex Grossman for a draft pick or Peyton Manning? Photograph by Brian Murphy.

The Redskins’ magical playoff run to came to a shocking and untimely end in week 14. Now that they’ve been mathematically eliminated, it’s officially acceptable to start getting serious about April’s draft.

The glories of the past are a distant memory. A time long ago, when linemen weighed less than 300 pounds and wore pants like these, before anyone knew about irony. The present is too painful to contemplate. As usual, we have little to hang on to other than the promise of the future.

Nothing encapsulates that promise quite like the (ugh) three-day spectacle of the NFL draft. Much like last year, the Redskins will have no shortage of needs. Without question, primary among them is at quarterback. They’ll have to address the position at some point; the only questions are when and how. The possibilities are extensive, but for now, there are four that seem most likely.

Scenario One: Snag one of the blue-chip QBs
Every quarterback possesses an internal clock. Rex Grossman’s has been blinking “12:00” for years. If he is back next year, it will have to be as a temporary caretaker. Otherwise, Tony Wylie will have to come up with a new excuse to explain the team removing seats from FedEx Field. Taking a quarterback with a top-five pick (the Redskins currently sit fifth) is the easiest way for the Shanchise to take a major step forward.

With Andrew Luck almost assuredly heading to Indianapolis (poor guy), the most likely potential saviors are Heisman winner Robert Griffin III and pretty-boy Californian Matt Barkley. The stock for both guys is sky-high, but everyone’s collective love will probably fade a bit by February. That’s when the NFL combine comes around and it’s revealed that neither of them is actually six-foot-two as listed, but instead five-nine with little girl hands.

Scenario Two: Go the Cincinnati route
The Bengals were in a similar position to the Redskins last year, with holes all over their offense. They drafted wide receiver AJ Green with the first pick, then addressed their need for a quarterback early in the second round with Andy Dalton. If Washington’s prized quarterback isn’t available when their turn rolls around, they could bolster their offense by taking a receiver like Justin Blackmon. Because as you know, elite talents like Donte Stallworth and David Anderson won’t be around forever.

Scenario Three: Trade down for more picks

It worked last year, and with glaring needs at quarterback, wide receiver, the offensive line (all of it), and cornerback, it would make sense to keep stockpiling.

Scenario Four: Trade for Peyton Manning

Do you know why every NFL insider with a Bluetooth has linked Manning with the Redskins? Not because any of them have any actual inside information. It’s because it just seems like a very Redskins thing to do. I’m going on record as saying, “No f*#@ing chance.”