Vision Quest: And with the 53rd selection of the 2006 NFL Draft the Washington Redskins should take…..

Here we are on the eve of a National holiday, the NFL Draft. Have you ever stopped and wondered at just how big modern football has become. Each year the NFL draft is aired, in it’s entirety over two days on ESPN and ESPN2. Hours of white haired fellows sitting around tables and periodically someone goes to a microphone and announces a name of a soon to be very rich young athlete.

And we watch every minute of it.

If you ever doubted football was king then just remember this. The American public would rather watch the NFL off-season then the NBA postseason. If I was David Stern I would implore the NFL to move the draft a month earlier or his playoffs a month later.

So with that in mind, with the 53rd selection of the 2006 NFL Draft the Washington Redskins should take…..

Cedric Griffin, CB/S Texas

Ok what the heck am I thinking? Haven’t I been the guy telling you we need to pick an outside linebacker at #53? Wasn’t I the guy imploring the redskins to keep Lavar Arrington because his backups were all scrubs? Didn’t I lament the resigning of Warrick Holdman and described Chris Clemons as too raw to start in the NFL?

The answer to all those questions is of course yes. So what happened to change my mind? No, Dale Lindsey did not break into my house last night and whisper sweet nothings into my ears. And Chris Clemons is not actually holding a gun to my head as I write this. So why am I doing an about face on this? Simply put Cedric Griffin will not only fill the most needs on our Redskins squad but most likely will be the best player on the board when #53 comes around.

As is my custom here are the top 5 reasons I think the Redskins should consider Cedric Griffin.

1.) The Redskins don’t have the firepower to move up. As we have discussed here before the Redskins do not pick until late in the second round, the 53rd pick of the draft. While there is some talk the Redskins will move up, I still believe that they won’t. Not that they don’t want to mind you, who wouldn’t. But they just do not have the firepower to move up significantly without mortgaging the future. And even if the Redskins were willing to part with next year’s first & second along with this year’s 53rd pick, they could barely crack into the bottom ten of the first round. In this writer’s opinion there just won’t be a pick talented enough to give up 3 picks for within the Redskins reach.

2.) Griffin is a two for one special. Cedric is projected to play both corner and safety in the NFL. The Redskins happen to have need at both positions. Griffin’s versatility will give flexibility to the Redskins' lineup. With the addition of Griffin the Redskins could keep as few as 8 players in the defensive backfield instead of the customary 9 or 10. Those unused roster spots can be used to beef up places like the Offensive and Defensive line which needs a plethora of bodies.

3.) Griffin will see the field often. The selection of Griffin will mean he will be penciled in as the team’s fourth safety. He will battle Pierson Prioleau for the 3rd safety spot and Kenny Wright and Ade Jimoh for the nickel and dime corner positions. He is talented enough to win playing time at all three of those positions. Griffin is a physical db that prefers to jam receivers at the line but can turn and run with them as well. His ability to come up and support the run is prototypical of a Williams’ corner and with Springs getting up there in years Griffin could be groomed as an eventual replacement. With the Redskins offense in gear it is possible that the Redskins will go with more multiple DB sets as teams are passing trying to come from behind.

4.) Injuries common in the Redskin defensive backfield. Sean Taylor, Pierson Prioleau, Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers, & Adam Archuleta all lost a game or two last season due to injury. Even if Griffin does not win the nickel corner job, he will play in many games this year because injuries will bump everyone up the depth chart. Springs and Arch in particular have a high frequency of injuries in their past and Taylor usually does something stupid in a season to get suspended for a game or two.

5.) Sean Taylor’s trial still a question. Speaking of doing something stupid. If Taylor’s trial had been resolved perhaps Griffin is not the pick here. But it hasn’t, in fact it has been suspended indefinitely. Do I believe Taylor is going to get convicted? No. But the Redskins have to plan ahead. And if he does end up eventually pleading to a misdemeanor he could face some kind of suspension from the league. Pierson Prioleau is the natural fit to step into Taylor’s shoes in a short term situation. However Griffin can push Prioleau for the starting job and fill the all important third safety role as well.

This is not a given and to be fair I would be very happy with Rocky McIntosh LB Miami and Thomas Howard LB UTEP at the second round selection. But all things considered I rather get the safety out of Texas and solidify our defensive backfield.

Now for the rest of the draft. The Redskins have needs at the following positions listed in order of need: OLB, S, CB, O-line, TE and can use competition at Punter. The selection of Griffin solves the S and CB positions. Unlike the first day I am actually advocating and expecting some type of moving up to get selected players. Look for the redskins to package some or all of their 6th round picks to move up either within rounds or maybe into the 4th to get selected players. Here is the break down of what I would do with the Redskins remaining 6 picks. .

5th Round pick #153: OLB. If the Redskins go safety in the second round, the Redskins have to go OLB in the 5th. An interesting prospect is Rob Ninkovich DE out of Purdue. Many analysts are thinking Ninkovich will convert to OLB in the pros and Joe Gibbs took the time to do a formal interview with him at the combine. He may be gone by the 5th so perhaps one of the 6ths could be packaged in a move up to get him.

6th Round picks 173, 189, and 196: TE & OT. I don’t expect the Redskins to use all three of their 6th round picks as at least one or two will be used in a move up packaged with their fifth pick. But if they are available look for the Redskins to select a TE and one or two offensive tackles in this round. A TE of interest is Jason Pociask out of Wisconsin. He could battle with Robert Johnson for the last TE spot on the roster and if he doesn’t make it he can spend a year on the practice squad. He has talent and could be a great project for Gibbs. A guy the Redskins should look at its Quinn Ojinnaka out of Syracuse. He has the frame and the fundamentals to be a spot starter and solid backup in the NFL, but he needs to hit the weights to be effective. No place like Redskin Park to do that with.

7th Round picks 230, 250: Punter. Again I am not sure both picks will be here but since they are pretty worthless they probably will be. In either case the comp pick at #250 can not be traded according to NFL rules. With one of these picks I think the Redskins should look at giving Derrick Frost some competition at Punter. Luke Johnson out of Southern is a solid punter with a good leg and actually knows how to punt near the end zone. He can also do kickoffs. If he beats out Frost, great. If not wasting a 7th round pick is not a high price to pay. With the other pick the Redskins should look at getting the best player available excluding WR, QB, and RB.

Onto the draft my friends. Kick back and relax it is going to be a long day, but at the end of the weekend we will be a better deeper team. Of course next week I will look into the draft picks and project their role with the team.

Until then Hail to the Redskins!!!