WP: Redskins Buckle Down for Draft

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3798-2002Dec17.html

Redskins Buckle Down for Draft

Final Two Games Could Help Decide Where, Whom They Choose

By Mark Maske

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, December 18, 2002; Page D04

The jockeying for position in the NFL is happening at the bottom as well as at the top of the standings. While 17 teams are still in contention for playoff spots, the other 11 are vying for a much less glorious achievement: draft position.

The final two games of the Washington Redskins' season will have no bearing on the playoffs, but they will determine how far up in the first round the team will select in the college draft in April.

The Redskins' record of 5-9 in Steve Spurrier's first season has them in position for a top-10 pick in the spring that could yield the difference-making wide receiver or defensive lineman they need. But plenty remains to be decided in the NFL's "other" race, with the Redskins still able to move up into the top few choices or down into the teens depending upon how they fare in their remaining games against the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys, both at FedEx Field.

The Redskins, like all teams in similar circumstances, say they will do their best to win. Spurrier has begun to play young players but repeatedly has said he is not abandoning this season and wants to get as many victories as he can. Club officials are steering clear of commenting publicly about their early views about the college players they covet.

Still, it also is clear that if the Redskins' recent downward spiral -- they have lost five of their past six games -- continues, their consolation prize would be a better chance of drafting a player who could help to spur a turnaround.

The Cincinnati Bengals (1-13) are on their way to having the top overall choice in the draft, with the Detroit Lions (3-11) in line for the second selection. The expansion Texans are in a three-team group, with the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, with records of 4-10, and the Redskins and Cowboys are clumped with the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks at 5-9. Two 6-8 clubs, the Jacksonville Jaguars and St. Louis Rams, are followed by five 7-7 teams.

Under NFL draft order rules, ties among teams are broken by strength of schedule -- comparing the records of the clubs' opponents. The worse that record is, the higher in the draft order a team goes. That procedure currently would leave the Redskins with the 10th selection in the draft.

Would that be good enough to get one of the players they really want? It's not clear yet because the pool of available players will fluctuate as college non-seniors decide over the next month whether to declare themselves eligible for the draft, NFL talent evaluators say.

According to team sources, the Redskins plan to add at least two fleet wide receivers in the offseason in their attempt to make Spurrier's offense go. One of them could come via free agency, and one could come in the early rounds of the draft. Some scouts regard Michigan State's Charles Rogers, Texas's Roy Williams and Miami's Andre Johnson as the top three college wideouts, and the Redskins probably would be delighted to get any of the three.

All three are juniors. Rogers has said he will enter the draft, and the prospect of pairing him with Randy Moss reportedly has Vikings' officials wide-eyed. Williams announced he plans to remain in college, but some scouts haven't given up on him changing his mind. Johnson has not announced his plans.

The Redskins also could use an impact player on their defensive line. They are likely to release defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson in June. The other tackle, Daryl Gardener, is eligible for unrestricted free agency, although the Redskins are trying to re-sign him. The Redskins don't have an obvious successor to veteran defensive end Bruce Smith, and their sack leader this season is linebacker LaVar Arrington.

Two senior defensive tackles, Penn State's Jimmy Kennedy and Miami's William Joseph, are likely to be early picks. But a few junior defensive tackles could be major factors if they leave college, and Arizona State junior defensive end Terrell Suggs perhaps could be the sort of pass rusher the Redskins will be seeking. One scout said yesterday that, as in most years, the strength of the top of this draft will be determined by which juniors make themselves eligible.

The Redskins' other major need is in the middle of their offensive line. But they passed on selecting a guard in the first round last April to take quarterback Patrick Ramsey, and again will have to decide whether a guard is worth a first-round choice. The team's other major offseason needs will include a safety, a quarterback or two to go with Ramsey and a running back to complement Ladell Betts and Kenny Watson if Stephen Davis is released for salary cap purposes.

Redskins Notes: The team promoted two defensive backs, Bruce Branch and Todd Franz, from its five-member practice squad to fill the two openings on its 53-man roster. . . . The Redskins announced they had nearly doubled the size of the disabled parking area in the lot that the team leases on the site of the former US Airways Arena. The expanded lot can accommodate 250 vehicles, and patrons will be able to park closer to the pickup areas for the shuttle buses running to FedEx Field on game days, the club said.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company