NFC East Draft Order. Redskins need a magician to compete.

[JRAB]

Skins have the best defense in the division.

Skins have the best tight end in the division.

Skins have the best runner in the division.

With Owens and Plax gone, Skins probably have the best receiver in the division.

It won't take a magician to win, but, it will take something other than the weakest QB in the division.

I'm not so sure about all of that... except your last point about Campbell.

Defense? The Giants have the best defense in the East, IMO. Dallas led the NFL in sacks and Philly is always good under JJ. Our defense will be in the mix, but to clearly say we have the best defense in the East is not accurate, IMO.

Best TE? Witten wins that one, hands down. Cooley is close but isn't as good at Witten, I don't think. Their 2nd round pick last season Bennett, just might end up being better than Witten and Cooley.

Best runner? I agree here. Portis is amazing. However, with Jacobs and Bradshaw, the Giants running game is likely better than ours, particularly when you factor in their OL. In Dallas, Barber, Felix Jones and Choice make up what will probably be the best top to bottom group of running backs in the East, and in Philly, Westbrook is close to Portis as the second best runner in the East and it wouldn't surprise me to see them draft a runner high later this month.

Even with Portis being the best back in the East... we very well might have the 4th best rushing attack in the division.

And as far as the WR's go... I refuse to be hopeful about our WR's until they start playing well for a period of time. I do know the QB hurts their production... but I'm tired of getting my hopes up about that position group.

We have a chance to compete in the East, for sure... but there are very few positions where we are the best in the division at.

[Going Commando]

Skins have the best defense in the division.

Skins have the best tight end in the division.

Skins have the best runner in the division.

With Owens and Plax gone, Skins probably have the best receiver in the division.

It won't take a magician to win, but, it will take something other than the weakest QB in the division.

And the weakest offensive line. Don't forget that part. Campbell has his flaws but it isn't all up to him. Also, he needs someone besides Moss to emerge as a reliable target. Moss got taken out of the offense last year, and we couldn't move the ball through the air at all. It's the same thing that happened to the Giants when Burress went out at the end of the season.

Really, if we get an impact rookie like Oher or A. Smith, I think our offensive line will improve dramatically next season. I may be wrong, but wasn't it only 2 or 3 seasons ago that our line allowed just 19 sacks on the year? That was with this very same lineup. Hopefully, Thomas can get back to form this year and we can get a viable RT in the draft. Then our right side will be as solid as our left is, and Rabach can get back to being the cagey veteran who shines in the second level.

[Going Commando]

Good points, but I think Dallas losing TO and the other bad apples is a blessing for them. Less distractions, new stadium (more fans, louder crowd), etc..

I'm sure the Giants will find a way to compensate losing Plex. I agree, the offense stunk late last year without him but the Giants always seem to find a replacement.

The Eagles are a crap shoot.

The Eagles still have the best backfield in the division. Say what you want about him, but McNabb is easily the best QB in the NFC East. They will contend every year until they are finally foolish enough to get rid of him. But they definitely got worse after Free Agency this year.

Dallas morphed into a contender almost entirely on the strength of their 2005 draft class, the emergence of Tony Romo sits to pee, and the 2006 acquisition of Terrell Owens. Those three events made them what they are now, and that is a formula that we could very well see playing out on our own roster already. Our 2008 draft class needs to pan out, and Campbell needs to improve. If that happens we will be an excellent team.

[Going Commando]

Defense? The Giants have the best defense in the East, IMO. Dallas led the NFL in sacks and Philly is always good under JJ. Our defense will be in the mix, but to clearly say we have the best defense in the East is not accurate, IMO.

I disagree with your defensive assessment. The statistics just don't back up your claim that the Giants have a better defense than us. Last year, only the Eagles performed better, and they got a little bit worse this offseason while we got markedly better. Second, keep in mind that all three of our division opponents had an easier schedule defensively than we did last year, if for no other reason then that they got to play us twice. We are a bad offensive team when they are not. (Plus we played the Saints)

I think we have the most complete defense in the division front to back, and they will keep us competitive if nothing else.

[BLEED-B&G]

We can't pick past the first round anyway; the late round production has been laughable recently.

We have hit on Horton, Montgomery and Gholston recently other than that if you are on the team 3 years later and you were picked in rounds 2-7 you are the exception not the rule.

[BLEED-B&G]

I disagree with your defensive assessment. The statistics just don't back up your claim that the Giants have a better defense than us. Last year, only the Eagles performed better, and they got a little bit worse this offseason while we got markedly better.

Markedly better? How? by losing our only slot corner, by losing any chance of getting to the qb from the left side? Failing to find a suitable replacement at strong side linebacker? Which one of those makes us better, we added an beast DT but have various holes elsewhere.

It's April to say we have improved on D is a stretch.

[JRAB]

I disagree with your defensive assessment. The statistics just don't back up your claim that the Giants have a better defense than us. Last year, only the Eagles performed better, and they got a little bit worse this offseason while we got markedly better. Second, keep in mind that all three of our division opponents had an easier schedule defensively than we did last year, if for no other reason then that they got to play us twice. We are a bad offensive team when they are not. (Plus we played the Saints)

I think we have the most complete defense in the division front to back, and they will keep us competitive if nothing else.

I do see exactly where you're coming from... but still, pressure on the QB is a huge part of any dominant defense. Until we prove we can pressure the QB consistently, I will rank our defense below those teams that can roll out a good pressure defense.

Philly, NY and Dallas all get to the QB consistenly, which makes it more difficult for an offense to do anything.

I do agree that we have a very good defense... it just lacks (or has lacked) in the QB pressure area.

[Going Commando]

We can't pick past the first round anyway; the late round production has been laughable recently.

We have hit on Horton, Montgomery and Gholston recently other than that if you are on the team 3 years later and you were picked in rounds 2-7 you are the exception not the rule.

I agree, We've picked a lot of fullbacks, tight ends, and linebackers over the years who've done nothing. Cooley and Blades are the exceptions there. Oh well, last year was the first time in forever we had a full assortment of picks, we'll see if our record improves.

[DGREENHULK]

MAGIC...Funny Synder kinda looks like Harry Potter! DAL/NY/ and PHI all created huge holes while the SKINS filled some of their own. The Draft is what is...a high risk game of chicken....I'd rather have YOUNG veterans like Haynesworth and Hall then 11 unproven rookies filling holes.

[Going Commando]

Markedly better? How? by losing our only slot corner, by losing any chance of getting to the qb from the left side? Failing to find a suitable replacement at strong side linebacker? Which one of those makes us better, we added an beast DT but have various holes elsewhere.

It's April to say we have improved on D is a stretch.

I know it's early, but it's just as much speculation to say we got worse than it is to say we got better. Speculation is why we come on here during the offseason to post anyway. But the arguments to back my projection are stronger.

Slot Corner? Smoot is still on the team, and I think Hall will prove to be an upgrade over Springs if for no other reason than he can play an entire season.

At SSLB we have pretty much the same situation we did last year--Blades started half the games anyway, so we didn't get worse except that we aren't sure if we have a backup at the position.

And we got almost no production from Jason Taylor (when he was healthy) at LE. We took a hit losing Evans, but we got Daniels back. If he stays healthy, he is a better starter than Evans was. Call that position another wash.

Resigning Hall and Daniels made sure we didn't get worse from last year's unit, and I think those two moves alone would have been enough to see our defense improve slightly from last year.

And anyway you slice it, we got better because of the Haynesworth signing. We addressed a substantial area of need, and we didn't just sign a stud of a DT, we signed the very best DT in the league. When he's on the field, our team will be one of the hardest to run the ball on in the league. And in passing situations, he'll be able to command the double teams that Griffin needs to be effective. We'll be able to collapse the pocket from the middle with those two, and that will drastically help our already strong secondary. We didn't give up a lot of big plays anyway, now its going to be even harder for offenses to move the ball in big chunks. I think we are going to see a lot of checkdowns and short passes from opposing offenses (when they don't go 3 and out).

[Redskins:Victory_or_Death]

You want more pics, go to the babe draft threads.

What!? There exists such a thing? And why was I not told? :mad:

[Gregpeck99]

Go sniff Kiper's jock. The Draft is always bad ... but this year it is dreadful. The Skins need to steal Jay Cutler ... them they will win the NFCEast going away.

[PROSCOUT]

Skins have the best defense in the division.

Skins have the best tight end in the division.

Skins have the best runner in the division.

With Owens and Plax gone, Skins probably have the best receiver in the division.

It won't take a magician to win, but, it will take something other than the weakest QB in the division.

So Art, you are on record as saying Jason Campbell is the weakest QB in the NFL EAST. Even McNabb is going to have a better season, that is what you are saying?

[Going Commando]

I do see exactly where you're coming from... but still, pressure on the QB is a huge part of any dominant defense. Until we prove we can pressure the QB consistently, I will rank our defense below those teams that can roll out a good pressure defense.

Philly, NY and Dallas all get to the QB consistenly, which makes it more difficult for an offense to do anything.

I do agree that we have a very good defense... it just lacks (or has lacked) in the QB pressure area.

That's a large part of where Haynesworth will help. I know its been pounded into our heads but interior pressure is going to be a strength instead of a weakness for us next season.

A lot of us have forgotten it, but Cornelius Griffin is still a very good defensive tackle and collapses the pocket very well when he is only being single blocked. For the past three years, we've needed someone who could consistently command and beat a double team. When that finally happens, Griffin is an animal. In 2007 it was "if Kedric Golston can command a double team..." and then in 2008 "If Anthony Montgomery can..." and so on. Obviously neither of those worked out as well as hoped, but finally, we have someone who can.

It's early and probably overly bold, but I think that Cornelius Griffin is going to have a pro-bowl caliber year (as long as he and Haynesworth stay fairly healthy). 6-8 sacks from him wouldn't surprise me. Tony Brown had 4 sacks and 10 TFL next to Haynesworth and Cornelius Griffin is a way better tackle than he is.

It's hard to include Dallas because they have a 3 man front, but its pretty safe to say we have the 2 best starting DT's in the NFC East (although Philly has a good pair, and Fred Robbins is a good one too.)

[#98QBKiller]

So Art, you are on record as saying Jason Campbell is the weakest QB in the NFL EAST. Even McNabb is going to have a better season, that is what you are saying?

Last season:

In terms of total yards Jason was #3 in the NFC East with Eli Manning being right behind him. Same thing in terms of yards per game.

In terms of TDs Jason was 4th in the East but in terms of INTs he was #1, throwing the least number of picks.

[Going Commando]

Last season:

In terms of total yards Jason was #3 in the NFC East with Eli Manning being right behind him. Same thing in terms of yards per game.

In terms of TDs Jason was 4th in the East but in terms of INTs he was #1, throwing the least number of picks.

Campbell was also 4th in QB rating, but not by all that much. He is an efficient and improving QB, so it's likely that his QB rating will go up next year. We need to see his completion % continue to rise this season, as well as his YPA. The YPA should go up if we can develop a reliable #2 receiver to keep the coverage from rolling on Moss. And also of course Jason Campbell needs more time to throw so that receivers can run their routes. But Campbell also needs to work on his accuracy. He looked skittish all the time at the end of last season.

We don't need Campbell to throw for 25+ touchdowns in a season, just to manage the game efficiently and be able to score TD's in the redzone when we can't run the ball.

[yellow41]

No, not a magician. A new owner. Won't happen for another 40 years at least.

[Thirtyfive2seven]

Campbell was also 4th in QB rating, but not by all that much. He is an efficient and improving QB, so it's likely that his QB rating will go up next year. We need to see his completion % continue to rise this season, as well as his YPA. The YPA should go up if we can develop a reliable #2 receiver to keep the coverage from rolling on Moss. And also of course Jason Campbell needs more time to throw so that receivers can run their routes. But Campbell also needs to work on his accuracy. He looked skittish all the time at the end of last season.

We don't need Campbell to throw for 25+ touchdowns in a season, just to manage the game efficiently and be able to score TD's in the redzone when we can't run the ball.

I agree on your points of the offensive line and on a viable 2nd WR option to assist in J.Campbell's development, but why isn't it reasonable to expect or demand? 25+ touchdowns from your franchise quarterback?

I think this is one of the main sticking points of the ongoing debate over Campbell. Yes, he's a serviceable quarterback but it doesn't seem likely he will ever throw even more than 20 td's in a single season. Consider this: last season at the halfway point he was playing his best ball yet he still only tossed 8 TD's. So if he continues that trend you're looking at 16-18 TDs a season.

I just don't think that's enough unless the skins can continue to be a dominant team running the football. With Portis' age, I don't see that happening - he needs a young backup, ala Sprole's, to bear some of the burden.

I guess that is exactly what Zorn and staff are counting on? Rely on the defense for another year to hold teams to under 18 pts/game and hope the offense can do a little better. It just seems unlikely given last seasons results. A lot of players would have to step up

[Skins-Canes-Mounties]

The draft is for long-term success. Teams shouldn't rely on plugging rookies into holes where veteran starters should be. They should stockpile picks to fill holes that they anticipate having in the future. It is true that fewer guys will make the Giants, but the more picks, the better the competition in their camp. If we didn't have the number of holes that we have now, we would be drafting to fill holes anticipated in 2010. Or we would have the luxury of taking BPA.

Our 2007 and 2008 picks should be stepping up to fill holes this year. From 2007 we have Laron as a solid starter and Blades as a good backup and potential starter when London is gone. That's it. We've still got most of the 2008 draft class on our roster, and this is the year that they will be judged. They should be ready to be contributors in 2009, or they will be on shaky ground. If they play poorly in training camp, a lot of these guys won't be given the benefit of the doubt that they were given in 2008 because we didn't have the depth (we should NEVER be looking for 10 out of 10 draft picks to make our roster).

The loss of the second rounder for Taylor hurts. The loss of the fourth rounder for Kendall is OK for me. Kendall was solid for 2 years. We drafted Rhinehart hoping that he would be able to fill Kendall's shoes when he left. That hasn't happened yet, but hopefully we will see this year. The real loss isn't in 2009. We have these holes because of our PAST failures in the draft. The failure of the lack of draft picks in 2009 will be shown in 2010 and beyond, as our players age and there is not adequate young depth ready to fill a role.

[Going Commando]

I agree on your points of the offensive line and on a viable 2nd WR option to assist in J.Campbell's development, but why isn't it reasonable to expect or demand? 25+ touchdowns from your franchise quarterback?

I think this is one of the main sticking points of the ongoing debate over Campbell. Yes, he's a serviceable quarterback but it doesn't seem likely he will ever throw even more than 20 td's in a single season. Consider this: last season at the halfway point he was playing his best ball yet he still only tossed 8 TD's. So if he continues that trend you're looking at 16-18 TDs a season.

I just don't think that's enough unless the skins can continue to be a dominant team running the football. With Portis' age, I don't see that happening - he needs a young backup, ala Sprole's, to bear some of the burden.

I guess that is exactly what Zorn and staff are counting on? Rely on the defense for another year to hold teams to under 18 pts/game and hope the offense can do a little better. It just seems unlikely given last seasons results. A lot of players would have to step up

It isn't that we rely on our running game for our scoring offense, because let's face it, we don't score a lot of points with our running game either. We just aren't a team that is built to score 30 points in a game, but we also don't allow other teams to do that.

Our ball control offense and outstanding defense are the reason Campbell doesn't have to throw 25+ TDs a season. We only get about 4 scoring drives a game anyway, we are a slow paced team where QB stats aren't going to compare well with other passing offenses like Green Bay, Dallas, Denver, New England, and Arizona.

[Going Commando]

The loss of the second rounder for Taylor hurts. The loss of the fourth rounder for Kendall is OK for me. Kendall was solid for 2 years. We drafted Rhinehart hoping that he would be able to fill Kendall's shoes when he left. That hasn't happened yet, but hopefully we will see this year. The real loss isn't in 2009. We have these holes because of our PAST failures in the draft. The failure of the lack of draft picks in 2009 will be shown in 2010 and beyond, as our players age and there is not adequate young depth ready to fill a role.

I agree wholeheartedly with your post, especially this bit right here. We've had the fewest number of draft picks since 2000 of any franchise in the league. This is probably the reason we are the most aggressive team in FA as well. But we see the flaw with this approach. You can expect to get about 3 productive seasons from a solid FA acquisition, Whereas you get 6-7 from a good draft pick. It's cheaper and far more effective to use the draft well and then use FA to fill in the few positions you weren't able to solidify in the draft.

The knee-jerk Taylor trade really hurt, and we lost a pick for next year as well. But at least we didn't pull off another knee-jerk trade for Jay Cutler and compromise our draft even further, as well as next year's. If we want to improve as a franchise we need to go ahead and bite the bullet and draft pretty strictly BPA this year, expand our scouting department, realize we aren't a player or two away from a championship and start stockpiling picks in order to focus on rebuilding an offensive core through the draft.

[Est.1974]

The loss of the second rounder for Taylor hurts.

It does indeed. Having picks #13, #44 & #80 would look a whole lot better through 3 rounds.

[glsjr2277]

The point of my starting the Magician Draft thread was to clarify our position, as opposed to our rivals in the NFC East. If JC and Zorn don't score some points and do better than 8-8 their both out of here. The draft is a mute point. That being said our Division rivals with twice our pics will get better and have greater depth. The drafts a crapshoot at best. But the small percentage that pan out,and do it for a lot less money is the foundation of all teams. Dallas,the Eagles, Giants, and Philly all had greater contributions from their drafted players last year. Maybe "Our Cousin Vinny" needs to pull out the "Magic Grits". Our 10 pics last year I do think we'll get a couple of starters out of. Hortons solid but not a star. Thomas,Davis and K.Moore should improve.Kelly will be gone if his knees don't come around. Some of that class will get cut this year. If we stay at 13 it has to be for a starter.

[AAARedskin]

Someday Dan Snyder is going to wake up and realize that he is NOT A REAL NFL GENERAL MANAGER. Once he hires a decent GM, our beloved Skins will start to be a real threat in the NFC East.......