WP/Jason Reid: Mike Mayock agrees with taking a QB at 4

[Gibbsisgod2006]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/mike-may****-agrees-redskins-s.html

Mike Mayock agrees Redskins should target quarterback in NFL draft

We heard some draft thoughts last week from ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., and with the NFL Draft Combine about to begin, it's time to give the NFL Network's resident draft expert Mike Mayock the stage. When it comes to the Redskins' first-round pick, Mayock agrees with Kiper on the position the Redskins should target, though not the specific player.

"If you're the Washington Redskins, the first decision you have to make is the quarterback position," Mayock said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters. "If you believe there's a franchise quarterback available at No. 4, that trumps all other needs, in my opinion.

"If you think Sam Bradford is a franchise quarterback and that right shoulder is going to stand up medically, then I believe you have got to take Sam Bradford. Having said that, there's a school of thought out there also, you better upgrade your offensive line before you draft a young quarterback or he may get killed.

"But I always go back to the franchise quarterback trumps everything. So if Bradford or [Jimmy] Clausen, in your opinion, is the guy, I think you've got to take him at four. I think you've got to develop your young quarterback. And I believe when you come around there again at 37, there's going to be another offensive -- I've got seven offensive tackles and then a drop-off. I believe six of them may go this year in that first round. But I think the seventh guy still may be out there, the sixth guy may be out there. So franchise quarterback first and then you have to go get an offensive tackle."

[DonMagicJuan]

hes the most accurate DRAFT guru out there, if he says it, i believe it...

[gortiz]

i do not watch college football ... could clausen, or bradford pull a flacco or ryan???

do they have that potential??

[Drastik]

I respect Mayock's opinion more than anyone elses...

[Drastik]

i do not watch college football ... could clausen, or bradford pull a flacco or ryan???

do they have that potential??

Flacco benefits from an awesome defense and punishing offensive line and running game. So based on that, I would say yes Bradford can pull a Flacco, however our defense won't constantly bail him out and we don't have a running game and offensive line for him to lean on like Flacco did.

[Hiro]

All I've seen of Clausen and Bradford are highlights so I can't say how they would translate to the NFL game. I would agree though that if your scouting department and your own sense tells you that the player you're evaluating is a franchise QB and you don't have one, you had better take him.

Think the Lions regret taking Stafford over a guy like Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe? Or the Jets trading up and taking a chance on Sanchez? Yes it is a risk and missing can set your franchise back years. However, it is a risk you absolutely must take in order to win in this league.

[gortiz]

i do not watch college football ... could clausen, or bradford pull a flacco or ryan???

do they have that potential??

Flacco benefits from an awesome defense and punishing offensive line and running game. So based on that, I would say yes Bradford can pull a Flacco, however our defense won't constantly bail him out and we don't have a running game and offensive line for him to lean on like Flacco did.

yeah, I feel you. Ryan had a true #1 WR and the leagues best RB his rookie season ... skins sure as hell don't have that.

man ... tough call.

[grego]

i like the fact that the draft is deep at tackle. go QB early, and get a solid tackle in the second. sounds like a good plan.

[Xero21]

The title of the article is a bit misleading.

He isn't saying he thinks the Redskins should draft a QB at #4 no matter what, he's saying if you think that QB is a franchise QB, then do it. He isn't saying QB is our biggest need.

From what I've seen/heard, the QBs this year are kind of a weak class. I don't watch too much NCAA but even Mayock has questioned whether or not any of the QBs this year are top 10 talent.

[Brandon Lloyd Christmas]

hes the most accurate DRAFT guru out there, if he says it, i believe it...

ive been saying that EXACT same scenario for over 2 months.

i was even told by a few posters that not a single good tackle would be available at #36 where we pick next, so clearly mayock disagrees with them as well.

how do i get my resume to NFL network! lol

[StillUnknown]

i do not watch college football ... could clausen, or bradford pull a flacco or ryan???

do they have that potential??

flacco & ryan walked into better situations than a prospective qb would on our squad

of the two, i believe Clausen is more "nfl ready"

[ArmchairRedskin]

It doesn't take a degree in rocket surgery to figure it out.

[Conn]

i like the fact that the draft is deep at tackle. go QB early, and get a solid tackle in the second. sounds like a good plan.

Agreed. Lots of junior Tackles came out who would normally have stayed, and probably been top ten picks next year. This is a great year to put off tackle until the top of the second, as long as they aren't all taken in the first. But some stud will drop to us in the second, its a deep draft at tackle, like you say.

Not to mention other first round talents that will get pushed to the second, because of A. the amount of juniors who declared early and B. The top-heavy nature of certain position in the first round (I.E. safety, DT, DE, CB). Man, I hope we can unload some players for extra seconds.

[Mr. Sinister]

ive been saying that EXACT same scenario for over 2 months.

i was even told by a few posters that not a single good tackle would be available at #36 where we pick next, so clearly mayock disagrees with them as well.

how do i get my resume to NFL network! lol

lol the reason the posters say that is because they get their info from guys like Mayock, who IMO is the best draft expert out there, bar none.

[vnmenon1]

Um he is NOT agreeing to take a QB at 4.. he is saying if the REDSKINS think there is a franchise QB at 4, they should take him.... hardly breaking news

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Argh, I fail.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Edit. She didn't want me saying that.

[Brandon Lloyd Christmas]

Um he is NOT agreeing to take a QB at 4.. he is saying if the REDSKINS think there is a franchise QB at 4, they should take him.... hardly breaking news

if bradford or clausen had no chance at even being considered a franchise QB, mayock would have never made those comments.

[skinsfan190]

flacco & ryan walked into better situations than a prospective qb would on our squad

of the two, i believe Clausen is more "nfl ready"

Matt Ryan didn't. That team was in shambles. The front office just did a great job drafting and hiring a great staff. Hopefully we already got the first part done.

Now time to have a great draft

[TheLongshot]

Um he is NOT agreeing to take a QB at 4.. he is saying if the REDSKINS think there is a franchise QB at 4, they should take him.... hardly breaking news

I guess the corollary is that he thinks that there will be a franchise QB at 4 to pick. Course, the question is, do the Redskins agree with him?

The next question is, even if there was one there, would we be better off trading down given that there are bigger fish to fry on this roster?

[skinsfan913]

For one, he said if we are SURE he is a franchise back then we should pull the trigger. Neither IMO looks to be a SURE-fire franchise signal caller. Two, he did say their is another school of thought out there that says if we do put a young Qb out there behind our O-line he will get, I believe the word he used was, KILLED(ala Patrick Ramsey, David Carr). 4 is way too high to pick either of these QBs

[Mahons21]

For one, he said if we are SURE he is a franchise back then we should pull the trigger. Neither IMO looks to be a SURE-fire franchise signal caller. Two, he did say their is another school of thought out there that says if we do put a young Qb out there behind our O-line he will get, I believe the word he used was, KILLED(ala Patrick Ramsey, David Carr). 4 is way too high to pick either of these QBs

-And the next line is "I go back on franchise QB's trump everything."

-If you honestly read this article and didn't gather that Mayock was suggesting we grab a QB at 4 (after he discussed what tackles would be available in the 2nd, not QB's), you should work on your reading comprehension.

[ArmchairRedskin]

A trade down is an unlikely scenario for us. Chances that somebody wants to trade up into the top 5 are slim unless a team wants a QB. Unfortunatley that leaves us out of the picture.

I hope Sam is there for us to decide on whether or not we want him. Considering how well Mike and Kyle have fared with past QB's, I'd love to see what they could do with somebody that has Bradford's potential. Personally, I think he's special talent. However, if for some reason we don't get him, I just hope it's because it's our decision not to, and not because somebody snagged him ahead of us. I'd sleep better that way.

[Conn]

For one, he said if we are SURE he is a franchise back then we should pull the trigger. Neither IMO looks to be a SURE-fire franchise signal caller. Two, he did say their is another school of thought out there that says if we do put a young Qb out there behind our O-line he will get, I believe the word he used was, KILLED(ala Patrick Ramsey, David Carr). 4 is way too high to pick either of these QBs

That's your opinion. You should have said: "4 is way too high to pick either of these QBs, IN MY OPINION".

Luckily, Mayock says that this all depends on Shanahan and Allen's opinion on who is and who is not franchise QB-worthy, not yours.

[The Tris]

yeah, I feel you. Ryan had a true #1 WR and the leagues best RB his rookie season ... skins sure as hell don't have that.

man ... tough call.

flacco & ryan walked into better situations than a prospective qb would on our squad

of the two, i believe Clausen is more "nfl ready"

Matt Ryan didn't. That team was in shambles. The front office just did a great job drafting and hiring a great staff. Hopefully we already got the first part done.

Now time to have a great draft

This is one of the worst misconceptions on this board. Feel free to take a gander at the link in my signature, but suffice to say, the Falcons were in MUCH bigger shambles as a team in 2007 than we were in 2009.

This is my favorite quote from the link:

"Dimitroff wanted to build around a running back, left tackle and quarterback and figured he could get two of the three in the draft. Signing Turner was his only chance to fill one of the three positions early"

Funny how they were able to get two building blocks in one draft...I thought it was an either/or situation.