20/20 Hindsight game: What if we had drafted Todd Gurley last year?

[TheGreek1973]

Gurley on this offense and we could recreate the Greatest Show on Turf Rams. Oh well, we should still be a really good offense, and Scherff looks like he's gonna be a 10 year mainstay at G.

 

 

It has been proven that the right pick for us was Scherff.  Heck I thought we should have taken Williams but still even with hindsight Scherff was the right pick. As for Gurley who knows we may have picked is clone this year and it only cost us a very late 7th round pick in Keith Marshall. After all Keith was a 5 star recruit at G while Gurley was a 4 star.

[CommDownMan]

Sorry but I loved Watt out of college and was pissed we missed on him. That said Kerrrigan has been a solid piece and I would feel a lot more saltier if we had passed Watt in the Jaguars slot.

 

Well, we can all take a breather and be glad that we took Kerrigan instead of Gabbert with the #10.  

 

So yeah, it could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse.

[CBass1724]

I feel like Gurley would have been just as bad as our other running backs last year because there was nowhere for them to go, either.

[CTskin]

The "hindsight is 20/20" game is one that we can play for the 2015 draft. The thing is that going into the draft Gurley wasn't anywhere near our debate about who we should take at #5. It was between Williams/ Scherff/ Cooper/ Fowler. Gurley was suspended for a few games during his last year in college and when he came back he tore his ACL. When the Rams picked him in the 1st round, it was no where near an obvious pick. (Even though I hate to applaud Fisher and those clowns).

 

When we got on the clock at pick #5, the choice was between two guys- Scherff and Williams. Interesting to think about where this team was personnel-wise before the 2015 draft as opposed to where they are now. A year ago we were so optimistic about the DL- we brought in Knighton and Paea to add to Baker and Hatcher. Due to our over-confidence in the DL, Williams was rendered to be an unnecessary new toy that didn't fill a need... While on the other side of the ball, our OL was in shambles and it was obvious that we desperately needed an offensive lineman. We appeared to have no starting caliber right side olineman and zero depth along the entire line.

 

Now we fast forward a year and roles are reversed- our OLine is no longer a question, but our DLine is... This is the exact reason why you don't draft based on need. A lot can change over the course of a year. I really like Scherff, but if we could re-do it and have Long take his spot while Williams would get the start at nose, I may just take that deal...

[SkinsFTW]

Well, we can all take a breather and be glad that we took Kerrigan instead of Gabbert with the #10.  

 

So yeah, it could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse.

But if we had drafted Gabbert then we wouldn't have spent all those picks on RG3 the next year and Cousins probably beats out Gabbert by 2013 lol.

[TeddyKGB]

One thing I do like is that every player linked to mccloughans top board has turned out studly(Cooper,Gurley etc). This year we'll see how doctson does vs kelly/treadwell.

[Koolblue13]

One thing I do like is that every player linked to mccloughans top board has turned out studly(Cooper,Gurley etc). This year we'll see how doctson does vs kelly/treadwell.

I was high on Treadwell, until the draft and you got to see and know the guys a little better. That's when I became higher on Doctson.

Going to be fun watching those two. Treadwell went from being a top 3 lock, to what? 4rth WR taken? That's pretty crazy.

[HanburgerBum]

True, most of the money was lost due to the murder thing. So the $Ms is a bit much, but he lost money for sure.

 

But sorry, still not interested. I don't really care if he turns out to be a HOF lineman. What he did was a dick move. Sooner or later he will do something else self centered and stupid. We just don't need that kind of bull**** attitude in the locker room. Let the cow****s have him. He fits right in with all their criminals and cheaters.

 

While I don't tend to agree that Collins' attitude would make him an undesirable Redskin, it could well be that the Skins won't miss him all that much if Lauvao regains his health, and Long, LeRib, Kunjo fullfill their promise.

[HanburgerBum]

One thing I do like is that every player linked to mccloughans top board has turned out studly(Cooper,Gurley etc). This year we'll see how doctson does vs kelly/treadwell.

 

One thing did puzzle me after the fact.  Obviously, McCloughan had Dotson rated as the best player on the board when the Skins' normal turn came up in the 1st round at No. 21.  So, was it reckless to trade down one spot to acquire just a 6th rounder when the next team (Houston) was known to be in the market for a WR?  What if the Texans took Doctson instead of Wm Fuller?  Would McCloughan wanted Fuller or another WR at No. 22 then?  I would not have taken that chance for such a meager return if Doctson were my target at that point in the 1st round, but McCloughan had the guts of a burglar and won his gamble.

[RedBeast]

Or he asked them before the trade...

[Conn]

One thing did puzzle me after the fact.  Obviously, McCloughan had Dotson rated as the best player on the board when the Skins' normal turn came up in the 1st round at No. 21.  So, was it reckless to trade down one spot to acquire just a 6th rounder when the next team (Houston) was known to be in the market for a WR?  What if the Texans took Doctson instead of Wm Fuller?  Would McCloughan wanted Fuller or another WR at No. 22 then?  I would not have taken that chance for such a meager return if Doctson were my target at that point in the 1st round, but McCloughan had the guts of a burglar and won his gamble.

 

A few  things here that should answer your question or at least provide a reasonable explanation:

 

1. Pretty much everyone knew that the Texans only had eyes for the speedster WR's in this draft. They wanted Coleman or Fuller and they spent a lot of time with those guys. That's the role they were determined to fill in their offense with their pick. But if that's not good enough for you...

 

2. When asked this exact question post-draft, Scot kind of laughed a little awkwardly and said he wasn't really going to get into that. Its clear he had some inside info or was just supremely confident that he was getting a free draft pick and still getting his guy. One last option is that...

 

3. The Texans straight up told Scot who they were drafting. This would make sense if they were willing to throw away a late round pick to avoid either the Vikings or Bengals trading up with us before our time on the clock ran out. In this scenario, they are paying a little extra to guarantee they don't get screwed, and they wouldn't lie to Scot about their guy because that's a great way to lose the trust of the entire league's GM pool.

[adamyesme1111]

For some reason I have a feeling the OP means taking Gurley instead of Matt Jones which obviously we could not have done because Gurley was drafted in the first.  I might be mistaken though.  Regardless, it would be nice to have Gurley; I do not think I would take him over Scherff though when our O line is finally looking up.  If we make it good enough, you can get almost any decent one-cut/downhill RB to run through big enough holes.

[Conn]

For some reason I have a feeling the OP means taking Gurley instead of Matt Jones which obviously we could not have done because Gurley was drafted in the first.  I might be mistaken though.  Regardless, it would be nice to have Gurley; I do not think I would take him over Scherff though when our O line is finally looking up.  If we make it good enough, you can get almost any decent one-cut/downhill RB to run through big enough holes.

 

He definitely meant over Scherff, because its the only thing that makes sense. But of course a consequence of that is that we wouldn't have taken Jones later in the 3rd, most likely. 

[RedskinsInFebruary]

The Skins paid the price of bad season after bad season after bad season by neglecting and scrimping on OL for so long. 

 

You can have all the stars you want at skill positions, but they won't have any success if plays can't develop, and neither will your D because they will get worn down.

 

It's fantastic to finally have a football guy in charge.  Bring on the consistent W's.

[Taco Bell]

in short, I'd prefer having the more solid O line for our offensive personnel than having the more solid running back stable.  We have enough skill players for Cousins to prove himself one way or another next season, so having the better O line is better than having an already once knee injured RB, as talented as he is.

 

If it were elliott instead of Gurley, I might have changed my mind.  Elliott seems like the perfect RB for the current NFL, at least based on past history.  All purpose and durable  

[goskins10]

While I don't tend to agree that Collins' attitude would make him an undesirable Redskin, it could well be that the Skins won't miss him all that much if Lauvao regains his health, and Long, LeRib, Kunjo fullfill their promise.

 

 

I think you are missing my point. For all we know this guy could be an angel fro the rest of his career. What I am saying is that what he did was enough of a red flag for me to pass. I might add that 32 NFL GMs agree since not even one team took a late round flyer. Not sure you can fault Scot for staying away also,

[Momma There Goes That Man]

Eh I fault him for it. Call his bluff and take him in the 7th. If he refuses to sign it's his loss, if not, we get a steal in the 7th. Had a lot more potential than the crappy TE we ended up drafting that wasn't eve on the team 5 months later, like most 7th round picks

[Rskins06]

Happy with the Scherrf pick. I really like Gurley but we definitely needed help on O line. I am actually pretty high on the Kieth Marshal pick, I have some Ga fans who say he was better than Gurley when healthy and if he is healthy, may be the steal of the draft. However, proof is in the pudding and we will see what he can do. So far though, last 2 drafts have been pretty good and I fully trust SM.

[goskins10]

Eh I fault him for it. Call his bluff and take him in the 7th. If he refuses to sign it's his loss, if not, we get a steal in the 7th. Had a lot more potential than the crappy TE we ended up drafting that wasn't eve on the team 5 months later, like most 7th round picks

 

That was MS in 2014 who took Bolser from IN. Our one 7th rd pick last year was Austin Reiter who is still very much on the team as a developing Olineman. Collins clearly does not fit the culture Scot is trying to build or he probably would have taken a flyer on him. 

 

This would be a Vinnie move - oh look a pretty shiny thing! Let's get it! Doesn't matter that the pieces have no chance of fitting together or fit the teams culture.

[Reaper Skins]

Been watching the Arizona Cardinals special that they did over on Amazon.  Here's a question for you all: they took David Johnson at 86.  we got Matt Jones at 95, a pick some people were saying was a reach at that position.  

 

Both are bigger backs that are surprisingly good at catching the ball.  

 

How much do you think David Johnson was on the Redskins radar pre-draft? He seems to offer a similar skillset as Matt Jones albeit more polished.

 

What would our offense look like of we had Johnson instead of Jones?

 

Did Johnson getting picked 9 spots ahead of us affect our decision to "reach" for the next best running back with similar build, speed, and ball catching skills? 

 

Here's their draft profiles to compare FYI

 

David Johnson

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/david-johnson?id=2552377

 

Matt Jones

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/matt-jones?id=2552635

 

Measurables:

 

David Johnson - 6'1, 224, 4.5 seconds

 

Matt Jones - 6'2, 231, 4.54 seconds

[bobandweave]

My guess is had Scot thought that Johnson would be the RB he showed to be last year he wouldn't have traded back with the Seahawks for there 4-5-6th round picks last year and would have taken David Johnson with the original 3rd round pick. Scot doesn't have a crystal ball and I don't think that any of the other 32 teams saw what Johnson would become because he lasted until the 3rd round. All teams missed that boat not just us imo

[illone]

A far more legitimate "what if" question is whether the Skins should have picked DT Sheldon Richardson, who went to the Jets on the pick after Scherff.  Richardson had a fine rookie season and looks to be an elite DT.  And, it just so happens that Dline is the Skins weakest spot.  Thus, a case can certainly be made that Richardson would have been a better pick.  But, if it were a case of either Richardson or a stud Olineman, then I have no quarrel with the Scherff pick. 

 

 

No question Richardson would have been a great pick, but Leonard Williams was the guy drafted just after Scherff.

 

 

Richardson was taken in 2013 at slot 13.

[HanburgerBum]

No question Richardson would have been a great pick, but Leonard Williams was the guy drafted just after Scherff.

 

 

Richardson was taken in 2013 at slot 13.

 

Yes, my memory is nowhere what it used to be.  Someone else has already pointed out my mix-up.  But Leonard Wms instead of Scherff is still a legitimate question--especially if McCloughan would call Lael Collins' bluff and draft him with a low-round pick.

[HanburgerBum]

I think you are missing my point. For all we know this guy could be an angel fro the rest of his career. What I am saying is that what he did was enough of a red flag for me to pass. I might add that 32 NFL GMs agree since not even one team took a late round flyer. Not sure you can fault Scot for staying away also,

 

I don't think I missed your point--I just don't really agree with it.  I understand that you think Collins' bluff was a move that indicated some character flaw or at least his having a character that wouldn't be a good fit for a McCloughan team.  I think McClough along with all the other 31 GMs really got bluffed out.  I believe all the GMs thought anything in the top 3 rounds was too big a risk for Collins in view of the scant info on the murder at that time, and the GMs believe that Collins would really not sign and elect to go into the 2016 draft instead.  I believe this to be the case, because many GMs aren't that sensitive to the "team culture" issue.  Yet, they all elected to not even use a 7th rounder on Collins.  An opportunity lost for a smart GM to steal a top prospect for very little risk.

That was MS in 2014 who took Bolser from IN. Our one 7th rd pick last year was Austin Reiter who is still very much on the team as a developing Olineman. Collins clearly does not fit the culture Scot is trying to build or he probably would have taken a flyer on him. 

 

This would be a Vinnie move - oh look a pretty shiny thing! Let's get it! Doesn't matter that the pieces have no chance of fitting together or fit the teams culture.

 

Hey, I hope Austin Reiter turns out to be a solid starter.  But, I would still rather have Lael Collins instead.  Also, if memory serves, there were some other 6th-7th rounders for the Skins that year that didn't make the roster or practice squad.

[HanburgerBum]

A few  things here that should answer your question or at least provide a reasonable explanation:

 

1. Pretty much everyone knew that the Texans only had eyes for the speedster WR's in this draft. They wanted Coleman or Fuller and they spent a lot of time with those guys. That's the role they were determined to fill in their offense with their pick. But if that's not good enough for you...

 

2. When asked this exact question post-draft, Scot kind of laughed a little awkwardly and said he wasn't really going to get into that. Its clear he had some inside info or was just supremely confident that he was getting a free draft pick and still getting his guy. One last option is that...

 

3. The Texans straight up told Scot who they were drafting. This would make sense if they were willing to throw away a late round pick to avoid either the Vikings or Bengals trading up with us before our time on the clock ran out. In this scenario, they are paying a little extra to guarantee they don't get screwed, and they wouldn't lie to Scot about their guy because that's a great way to lose the trust of the entire league's GM pool.

 

Yes, the pre-draft scuttlebutt was that Houston wanted a speedy WR and Coleman or Fuller was their top priority.  But, there is no way I would trust rumors.  I think, and I hope, McCloughan was smart enough to get assurance from the Texans as to whom they would select with the No. 21 pick or they would not pick Doctson.  Otherwise, I would not have made that trade.  A 6th round pick to me is not worth the gamble that the trade could cause you to lose the top guy on your board.

 

There is the companion question why Houston would use a 6th round pick to move up one spot.  Did not the Texans know that Wash was not interested in a pure speed guy?  Or, did McCloughan bluff out Houston by implying that he may be interested in Fuller?  With Coleman already gone, the Texans apparently panicked.