What many are missing ...

[GURU]

Before a couple of days ago, the Redskins had two picks (#9 in the 1st round and #76 in the 3rd round, overall) on the first day of the draft.

They still have 2 picks on the first day, but now both are in the first round.

What so many people are missing is that those two picks could easily be traded for 2 or possibly 3 additional picks--each--on the first day of the draft.

Why don't people understand the flexibility that those two picks afford? There are so many possible scenarios, and the worst scenario is that the Skins have to use both of those picks.

What's obvious to me is that Gibbs wants to give this team an infusion of talent at a 2 or 3 positions THIS year. Again, worst possible scenario is that the Skins have two talented first round picks they can be developing NOW. Gibbs isn't loading up for this coming season. He's also loading up for the next couple of seasons after this one. Rookies who may be role players this coming season can be starters in a couple of seasons.

Another thing that still surpises me is how many people, including BEAT WRITERS for newspapers, keep saying that this isn't a very good draft. Well, I think those people are WAY off base. This draft doesn't have the same kind of big-name players at the top like last year's draft. But I agree with Mel Kiper, Jr. when he said--on the radio the other day--that this draft has more talent, from top to bottom, than last year's. In fact, Mel said that if 2-3 more big-time underclassmen had come out, this might be one of the best drafts in recent memory. While none of this year's receivers are as good as Larry Fitzgerald or Roy Williams last year, or Charles Rogers or Andre Johnson the year before, this year's draft has more overall talent. This year's cornerback class is much better, top to bottom, than last year's.

Believe it or not, I think giving up next year's first round pick really is about the future. One of the things that Gibbs has been stressing since he's come back is the need to develop a CORE of players to build around. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can be a perennial contender. Gibbs is looking for some more of those core guys--NOW. If you see an opportunity to do it now, do it! As some of these older guys retire or move on, there's someone ready to step in. You don't have to rush in a draft choice or overpay for a free agent to fill holes.

Apparently, Gibbs and his staff see some players they really like in this draft and want to get them on board right away. It could be two guys. But trades could possbily net anywhere from 3 to 6 guys on the first day of the draft--guys that we can get into the program NOW. And if you draft the right guys, that's good for the future.

[kappaluvacee]

Well stated. I agree. The writers are saying it's a weak draft. These are the same guys that aren't good at assessing talent, thus they are beat writers and not NFL scouts.

[MumboSauce]

Sounds good to me...I trust Gibbs and the crew will make the right calls/decisions in the draft and get who they want to fill thier needs in whatever capacity they deem...whatever strategy/scenario plays out...we will find out soon. Trust that they made this move with great intent/reason to best help the team.

And agreed, this draft might not be star studded but I think it has better overall talent and is deep in that regard. I think we'll get some solid guys.

[Om]

Nice post, GURU. I'd add simply that the flexibility they've attained through the trade not only gives them a chance to use those picks on rookies (either directly or through more pick trades) ... but also flexibility for potential trades for young veterans.

The team has done well of late in FA--noboby throw Brunell at me unless you're prepared to go down the entire list from last year, okay? --bringing in young vets already proven capable of playingin the league AND ready to hit the ground running this season.

I'd not be surprised at all to see a package trade Saturday that lands the team such a player not even on the radar at this point. Not saying it will ... just that the flexibility extends beyond the draft itself.

*

NOTE:

This post could seen as a smokescreen.

Or it could not.

Hard to say.

[Henry]

In other words, it's April.

[iheartskins]

Originally posted by Om

I'd not be surprised at all to see a package trade Saturday that lands the team such a player not even on the radar at this point. Not saying it will ... just that the flexibility extends beyond the draft itself.

That's exactly what I forsee as well. As many have stated, we now have much greater liquidity in the draft trading market with these two pics. The bargaining power that we've now amassed should not be taken lightly. The focus is on us, which could mean that more trade offers are going to come our way from the rest of the league. This move could be the catalyst that changes things greatly.

Exactly how this catalyst plays out, of course, remains to be seen.

[Sweet Sassy Molassy]

I agree with Om here. Us picking up the 25th pick gives us much more flexibility with the #9 pick. We may be seeing some fireworks this Saturday, and I'm off so I'll be watching and waiting.

[wskin44]

Well said Guru. The naysayers seem to think that we will have no way to add players next year, forgetting that the draft is just one way to add players. Next offseason we will have plenty of money to fill remaining holes with free agents.

[jimster]

good points, GURU. - and I agree with wskin, no first round next year does not mean we can't add any players. - It just means we won't be drafting them. If were a rebuilding team like San Fran, then I'd be scared to give away future picks, but Gibbs has done things like this with picks many times before and its turned out pretty good.

[Oldskool]

Originally posted by GURU

Before a couple of days ago, the Redskins had two picks (#9 in the 1st round and #76 in the 3rd round, overall) on the first day of the draft.

They still have 2 picks on the first day, but now both are in the first round.

What so many people are missing is that those two picks could easily be traded for 2 or possibly 3 additional picks--each--on the first day of the draft.

Why don't people understand the flexibility that those two picks afford? There are so many possible scenarios, and the worst scenario is that the Skins have to use both of those picks.

What's obvious to me is that Gibbs wants to give this team an infusion of talent at a 2 or 3 positions THIS year. Again, worst possible scenario is that the Skins have two talented first round picks they can be developing NOW. Gibbs isn't loading up for this coming season. He's also loading up for the next couple of seasons after this one. Rookies who may be role players this coming season can be starters in a couple of seasons.

Another thing that still surpises me is how many people, including BEAT WRITERS for newspapers, keep saying that this isn't a very good draft. Well, I think those people are WAY off base. This draft doesn't have the same kind of big-name players at the top like last year's draft. But I agree with Mel Kiper, Jr. when he said--on the radio the other day--that this draft has more talent, from top to bottom, than last year's. In fact, Mel said that if 2-3 more big-time underclassmen had come out, this might be one of the best drafts in recent memory. While none of this year's receivers are as good as Larry Fitzgerald or Roy Williams last year, or Charles Rogers or Andre Johnson the year before, this year's draft has more overall talent. This year's cornerback class is much better, top to bottom, than last year's.

Believe it or not, I think giving up next year's first round pick really is about the future. One of the things that Gibbs has been stressing since he's come back is the need to develop a CORE of players to build around. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can be a perennial contender. Gibbs is looking for some more of those core guys--NOW. If you see an opportunity to do it now, do it! As some of these older guys retire or move on, there's someone ready to step in. You don't have to rush in a draft choice or overpay for a free agent to fill holes.

Apparently, Gibbs and his staff see some players they really like in this draft and want to get them on board right away. It could be two guys. But trades could possbily net anywhere from 3 to 6 guys on the first day of the draft--guys that we can get into the program NOW. And if you draft the right guys, that's good for the future.

Your assessment is off, and really so is Kiper’s on the draft’s overall talent.

Lets break it down on talent alone position by position from last year to this year:

QB: Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, J.P. Losman, > (projected) Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith

RB: Steven Jackson, Chris Perry,< Cedric Benson, Cadilliac Williams, Ronnie Brown This is really one of the few positions that this class is better than last years.

WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Mike Clayton > Braylon Edwards, Mike Williams, Troy Williamson, Mark Clayton, Matt Jones, Roddy White. Last years class was as deep and more talented, even with Edwards and Williams at the top of the heap this year.

TE: KW2 > Heath Miller

O line: Robert Gallery, Shawn Andrews, Vernon Carrey > Alex Barron, Jamaal Brown, Kahlif Barnes. Last years class was a bit more talented than this years class.

D line: Tommie Harris, Will Smith, kenechi Udeze, Vince Wilfork = Shawne Merriman, David Pollack, Erasmus James, marcus Spears, Shaun Cody, Dan Cody, Travis Johnson,

LB: Jonathan Vilma < Derrick Johnson, Demarcus Ware, Thomas Davis, Channing, Crowder

Secondary: Sean Taylor, DeAngelo Hall, Dunta Robinson > Adam Jones, Antrele Rolle, Carlos Rodgers, Fabian Washington, Marlin Jackson, Justin Miller. This years 1st round class is deeper but no where near as talented.

Overall last years draft was as good or better in every category except RB and LB.

[jimster]

I don't think he means just the first round.

I also heard Kiper talking about the amount of good players in later rounds.

[boofMcboof]

Oldskool your reading comprehension is off. What he said was the draft is deeper from Top to Bottom, meaning rounds 1 THROUGH 7. You listed off some good first round talent though.

The great thing about the flexibilty we have now is if a great deal comes up, like Braylon being available at the 4th pick we can pounce on it. Plus we don't have to reach for a particular player and if all else fails we can trade back.

[Oldskool]

Originally posted by boofMcboof

Oldskool your reading comprehension is off. What he said was the draft is deeper from Top to Bottom, meaning rounds 1 THROUGH 7. You listed off some good first round talent though.

The great thing about the flexibilty we have now is if a great deal comes up, like Braylon being available at the 4th pick we can pounce on it. Plus we don't have to reach for a particular player and if all else fails we can trade back.

i know what he ment but my point still stands. This draft is average with very little peaks of talent unlike last year. On average it might be deeper but nowhere near as talented at the top.

[skins4eva]

Guru, I've been saying it all along as well--this is a very strong draft--there's not necessarily a deion sanders/barry sanders type talent, but the talent is very deep, and at certain positions, like CB, downright impressive. I like the trade in the first round...we could easily pick up two quality starters

[TheLongshot]

Originally posted by Oldskool

i know what he ment but my point still stands. This draft is average with very little peaks of talent unlike last year. On average it might be deeper but nowhere near as talented at the top.

And that's only a concern for those in the top 5. Not having a definite #1 hurts guys like SF. The good thing is, there are only a few players we'd be interested in at #9, and the trade back possibilities are broader, since it doesn't cost teams as much.

This isn't about what people think about the draft in general, but what our team thinks about the draft. It seems obvious that the brain trust has found a few players that could help us now, and has traded into it to find at least one of those guys.

Jason

[jrfriedm]

Would Saturday just hurry up and get here. :doh:

[skins4eva]

I agree--i get the feeling more and more, especially this year, that these "mock" drafts are a complete waste of time considering how much movement we'll see on Saturday.

[iheartskins]

Originally posted by skins4eva

I agree--i get the feeling more and more, especially this year, that these "mock" drafts are a complete waste of time considering how much movement we'll see on Saturday.

I think just about every mock draft is nonsense. Think about it: one pic moves up or down and the whole draft is wrong. I can see some valid conjecture about the first 10 pics or so, but after that--what's the point? The odds of someone getting those pics right is even less than someone getting all of the NCAA Tournament Team pics right: 1,000,000:1 (or greater.)

Taking any of the mocks as more than someone else's potentially interesting opinion is to a great extent an exercise in futility.

[TC4]

I myself think that the whole Jason Campbell could be a ploy to snag more picks

It wouldn't surprize me if the Redskins had some info that one or more teams want Campbell and that by getting the #25 pick from the Broncos and then hinting that they themselves might grab him, they set themselves up to trade with one of them for more picks

[Hurst]

I'm still very worried about this move. In terms of value, I think we got fleeced in this trade pretty badly. Clearly it gives us more flexibility, but this move just shows more confusion in the Redskins front office, as to what we want to do in terms of a long term versus short term scenario.

[beastman]

The people in Redskins Park know what they're doing a lot better than any of us on this message board do.

[illone]

Originally posted by TC4

I myself think that the whole Jason Campbell could be a ploy to snag more picks

You've been reading my posts, I see.

[Die Hard]

Originally posted by skins4eva

I agree--i get the feeling more and more, especially this year, that these "mock" drafts are a complete waste of time considering how much movement we'll see on Saturday.

Hey, congratulations. Someone converted this year

My goal is to completely eliminate the term and institution that is the "mock draft".

The most completely useless football related function ever.

[Die Hard]

Originally posted by iheartskins

I think just about every mock draft is nonsense. Think about it: one pic moves up or down and the whole draft is wrong. I can see some valid conjecture about the first 10 pics or so, but after that--what's the point?

Now I'm actually optimistic that ExtremeSkins is making a difference in people's lives And we'll all be better fans for it

[GURU]

I'm still very worried about this move. In terms of value, I think we got fleeced in this trade pretty badly.

If you go by straight numerical value, the Skins came out slightly ahead. You can't really evaluate this trade until you know what players are involved and how each respective team does for the next 2 or 3 years. If the Skins dramatically improve and Denver maintains the status quo, the Skins come out ahead. I really don't see how Denver has improved itself, personnel-wise.

Of course, it's all contingent on how the Skins do. It's not as simple as personnel. The Skins have to cobble together a cohesive unit that plays as a team. That's the key, and that's the kind of players Gibbs is looking for.

WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Mike Clayton > Braylon Edwards, Mike Williams, Troy Williamson, Mark Clayton, Matt Jones, Roddy White. Last years class was as deep and more talented, even with Edwards and Williams at the top of the heap this year.

I agree that Fitzgerald and Roy Williams are probably better prospects than anyone in this draft. But I also feel that Mike Williams and Braylon Edwards are better prospects than Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, and Mike Clayton. Evans and Clayton turned out to be the most productive in last year's class, but that's a separate issue from evaluating them as players before they step foot on an NFL field. This year's class has many more intreaguing prospects than last year's, all the way through the 3rd or 4th round. This is a much deeper class.

O line: Robert Gallery, Shawn Andrews, Vernon Carrey > Alex Barron, Jamaal Brown, Kahlif Barnes. Last years class was a bit more talented than this years class.

Gallery was an elite LT prospect, but the rest of last year's O-line group was fairly ordinary. There's a Shawn Andrews in every draft: a gigantic OG/OT who's more athletic than he ought to be. Carrey was underrated, but he wasn't rated as high as Barron or Barnes are this year. This draft goes a lot deeper at guard and center than last year's. Elton Brown has a rotten attitude and really hurt his draft position, but he's the physical equivalent of Andrews. David Baas is one of those smart, tough guys everyone wants. Marcus Johnson and Evan Mathis are big, athletic prospects with a lot of upside. This is a good year for centers, too. Baas can play center. Chris Spencer might be the best center prospect in years. Jason Brown is as strong as they come, and he's got good agility despite lacking speed. There are some very good small school prospects at the position, too, including Rob Hunt, Scott Mruczkowski, and Eric Ghiaciuc.

D line: Tommie Harris, Will Smith, kenechi Udeze, Vince Wilfork = Shawne Merriman, David Pollack, Erasmus James, marcus Spears, Shaun Cody, Dan Cody, Travis Johnson,

There's been a heck-of-a-lot of talent at DT the past few years. This year's strength is at DE, however, and is overall more athletic than last year's group of D-linemen. Harris and Johnson are comparable DTs: small and very athletic. There's no equivalent to Wilfork, however, with his combination of size and athletic ability. No DE in this draft have had the same sack production as Udeze, but several are comparable in talent. Udeze's advantage is his combination of strength and athletic ability, but this year features DEs who are either faster or stronger. Will Smith was a nice prospect, but not really any more productive, and he was surrounded by more talent than several of this year's prospects. Last year, there were two definate 1st round DEs, and a couple of possible 1st rounders. 3 were chosen in the first round: Udeze, Smith, and Travis LaBoy. Consider, however, that this year features as many as 8 DEs who could possibly go in the first round: Merriman, Spears, Dan Cody, James, Demarcus Ware (who a lot of scouts think is a better fit as a rush LB in a 3-4, but many still think he could play DE in a 4-3), and Pollack are almost sure bets to go in the first, with Matt Roth and Justin Tuck possibilities, as well. I don't see how anyone could possibly say last year's DE class was better.

Secondary: Sean Taylor, DeAngelo Hall, Dunta Robinson > Adam Jones, Antrele Rolle, Carlos Rodgers, Fabian Washington, Marlin Jackson, Justin Miller. This years 1st round class is deeper but no where near as talented.

Taylor is the wild card. It's almost not fair to throw him in the mix because he is such a rare talent. Take away Taylor, and this secondary class, over all, is WAY better. DeAngelo Hall and Pac-Man Jones are comparable talents. Robinson and Rolle are fairly comparable, too: both great athletes and effective cover corners despite the lack of blazing speed. Rodgers might be more talented than the whole lot of this year's and last year's corners. Marlin Jackson and Justin Miller are top talents--better than last year's other first rounders: Ahmad Carroll and Chris Gamble. Last season had a couple of other fine safeties in Madieu Williams and Sean Jones. But Thomas Davis and Brodney Pool could be better. There are some really intreaguing prospects later in the draft, too--more than last year.

Overall, this year's draft seems to lack the marquee names of last year, but I think it surpasses it in overall talent.