The general manager figured, like many, that the Redskins would select a quarterback. When they didn’t, he deciphered what it meant.
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“What they said is that we’re changing the roster over. Our year is not 2011; we’re looking at 2012,” the GM said. “That’s OK as long as the owner is on board with it. You can’t miss on the quarterback and give up a really good player you know can help. … They got a really good class.”
Besides, he said, the quarterback class was just the opposite: not good. He wasn’t crazy about any of the quarterbacks (his team was looking for one).
“In this class, they invented quarterbacks; it wasn’t based on the tape,” he said.
The GM said the Redskins’ first four picks all could start at some point. A great draft, he said, would produce four starters.
The first two — linebacker Ryan Kerrigan and defensive end Jarvis Jenkins — should do so immediately. He sounded more sold on the fourth-round pick, running back Roy Helu, than on the third-rounder, receiver Leonard Hankerson.
“I don’t feel like that’s going to be a sure thing,” the GM said of Hankerson. “He should be a starter, but he had a lot of drops. But he had an excellent senior year, and it was good to get him in the third round. I like Helu. He can be a great runner in Mike Shanahan’s scheme. They got a gem in him.”
He was split on the other two receivers, Niles Paul (fifth round) and Aldrick Robinson (sixth). His team had an interest in both guys.
“Paul is not a good route-runner, and he’s tight hipped,” he said. “His hands are average. But he’s gonna be a great special teams player, so if he doesn’t crack the top three, he’ll return the ball and cover kicks because he has toughness.”
As for Robinson, the GM said, “His hands are average, but it’s good enough for a speed guy. He’s not the toughest guy. Durability is an issue. I don’t trust that he’ll be a complete receiver, and he gives you nothing on special teams.”
For more thoughts by the GM and other Redskins news, visit our Redskins Confidential blog.
