What would the conclusion of the 2011 NFL Draft be without immediate and impulsive NFL Draft grades of the selections made by all 32 franchises, none more important than the hometown Washington Redskins. Nate Davis of USA Today is apparently a big fan of "the early bird gets the worm," as his "Winners" and Losers" draft review hit the internet barely two hours after the 2011 draft concluded. Unfortunately, Nate did his best Ace Ventura impression and lumped the Washington Redskins into the "L-O-S-E-R" column:
Washington Redskins: After years of moving up and mortgaging picks, they reverse course and amass them -- but in a year when the draft may have been thinner on talent than usual. Their top two choices, Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan and Clemson DT Jarvis Jenkins, would fit perfectly -- along with DT Albert Haynesworth, ILB London Fletcher and, arguably, former college defensive end Brian Orakpo -- if the Washington was still running a 4-3 defense. More importantly, with QB Rex Grossman a free agent and the bridge with Donovan McNabb blown, it seems John Beck remains the nominal starting quarterback unless the Redskins go after yet another veteran signal caller post-lockout.
Davis has a common complaint regarding the Redskins draft that is popping up in many draft reviews. Given Washington was able to obtain more picks, a newfound concept to them, why in the world didn't they at least use one of those picks on a quarterback? Davis' brief foray into being a defensive coordinator doesn't concern me here, as neither he nor I know whether Ryan Kerrigan will be a good pick in a 3-4 OR a 4-3. But it should be noted that Davis is not the first media member to wonder if the top two picks of the Redskins draft might have actually been their worst two selections.