The Redskins continued rounds 5-7 in the draft by continuing to fill in large gaps. Most importantly, the Redskins were actually able to take picks in each round this year, something that has not been accomplished in quite a while. Early signs show that Skins head coach Mike Shanahan has indeed had a plan from the beginning. The Redskins did not waste any picks on aging stars this year and instead opted to draft a mix of low-key players that they know they can mould into key positions. The following are the selections the Redskins made in rounds 5-7. As you can see, the Skins had more than one selection in each of the rounds, with a whopping four picks in round seven. This occurred through numerous trade-downs.
Round Five:
Dejon Gomes, DB, Nebraska
Niles Paul, WR, Nebraska
Round Six:
Evan Royster, RB Penn. State
Aldrick Robinson, WR, SMU
Round Seven:
Brandyn Thompson, DB, Boise State
Maurice Hurt, OL, Florida
Markus White, DE, Florida State
Chris Neild, NT, West Virginia
The Redskins decided to raid the Corn Huskers in round five, adding another WR to the team along with bolstering a secondary in desperate need of support. Round six saw another WR taken, and the second RB taken. I said the Skins needed WRs, but they rubbed it in my face by taking three. Another DB and several linemen rounded off the Skins in round seven. Notably, no QBs were taken. This is a sign that the Skins are either going to stick with McNabb and give the romance another shot or they are going to play Grossman.
This has been one of the best drafts I can think of in many years for the Redskins. Don’t be deceived by the lack of any big names. All of these players were solid for their respective colleges and the Redskins have drafted talent from which they can form a firm foundation for years to come. I’ll be conducting a more in-depth analysis in the next few days, but I’m already brimming with satisfaction. Kudos to Mike Shanahan and the Skins’ front office.
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