Washington Redskins Must Avoid Reaching For Positions Of Need In 2017 NFL Draft

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Oct 28, 2016; London United Kingdom; Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen at practice at the Twyford Avenue Sports Ground in preparation for game 17 of the NFL International Series against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

There are some inklings that the Washington Redskins could be shifting towards a needs based draft approach. While this makes sense on the surface, it could prove to be an inefficient strategy.

The NFL Draft is completely unpredictable. There is no way of knowing whether a prospect is a safe selection or not. Every year, there are players taken early that are busts (we’re looking at you, Robert Griffin III). There are also players taken later, or not at all, that turn into big time impact players for teams. Because of this, there is no real foolproof way for a team to take on the NFL Draft.

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That said, more often than not, taking a needs based draft approach can backfire. While conventional wisdom may dictate that drafting needs makes sense, the reality is that taking a player earlier than their projected value is inefficient. This question about a needs based strategy is starting to come up when discussing the Washington Redskins plans for the 2017 NFL Draft.

With no general manager currently in power, there is a great deal of speculation about how the team will handle the draft. One would assume that head coach Jay Gruden and team president Bruce Allen will work together to identify players that the team should target. However, what is unclear is whether or not the Redskins will shift away from Scot McCloughan’s strategy of taking the best player available, regardless of need, more often than not.

McCloughan’s strategy was on display during the 2016 NFL Draft when the team took wide receiver Josh Doctson in the first round. While Doctson did not have much of a role, functioning as the fourth receiver before being lost for the season with a troublesome Achilles, his presence allowed the team to move on from Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson in the offseason.

Also, Doctson was arguably the most talented player on the board. Sure, the team could have selected a defensive player that would have had more of an impact in the 2016, but Doctson possesses greater upside. That is the most important thing in the draft process. Getting players that project to be really strong long term players.

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