Washington Redskins: The cons of drafting a first-round defensive lineman
By Ian Cummings
The Washington Redskins enter draft season with a lingering need on the defensive line, but should they use a first-round pick to fill that need?
Drafting a defensive lineman in the first round would be far from the worst decision. The Washington Redskins are in need of one more rotational player alongside Jonathan Allen and Matt Ioannidis. And this year’s draft is filled to the brim with early-round trench talent.
But perhaps that’s the reason the Washington Redskins should wait.
The NFL Draft is all about getting value for your picks. Filling your needs is nice, but if you can get the best player available, or fill multiple needs, or do both at the same time, then you’re golden.
You can’t just ignore your needs, however. There’s a chance that a very talented offensive tackle like Conor Williams or Orlando Brown might be available at the Washington Redskins’ pick, but there would be riots in D.C. if they passed over other positions to pair another starting tackle with Trent Williams and Morgan Moses.
We’ll talk about the indelible battle between the philosophy of needs and the philosophy of talent later. But for now, let’s focus on the possibility of the Washington Redskins drafting a defensive lineman in Round 1. And why, based on the needs and the talent, it’s the wrong thing to do.