Redskins past draft failures at wide receiver aren’t indicative of future

The Redskins don’t have a good history when it comes to drafting first-round wide receivers. But that doesn’t mean the option is off the table this year.

Adding a top playmaker should be at the top of the Washington Redskins needs list this offseason. Dynamic ability was a key quality lacking in their unit in 2018, and it showed; the Redskins finished the year No. 28 in the NFL in total yards per game, taking up a coveted spot as one of just five teams to average under 300 yards per game.

The passing game was a particularly inept facet of Jay Gruden’s offense, and while the quarterback carousel didn’t help things, it was fairly evident that more talent was needed at wide receiver.

The Redskins are not completely devoid of talent at wide receiver. Josh Doctson improved in 2018, carving out a niche as a reliable player on third down, while building on his contested catch ability. Jamison Crowder, if he stays, is a steady slot receiver. Paul Richardson can bring speed, if he can stay healthy. And then there’s Trey Quinn, of course.

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Washington’s receiving core has a somewhat diverse skill set, as a whole, but playmaking ability is seriously lacking. Washington’s pass catchers lack the ability to add something more to each play, on a consistent basis. That kind of dynamicism is what the Redskins drafted Josh Doctson to bring. But the TCU product, for all the strides he made this year, hasn’t become a needed playmaker.

With a need in the dynamic ability department, and a spotty draft history, the Redskins could test other markets. John Brown and Tyrell Williams could be good gambles in free agency, and Antonio Brown naturally draws attention as a trade candidate.

Look between the lines, however, and any option, besides the NFL Draft, lacks feasibility for the Redskins. Trading for Brown is the least feasible. It would be very short-sighted for a building team to trade for a soon-to-be 31-year old, netting a loss of at least a first-round pick, and it would be cumbersome, due to the team’s lacking cap space. The latter factor also hinders free agency prospects as well, but Washington could cut players to free space.

Whatever the case, however, the NFL Draft seems to be the most reliable option to add dynamic talent; there’s a plethora of such talent at the top of the receiver class, with names such as D.K. Metcalf, N’Keal Harry, Riley Ridley, Kelvin Harmon, Hollywood Brown, Deebo Samuel, and Hakeem Butler bolstering the ranks.

The Redskins could use their first-round pick on one of these players, but such an action would naturally raise concerns, citing past first-round failures at wide receiver, such as Desmond Howard, Rod Gardner, and most recently, the aforementioned Doctson.

The Redskins’ past failures picking wide receivers in the first round, however, are not indicative of future results. In a top-heavy class such as this, picking a receiver early is a safer venture than usual. And although Washington hasn’t built a track record of success when scouting receiver talent, it’s possible to strike gold. Even Matt Millen eventually drafted Calvin Johnson (After whiffing on Charles Rodgers, Roy Williams, and Mike Williams, of course).

The concerns surrounding the possibility of a wide receiver in Round 1 are warranted. The Redskins haven’t done much to attract confidence over the years, in that regard. But no two prospects are alike. Simply because Josh Doctson, a vertical athlete who entered the league as a thin, unpolished route runner, was unable to reach his potential in Washington, doesn’t mean a top-shelf, sturdily-built athlete like D.K. Metcalf, or a speed demon like Hollywood Brown can’t do better.

For the Redskins, picking a receiver in Round 1 comes with a surplus of risk, but the potential reward of adding a young, cost-effective, dynamic talent on offense is almost unparalleled. Yes, the Redskins have failed before. But that’s no reason to throw an option off the table.