Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Why the Redskins don’t need to take a quarterback in Round 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft

By Conor Forrest

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 16: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks to quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at FedExField on September 16, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 16: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks to quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at FedExField on September 16, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks to pass during the second half in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks to pass during the second half in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

The Redskins are not one player away.

To be fair, it’s not the NBA, so who knows if there is a team that is truly one player away. But would taking a player like Daniel Jones from Duke in the first round really make 2019 that much different? I sure don’t think so.

Need for a quarterback shouldn’t outweigh taking the best player available. While the quarterback is the most important position on a team, if you’re spending a first round pick on one, you better make sure that he is the guy for the future. Dwayne Haskins look to be the best name for the job, but the chances of him falling to 15 are about the same as the chances of me getting my name called in this year draft at any point in time.

The NFL has an amazing way of showing us that no one really knows anything for sure. For all I know, Jones and Lock could become Hall of Famers, and Haskins could be a bust.

More from Commanders Draft News

What I can tell you for sure is that the Redskins have more needs than just at the quarterback position. The best thing they can do is surround their future guy with the tools he needs to succeed, whoever that ends up being. They need to find the counterpart to Ryan Kerrigan in the linebacking crew. They have to fill the gap that the departure of D.J. Swearinger is leaving behind. It is imperative to fix the left guard position, and those are only a few of the questions that need answers.

After those holes are fixed, that is when you go get your quarterback. Taking someone like Will Grier as a project piece in the later parts of the draft gives you two good things. First, it gives you a new fresh face that has some potential and can learn in the film room with Alex Smith. The second thing it gives you is a low-cost investment that eliminates the threat of pulling another 2012 draft and mortgaging away the teams future if that player doesn’t pan out. With Smith’s contract digging a chunk out of the Redskins cap room, the front office have to move their chess pieces carefully, and now is clearly not the time to take risks.

Home/Commanders Draft News