Marty Hurney would not be the best option for Redskins GM

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CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 18: Armanti Edwards #14 of the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 18, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Hurney’s draft history

Comparatively to his free agent history, Hurney’s draft history isn’t as bad. But there are still some significant misses from his tenure and another major red flag to keep an eye on.

At the end of his first stint as the general manager of the Panthers, Hurney had a penchant for moving up in the draft. That ended up costing him significant resources, especially after the players that he moved up to get struggled.

It all started in 2008 when Hurney made the decision to move up to draft Jeff Otah. The pick ended up being a bust as Otah would just play 29 games for the Panthers over the course of four years with the squad. The Panthers sacrificed a 2009 first-round pick to get him and the pick they gave up would later be used on Eric Wood, a Pro Bowl center for the Buffalo Bills.

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In 2009, Hurney traded his 2010 first-round pick (that became guard Mike Iupati) for second- and fourth-round picks that he turned into Everette Brown and Mike Goodson. Brown had six sacks in two seasons with the Panthers while Goodson was a fine three-year backup for a team that was already stacked at the running back position.

In 2010, Hurney would once again lose in a trade up to get Armanti Edwards, an Appalachian State quarterback converting to receiver at the NFL level. Hurney moved up in the third round to get Edwards but for some reason surrendered a 2011 second-round pick to get him.

After the Panthers bottomed out that season, the New England Patriots ended up with the No. 33 pick while Edwards would total just 143 scrimmage yards during his career and worked mostly as a return man.

These trades really hampered the Panthers’ ability to draft talent and Hurney massively overpaid in them. They aren’t a be-all, end-all to his candidacy, but these decisions are part of why the Panthers originally parted with him back in 2012.

Hurney did have some hits in the draft, especially early in his tenure with the team. This includes the likes of Thomas Davis, Jordan Gross, Chris Gamble and, of course, Julius Peppers with first-round picks and guys like Ryan Kalil, Charles Johnson, Travelle Wharton, and Will Witherspoon after the first. And these choices are what make his draft history stronger than his presence in free agency.

But in the final four years of his tenure, Hurney’s hits were few and far between. He had five picks that ended up working out really well for the team. Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Josh Norman, Greg Hardy, and Captain Munnerlyn. The other 27 didn’t find much success save for Brandon LaFell and Sherrod Martin, who each started for multiple seasons with the team.

Regarding Hurney’s more recent drafts, he ran them in 2018 and 2019 after taking over for Dave Gettleman in the Summer of 2017. It’s far too early to judge the overall impact of those classes, but his early-round picks of D.J. Moore, Donte Jackson, Brian Burns, and Greg Little look solid. So perhaps he has learned from his past mistakes.

Still, his inconsistent draft record is a bit of a concern, especially when the Redskins have had excellent drafts the past few seasons with Kyle Smith leading the charge in that department. Going from top-tier to mixed-bag would certainly be a downgrade.

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