Washington Redskins: 15 best draft day steals of all-time

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17 Jan 1988: Washington Redskins defensive linemen Dave Butz (center) and Dexter Manley (left) combine to sack Minnesota Vikings quarterback Wade Wilson during a playoff game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D. C. The Redskins won the game, 17-10. Mandator /

The Redskins offense of the 1980s gets most of the recognition. With a Pro Football Hall of Fame game planner and a dangerous trio known as the Posse, they set the standard for the league’s offenses for years on end. But in that long championship window, it wasn’t just Washington’s offense that flourished. Their defense was dominant as well.

Their stout defense wasn’t formed entirely through the NFL Draft. Dave Butz was a free agent acquisition, and (other example). But one of their most fearsome players was, in fact, acquired in the NFL Draft, and at a premium price.

Dexter Manley wasn’t a highly coveted defensive end out of Oklahoma State. So he fell to the fifth round of the 1981 NFL Draft, where the Redskins would scoop him up. Almost immediately, he became a part of the defensive rotation.

At the end of his 11-year career with the Redskins, Manley had eclipsed the heralded 100-sack mark. Even today, he sets the standard for what the production should be for a trench warrior. For a fifth-round pick, that’s value that’s hard to match.

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