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

In the old NFL, it wasn’t so simple. Or so complicated.

In the old NFL, being the first in line for the draft’s top quarterback wasn’t a requirement. In the old NFL, where the ways were different, teams could plug and play sixth-rounders and prowess. Some of the greatest ever to play were found in the mess in the middle, and not at the top. Joe Montana was drafted in the third round. Sonny Jorgensen in the fourth round. Roger Staubach? 10th round.

Now, however, the game is different. If you have a quarterback you want, you move up to get him. And if you can’t get him, or if you’re not ready, you have to wait until you are. The championship windows are more volatile now, and timing is everything. One whiff, or one misstep, and you’re out of contention.

Unless the old ways work for you, anyway.

Kirk Cousins wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a career backup. Drafted in the fourth round of a very strong quarterback class, Cousins was meant to be buried, like all developmental quarterbacks in the modern NFL.

But opportunity kept crawling back to Cousins. After Robert Griffin III lost his favor as the starter, Cousins entered the 2015 season with the title. After a slow, trepidatious start, Cousins caught fire and finished the season with 29 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and the new franchise season passing yardage record. The next year, he broke the record again, this time nearing 5,000 yards.

In six years with the Redskins, Cousins threw for 16,206 yards, 99 touchdowns and 55 interceptions, completing 65.5 percent of his passes at 7.7 yards per attempt. Cousins only led the Redskins to one playoff game, but the team contended for the most part, when Cousins was the starter, despite serious roster inefficiencies.

For a fourth-round pick, Cousins gave the Redskins incredible value in the modern NFL. Now, he’s in Minnesota, trying to prove to his new team that his contract doesn’t detract from that value.