The best and worst NFL Draft classes in Redskins history

Best Redskins draft classes

Way more fun. Way, way, way more fun. I’m ruling out the last three years because it’s too early to tell. If I weren’t, I would have considered 2017 for the No. 5 spot.

5: 1970 – Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi was brought in from Green Bay to turn a moribund team around, and he began the job in the 1969 draft, finding LB Harold McLinton and all-time great RB Larry Brown in the middle rounds. He followed that up in 1970 by snagging some quality big men. Without a No. 1 pick, he grabbed DLs Bill Brundige (second round) and Manny Sistrunk (fifth round), while landing OL Paul Laaveg in the fourth. Brundige turned out to be a stellar player, while the other two provided tough, quality line play into the mid ‘70s.

4: 2004 – Vinny Cerrato

Look, I hit Vinny pretty hard, and I want to repeat – Vinny Cerrato is one of the main reasons my favorite team has been in decades-long doldrums. But I have to give credit when it’s due. He had four picks in 2004. He got Sean Taylor and Chris Cooley. That’s pretty good. And the two other guys – journeyman linemen Mark Wilson and Jim Molinaro – actually played for the Skins. Icing on the cake.

3: 1979 – Bobby Beathard (You may begin to notice a trend)

George Allen had traded away the future in the early ‘70s. The bill was coming due. Enter Mr. Beathard. He looked like he stepped right off the beach. Indeed, he had come from the Miami Dolphins, where he had helped build one of the dynasties of the 1970s. In 1979, he had a fourth, a fourth, a ninth, and two 11ths. That’s it. He got Don Warren, Rich Milot, and Monte Coleman (The greatest value pick in Redskin history). We were on our way. Bobby Beathard was one of the best talent evaluators in the history of the NFL. Now, all he had to do was find a coach.

2: 1983 – Bobby Beathard

Beathard had nine picks in 1983. He hit on three of them. They were Darrell Green, Charles Mann, and Kelvin Bryant. That’s like coming up to bat nine times and hitting two grand slams and a double (Sorry Kelvin – you’re a double). That’ll get you places in this man’s world.

1: 1981 – Bobby Beathard

This was the one. The one they write folk songs about. Look at any dynasty and they have a draft like this. This was the Steelers in ’74. It set the stage for a lot of great memories.

Mark May in the first round. Russ Grimm in the third (We’re not counting free agency, but Beathard also snapped up a fellow named Joe Jacoby, who went undrafted that year). The Hogs were on their way. But there’s so much more. Round 5 – Dexter Manley. Round 11 – Darryl Grant. A truly scary defensive line was being born. And… Round 8 – Charlie Brown. The final pick, in Round 12 – Clint Didier. How do you make Monk, Clark , and Sanders even better? Put a couple more playmakers behind them. And what the hell – throw in LB Larry Kubin in Round 6 for good measure.

Okay, it wasn’t an all burgundy and gold Christmas. There was perennial backup QB Tom Flick in Round 4 (Fun Fact – according to BigSpeak.com, Tom Flick gets 20K to deliver leadership speeches at the corporate level. Damn – I wish I had been a perennial backup QB).

That’s it. Go at it, readers. Tell me your favorites, and the ones that still give you night terrors. And let’s see what 2020 holds.