The Washington Redskins 2011 draft was looking somewhat barren, but the front office turned six draft selections into twelve picks and added a lot of players to the roster.
After producing a 6-10 record in 2010, the Redskins needed a serious infusion of talent and plenty of depth as well. The front office added some decent prospects in free agency including two defensive linemen (Barry Cofield, Stephen Bowen), a guard (Chris Chester), and a punter (Sav Rocca).
Armed with just six draft choices, the Redskins made some trades and were able to make a whopping twelve draft picks when the dust settled.
Today, we continue to re-grade the 2010 through 2019 draft classes with a look at the 2011 class. We won’t list every draft trade as there were many in 2011 (here is a list if you are interested), but we will grade the players who were added to the Burgundy and Gold that season.
Let’s see how the Redskins fared in the 2011 draft.
Round 1
The Redskins held the 10th overall pick in the first round and the Redskins made a trade with Jacksonville. The Redskins were able to add a second-rounder (traded later to acquire more picks) and move down six spots to select outside linebacker/defensive end Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue.
This trade and pick were outstanding. Kerrigan continues to be a force for the Redskins and has been one of the best players on the roster since 2011.
Head coach Mike Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen orchestrated a brilliant strategy in this first round. Snagging a franchise player and acquiring additional picks deserves high praise.
Grade: A+
Round 2
The Redskins began the second round with two picks and the first selection was used to grab Clemson defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins. He spent three years in a Redskins uniform, but his impact was marginal at best. He recorded two sacks in that span and averaged just over twenty-five tackles each season.
Jenkins served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and the team moved on from him after the 2014 season. The former Clemson Tiger bounced around the league for three years and then faded away from the NFL.
The second pick was traded and used to acquire more picks later in the draft.
The grade for Jenkins is poor, but not a failure. Hauling in more picks does raise the second-round grade a bit.
Grade: C-
Round 3
In the summer of 2010, the Redskins traded their third-round pick to the Saints and acquired right tackle Jammal Brown. He did a respectful job on the right side for two seasons, but was sidelined with an injury in 2012.
Shortly thereafter, Brown’s career ended. While he did a fine job for two seasons, his time in a Redskins uniform was much shorter in duration than expected.
Later in the third round, wide receiver Leonard Hankerson of Miami got the call. His first season was a struggle, but he had some minimal production in 2012 and 2013. An injury prevented him from having any kind of impact in 2014.
In 2015, Hankerson landed with three different teams and produced very little. By 2015, his football days had vanished.
The third round held promise for the Redskins, but poor choices were made and while it wasn’t a total failure, it is far from being a success.
Grade: D-
Round 4
The Redskins’ early fourth-round draft choice was part of the Donovan McNabb trade in 2010. In our 2010 draft analysis, we graded that transaction with the worst possible score and that is factored in today as well.
One pick later, the Redskins were able to add versatile running back Roy Helu of Nebraska. They moved up in a deal with the Houston Texans to acquire this pick and a sixth-round pick.
Helu was more of a pass-catching running back, but he had a very good first year of rushing for the Redskins. Unfortunately, his second season was limited by an injury, but Helu returned for two additional seasons of producing as a receiving specialist out of the backfield.
Helu signed with the Raiders in 2015, but his production was far less than desired and injuries derailed his career the following summer. Helu provided good value in the fourth round and his time in Washington was one of modest success.
Grade: C+
Round 5
The Redskins traded a fifth-round pick as part of the Helu trade, but added a fifth-rounder as a part of earlier trades.
The front office selected strong safety DeJon Gomes of Nebraska with one of their picks. He played primarily on special teams and had spot duty as a safety, but his two years with the Redskins was uneventful.
Then, the Redskins added wide receiver Niles Paul – also from the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This pick deserves an extra special mention.
Paul did everything asked of him during his six years with the Redskins. Become a special teams standout? Sure. Add some weight and become a blocking tight end? Gladly. Make key tackles on special teams? Absolutely. Make some difficult catches over the middle? You bet!
Paul never put up spectacular numbers, but he performed all of his assigned duties without complaining. He played for the Jaguars in 2018 and retired in 2019 after an offseason stint with the San Francisco 49ers.
Round 5 for the Redskins was subpar overall, but Paul makes this grade palatable.
Grade: C
Round 6
Mike Shanahan had an uncanny ability to find running backs in the later rounds and turn them into stars for a year or two. Evan Royster of Penn State figured to be the latest back to fill that role, but it simply didn’t happen.
Royster started 2011 on the practice squad, but did make his way to the roster and had a decent first season. After 2012, he faded away quickly and spent one extra uneventful year with the Falcons.
The Redskins owned the draft choice immediately after the Royster selection and added SMU wide receiver Aldrick Robinson. He spent most of 2011 on the practice squad and saw some action in 2012 and 2013.
Robinson’s time with the Redskins was forgettable and he didn’t help matters by scoffing at special teams duties. Robinson has bounced around the league since 2015 with five different teams and his level of play has been uninspiring to say the least.
Grade: F
Round 7
With all of the wheeling and dealing during the draft, the Redskins were able to obtain a large bounty of four picks in the seventh round. Playing the late-round selection numbers game was an interesting strategy, but would it work? Could the Redskins find a late-round gem or two?
Boise State cornerback Brandyn Thompson was chosen early in the round and one concern about him was his smallish stature. Thompson bounced back and forth between the roster and practice that season and saw his brief career come to an end in the late summer of 2012.
Maurice Hurt, an offensive guard for the Florida Gators, was taken a few picks after Thompson. Hurt did see some playing time in 2011 and 2012, but not enough to have a huge impact. After missing all of 2013 with an injury, Hurt was out of the NFL prior to the 2014 season.
Markus White, a talented defensive end from Florida State, was added several selections later. White, an oft-injured pass-rushing specialist was thought to be a steal, but only if he could overcome the injury bug. His career never materialized and he finished the following season with a brief stint as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
Defensive tackle Chris Neild of West Virginia was the final pick in Round 7 and he had a great game in the season opener against the Giants. From 2011 to 2014, Neild was utilized as a relief option for the starters in most games and basically held his own. In 2015, he went to Houston, but was cut just prior to the season and his short career was over.
Hurt and Neild keep the seventh round from being an absolute failure, but the Redskins should’ve kept some of their earlier picks to nab better quality and not quantity in the final round.
Grade: D-
Overall
The Redskins drafted poorly after round one for the most part and should’ve gone with fewer draft picks for better quality. Having four picks in the last round was a mistake.
Ryan Kerrigan was the prize of this draft and two of the Nebraska products, Roy Helu and Niles Paul, provided decent value.
Speaking of Kerrigan, it’s nice to see he’s still wearing a Redskins uniform after all these years of incredible success.
Team Grade: C-
We will soon take a look at the 2012 draft as this series continues.