The Washington Football Team will be on the clock in a matter of days, looking to build upon its division-winning season.
Washington starts its draft with the 19th overall pick, but luckily, the franchise has a history of hitting home runs with picks in that vicinity. Washington will see if it can repeat that history on Thursday night, and add to this list of five of the most memorable draft picks in franchise history:
Sammy Baugh
We’ll begin with arguably the most versatile player in NFL history. Washington drafted Baugh sixth overall in 1937 and played quarterback, tailback, cornerback and special teams. His biggest impact was at the quarterback position, where he was ahead of his time with his passing game and led the league in completion percentage in eight different seasons. He also added 31 career interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.
Most importantly for Washington fans, he led the team to two NFL Championship wins in 1937 and 1942. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963.
Darrell Green
The 28th overall pick in the 1983 class, Washington’s Ageless Wonder played two decades in the NFL, all with Washington. He appeared in all 16 games of his final season, when he was 42 years old.
The defensive back known for his blazing speed earned seven Pro Bowl selections throughout his career and logged 54 interceptions. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.
Chris Hanburger
How’s this for a draft steal? Hanburger wasn’t selected until the 18th round of the 1965 NFL Draft, the 245th player selected, and went on to turn in a Hall of Fame career.
The linebacker earned nine Pro Bowl selections in his 14-year career, all with Washington, and led the franchise to its first-ever Super Bowl appearance in 1972. He retired in 1978 with the record for fumbles returned for touchdowns with three, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.
Russ Grimm
A leader on Washington’s offensive line unit dubbed “The Hogs” in the 1980s, Grimm was taken in the third round, 69th overall, in the 1981 NFL Draft. He moved from center to guard to begin his NFL career and never missed a beat, playing his entire career with Washington.
Grimm helped Washington build a dominant rushing attack that led the team to victory in Super Bowls XVII, XXII, and XXVI. He retired a Super Bowl champion following the 1991 season and went on to have a successful post-playing career as an offensive line coach for nearly 25 years.
Art Monk
We conclude with yet another Washington draft pick who went on to find his want into Canton. Monk was taken 18th overall in the 1980 draft out of Syracuse and turned in a solid rookie season with 797 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Four years later, the wide receiver earned his first Pro Bowl selection and led the league with 106 receptions, then a league record. He was named to the Pro Bowl team the following two seasons as well, and spent the first 14 seasons of his career in a Washington uniform.
Monk set an NFL record with the most consecutive games with at least one reception, doing it 183 times in a row, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 after finishing with 12,721 receiving yards and 68 touchdowns.
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