For perennial contenders, the NFL Draft is one of the most important weekends of the year. For reactionary franchises, it tends to be an afterthought to free agency.
So, which one of these will the Washington Redskins be in 2018?
While everyone is mum about strategy, it sounds like the Redskins' leadership is hinting at taking the best player available rather than drafting for a specific need.
"We want to draft a starter...we'll look at everybody," head coach Jay Gruden told reporters in Orlando for NFL meetings. "You can go, corner, safety, middle line--you can go a lot of different areas where that player would probably be good enough to start for us."
The Redskins are currently positioned with the No. 13 overall pick and have the benefit of having a lot of positions where they can upgrade. Fortunately, quarterback is one that they can sit out, allowing other teams to jockey for a talented but limited supply. This might mean that the team stands pat at No. 13, or it could mean that the Redskins drop back in exchange for more picks.
"We feel very comfortable that at 13, there's going to be a good player," team president Bruce Allen said. "We think, depending on where the quarterbacks start to go in this draft, that there will be an opportunity to move around, to make sure that we get maybe extra picks."
The Redskins have a long history of trading away first-round picks in exchange for draft positioning and aging talent, most recently to move up and select Robert Griffin III in the 2012 draft. They did not select in the first round again until 2015, but have acquired starter-caliber talent in each draft since.
Brandon Scherff was a Day 1 starter at offensive guard and has become a perennial Pro Bowl contender. Josh Doctson has not yet risen to the billing of the 22nd overall pick, but he could make that jump with Alex Smith under center. Last year's selection of Jonathan Allen yielded another Day 1 starter, whose presence was severely missed when he was lost to injury.
Now, the Redskins are just looking for another piece to the puzzle.
"At 13, there's going to be a lot of good players that you can go a lot of different directions," Gruden said. "Targeting the right guy, the right fit is a different story. We've got a lot of work to do on that."
"We'll get a good player."#Redskins will absolutely be able to find a starter in the first round: https://t.co/rPQVIYy24M pic.twitter.com/axNEHGb92M
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) April 1, 2018Follow Brian Tinsman and 106.7 The Fan on Twitter.
