After all the speculation and the wondering, we finally have an answer as to what the Redskins plan to do about finding a quarterback. The Redskins traded three first round draft picks and a second round pick to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the 2nd overall pick in this year's draft. With this pick, the Redskins will be able to draft Robert Griffin III and hopefully obtain the franchise quarterback they have sought since Joe Theismann. Now instead of wondering who the next Redskins' QB will be, we are left to wonder whether or not he'll be any good.
When analyzing this year's draft class, most NFL scouts will say there are two QBs with franchise level potential. With Andrew Luck expected to go to Indianapolis with the first overall pick, that leaves RG3 for the Redskins. Over the past year, RG3 has taken the NFL by storm. Most knew of Luck, who was projected to go 1st overall last season had he chosen to leave college, but Griffin was not widely known until his Heisman winning season at Baylor. Griffin threw for 36 TDs and only 6 INTs. He further impressed teams with his performance at the combine where he ran a 4.41 40-yd dash, a remarkable feat for a QB. His athleticism and potential are off the charts, but he he still remains an unknown quantity.
A lot has been written about the risks of drafting a quarterback. Scouting prospects is an inexact science and the Redskins have bet the farm on a player who has never taken a snap in the NFL. Statistically speaking, it is likely that either Luck or Griffin will be a bust. Should Griffin suffer a bad injury or just not be built for the NFL game, the Redskins will still be in need of a franchise QB and they'll have to find one without a first round pick until 2015. This is the type of decision that defines a staff and so Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have likely bet their careers in DC as well as 4 draft picks on Griffin. No pressure kid.
Still, this was the right move and the QB mess many teams now find themselves in is evidence of that. Peyton Manning informed the Redskins early on that he was not interested in coming to DC. That didn't leave a whole lot of options. Now that Manning is headed to Denver and Griffin is likely headed here, Seattle, Arizona, Miami, and Cleveland are picking up the scraps. Seattle signed Matt Flynn who is still somewhat unproven and does not have nearly the upside Griffin has. Arizona owes Kevin Kolb $7 million for a lack luster 2011 season, and Miami and Cleveland are left wondering who's left to trade for. The simple fact is that Griffin could be the franchise QB of the Redskins for 10-15 years. If the Colts had known how good Manning would be, would they have traded 4 picks for him? Absolutely. I remember thinking to myself when the Giants traded for Eli Manning how stupid they were. They were giving up 2 picks plus a QB in Philip Rivers who was just as good if not better. Boy was I wrong. The Redskins are not working with the benefit of hindsight, but this is a risk/reward business. The higher the risk, the higher the reward. The Redskins saw the guy they wanted and they went for it. Now all we can do is watch and hope Griffin is the QB we all think he is.
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