For a team that has traditionally disregarded the annual National Football League (NFL) draft, the Washington Redskins will play an extremely large role in the upcoming event, held this Thursday. Their actual first round pick may be of little consequence, but the recent moves they?ve made will play a huge role in deciding the fates of several teams.
Their recent trade for former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has inspired a firestorm of controversy. While some have pointed to McNabb?s past excellence as something beneficial for the Redskins, nothing could be further from the truth. Although he put up gaudy numbers last year with the Eagles, this was largely due to the emergence of his receivers. The more likely results for this season may mirror McNabb?s performance in 2006, when he missed six games and completed only 57% of his passes. This was due to his lack of a reliable offensive line and competent receivers, both of which he also lacks in Washington. The Redskins? line allowed 40 sacks last year, and not a single receiver currently on the roster amassed more than 1,000 yards. McNabb will not have the tools to be successful, but how quickly the Redskins realize this fact will determine much about how the NFL draft plays out.
The team is currently debating what to do with last year?s starting quarterback, Jason Campbell. The team is undecided on whether to hold on to him while they try out McNabb. His contract was set to expire, but he signed a one year tender that will allow the team to at least explore the possibility of trading him. This trade will change the fortunes of whichever team Campbell lands on, but will also alter the composition of the draft.
Since University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is virtually locked in as the first pick of the draft, University of Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen has become the passer that a variety of teams are interested in. However, the same teams that are looking at Campbell also may be the teams that would consider drafting Clausen. The Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and even Cleveland Browns have all been mentioned as potential suitors for both quarterbacks. If Campbell were to be traded to Buffalo or Jacksonville, then Clausen could fall 10 to 20 spots lower than initially projected. Additionally, all these interested teams have several other glaring needs, and could easily pass on the quarterback.
The Redskins may also affect the draft with their choices in the later rounds. The team may be interested in selecting a quarterback to develop under McNabb, which may result in them taking a player like Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan University or even Tim Tebow of the University of Florida. There are several teams in the market for these players, including the aforementioned Browns and Jaguars, both could be potential starting quarterbacks several years down the road and would provide much needed publicity thanks to their college success. The Redskins may throw a wrench in the works by adding another team to the mix for those that need quarterbacks.
Washington?s trade for Donovan McNabb may appear to merely be a move aimed at improving a position that has been awful on the team recently, but it will have a far reaching impact for many other teams and players. For better or for worse, the NFL draft will go drastically differently due to the Redskins? actions. No matter what happens, the future of several high profile quarterbacks will be altered forever in the upcoming draft.