As of now, Kiper said he’s not sure the Redskins will draft a quarterback. Or, at least, that they will have a tough time doing so with the sixth overall choice. Kiper doesn’t think Baylor’s Robert Griffin III will be available at No. 6 when the Redskins choose. And no other quarterback projects as a high first-round pick – maybe not even a middle- or late-first rounder either.

That could leave an impending free agent such as Green Bay’s Matt Flynn or, if he comes free, Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning.

“I heard through the grapevine that they didn’t have a high opinion of Matt Flynn so I don’t think they’ll go that route,” Kiper said. “I keep hearing Peyton Manning for Washington.”

The problem with Manning, of course, is that nobody knows if he’ll even play next season. Nor is it certain what the Colts will do with him. Nor does anyone know if he’d even want to play in Washington. He’s a noted control freak and would be joining a head coach who has been described as the same.

Back to the draft. If the Redskins don’t solve their quarterback hole through free agency or a trade and they can’t get Griffin, then they could look for another starting in the second round. That group would include Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler, Arizona’s Nick Foles and Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill.

Here’s Kiper’s take on why each would be available after the first round.

On Osweiler: “It’s the bad decisions. He forced a lot of balls into coverage. He had several games with multiple interceptions. The delivery will bother some. It’s unorthodox, but I don’t worry about that. [An unorthodox delivery] didn’t bother Philip Rivers. The decision-making, he tended to force the ball. He made a terrible throw in that game against Boise State. But it was multiple games where he threw a couple picks. But he looked real good against USC and outdueled Matt Barkley.”

On Tannehill: “The Texas game was a red flag. He had a lot of trouble in that Texas game. He didn’t look like the quarterback he was in other games against lesser defenses. He doesn’t have a ton of starts at quarterback. Now he’s injured, but he has skills that indicate he could be an effective starting quarterback.”

On Foles: “The issues with him, accuracy at times he’s a little off-target. He’s not as precise as you need to be throwing into those tighter windows in the NFL that you see. He may be more a developmental quarterback. A lot of teams are looking for quick fixes with the way the young quarterbacks have played. But you can’t argue with his arm strength and his size and he can throw on the move effectively. There’s a lot of things to like. There are some concerns.”

For what it’s worth, Kiper thought Tannehill could be hurt by missing the Senior Bowl with a broken foot, mainly because he’s competing with Osweiler and Foles to be the third quarterback picked.

“It won’t eliminate any chance to be the third quarterback, but it certainly didn’t help,” Kiper said.

Another quarterback to monitor: Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden. The problem is, he turns 29 in October. So he’s already in his prime, with the thought that he’s as good as he’s going to be.

“He also had struggles with turnovers,” Kiper said. “But he can throw the ball. We know he has size and maturity and leadership. You look at the age factor and he had some games where he was making some bad throws and bad decisions, which is the reason he’s a third or fourth round pick and not a late one or early two.”

Finally, Kiper said Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck received the highest grade he’s given out in his 34 years of analyzing the draft. That’s why Kiper said Griffin has no chance of being the top pick.

“You can be No. 2 and still be special,” Kiper said. “Luck is through the roof; he’s in the stratosphere as far as his grade. And everyone agrees. Nobody is debating you on that.”

Griffin’s issue, which has been discussed for a while, is his height. So how he measures out at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis next month will be crucial. He’s been listed at 6-foot-2. Regardless, Kiper does not view him as a quarterback who will just run a lot in the NFL.

“He can throw the deep ball so accurately,” Kiper said. “He’s not Michael Vick. He’s not as explosive in terms of his cuts as Vick is. Vick is the best running quarterback I’ve ever seen. RGIII is a much better passer and that’s why he has such a high grade. His intelligence, his character, his game management was excellent….When I interviewed him, I asked him how tall are you and he said a little over 6-2. Hopefully he is because if he’s 6-1 there won’t be that buzz.”

To subscribe to my weekly email report, click here. This week: a few draft rumblings, a Q&A with Kory Lichtensteiger.