There’s nothing wrong with getting a good player. There’s nothing wrong with getting a good player. There’s nothing … sorry, I can’t convince myself the Washington Redskins came away with a solid draft.
Pairing LSU safety LaRon Landry alongside Sean Taylor leaves the Redskins with an Ali-Frazier combination. Bartenders will serve “The Tay-Lan Cocktail” that leaves you hammered. Loeb’s Deli’s Monday special will be a “Receiver Sandwich” that comes smashed. I don’t want to even think of the car crash scenes by Eastern Motors.
But was it the right choice? Let’s see in three years when measuring Landry versus Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, who went to Houston as the 10th pick and Arkansas defensive end Jamaal Anderson, who was taken by Atlanta with the eighth.
I’m not completely sold on always taking the better player over need. Wasn’t Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson the best player available for the sixth pick? Washington didn’t take Peterson because it’s loaded at running back so the Redskins didn’t go for best player, they went for a need. The debate is not over players, but which need should have been filled. Too bad the Redskins blew the position twice last year when losing Ryan Clark and signing Adam Archuleta or they could have picked a lineman instead of a safety.
Washington has the makings of a great secondary, but the defense remains vulnerable up front. Would it have been wiser to have taken a lineman that stops runners for short yardage than a great secondary that can run them down? If end Andre Carter continues last season’s late run and other linemen heal, then Landry was the right choice. If not, hello old friend 5-11.
Landry lessens Taylor’s exposure on pass defense after too often twisted into a Snyder pretzel last year. Maybe Landry will even challenge Taylor to become a more complete player than simply a guided missile who crunches a couple opponents each week. With healthy cornerback Shawn Springs and third-year corner Carlos Rogers, the secondary should be “splendid” as late Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke would say.
But, and this is one of the bigger questions of the coming season, can the line play better? The Redskins’ postseason chances now largely lie on the unit’s improvement.
Ultimately, the Redskins probably came away with a playmaker in Landry and there’s nothing wrong with that. But they also didn’t pick again for 24 hours while other teams added good prospects in the second through fourth rounds. By the time they finally picked again, it was day two of a bridal sale at Filene’s Basement — a bunch of tattered dreams.
Tattered dreams — wasn’t that last season’s motto?
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
