Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford will be the first overall pick in the draft. That seems to be the consensus these days, which means the Redskins will have a decision to make when they select three picks later.
And that’s where it gets interesting. Though ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper and a couple others predict they will select Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, that’s highly questionable. Numerous scouts, front office types and other NFL sources have yet to agree with that choice.
Kiper’s, um, ESPN pal, Todd McShay, is another who does not like Clausen. Still. He has been pounding Clausen for a while. He loves the talent but says it does not override other issues. And, he said, at least 10 teams have expressed concerns to him about Clausen’s intangibles and leadership.
The only quarterbacks he rates as first- or second-round picks in this draft are Bradford and Clausen. He labeled Texas’ Colt McCoy as overrated and Florida’s Tim Tebow as a project.
“I do think he’s maxed out physically,” McShay said of Clausen. “I don’t think he’ll develop as a player like Bradford or others will. … The track record of underclassmen is not good. When immaturity is in the equation, it makes it unlikely he’ll handle his first year if things don’t go well.”
If Bradford is gone and Clausen is a no-no, then who should the Redskins take? If Oklahoma State left tackle Russell Okung is available, he’s the choice, McShay said. If not, then it gets cloudy.
Tackle is the biggest need. However, the other tackles rated that high — Oklahoma’s Trent Williams and Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga — might project more to right tackle. The stock of Rutgers’ Anthony Davis is free-falling, and Maryland’s Bruce Campbell is not a top-10 player. Maybe not even top 50.
So if Bradford is gone … and Okung is gone … and the Redskins don’t trade down, they could end up with one of the defensive tackles, Gerald McCoy (the pass-rusher) or Ndamukong Suh (the run-stuffer).
“You can never go wrong drafting a great player,” McShay said. “You’d have to bite the bullet and go defensive tackle.”
