ASHBURN – For years the Redskins traded away draft picks, mortgaging the future to engage the present. Apparently, those days are done – at least they are this year.
Washington parlayed one of its two second-round picks into four additional choices after a night of dealing. And Redskins coach Mike Shanahan claimed they still drafted the two players they wanted.
In the second round, they selected Clemson’s Jarvis Jenkins, who played tackle in college but will play end for the Redskins. Then, after acquiring a third-rounder in the maneuvering, they picked Miami receiver Leonard Hankerson.
But the story of the night was the trades. Washington has 10 picks in rounds 4-7 and, barring any more trades, would finish with 13. It would be their most in any draft since 1982 when it lasted 12 rounds.
“Obviously you want as many picks as possibly can,” Shanahan said. “It worked out good for us today. We’ve got a number of picks left with a lot of players we have rated pretty high.”
The Redskins spent the night trading back in the second and third rounds. They turned the 49th overall pick into the 53rd and the 152nd. Then the traded the 53rd to Chicago for the 62 and 127th. But they weren’t done, turning that 62nd pick into three more: 79, 146 and 217.
In the end, the Redskins ended up with picks in each round for the first time since 1995. This is also only the third time since the 2000 draft that Washington had more than six picks in a draft.
But there’s a good chance the Redskins will parlay the four fifth-round choices into higher selections Saturday when the final four rounds will be held.
“I was very pleased,” Shanahan said. “At the start of the day we were hoping to get both players and usually that doesn’t happen, especially in the second and third round with as many trades as we made. We got the two guys we wanted and more picks.”
In Jenkins, the Redskins added a needed young athlete inside. With Kedric Golston a free agent and Vonnie Holliday better as a pass-rushing reserve, the Redskins wanted youth and athleticism. They possibly have that in the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Jenkins.
“He’s a prototype defensive end,” Shanahan said. “He has great quickness; he has explosion. I like the way he reacts and plays the run. I like the way he’ll play the run and react to the pass. He has the skills we’re looking for. Usually you have to find them in the first or second round.”
Jenkins started for the past three years at Clemson.
“I’m more of a run stopper,” he said. “I’m physical at the point of attack and I have a quick first step. I can play double teams. I can beat double teams. I’ve been seeing them all through Clemson. I have a big body. I can hold my point pretty good. I have a little more work to do on the pass rush, but my focus is run stopping.”
Meanwhile, Hankerson caught 72 passes for 1,156 yards and a school-record 13 touchdowns this past season. As a junior, he caught 45 passes for 801 yards and six touchdowns. He, too, gives the Redskins something they lack: a big target. At 6-foot-1 ½ and 209 pounds he is bigger than the other receivers on the roster. He also runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. The knock on him is that he’s inconsistent.
“He’s a big strong kid that’s able to mix it up,” Shanahan said. “Anytime … you got meat on your bones it’s easier to compete with those defensive backs. It’s nice to get a receiver that size that has a little meat on the bones.”
Said Hankerson, “I make plays. I run good routes. I make plays over the middle. I block well. I do a lot of things that I’ll bring to Washington to help win.”
