But this year, the Redskins stayed in their shoes, made their picks and called it a weekend. It was a draft where the Redskins finally took their medicine and played the weak hand they dealt themselves. For the past three or four years, the Redskins were essentially drafting a year ahead. They spent the 2005 draft giving away 2006 picks, and they spent last year giving away this year’s picks. Finally we can grade this year’s draft on just this year’s picks, there doesn’t have to be the fine print at the end saying that they ruined next year’s draft to get through this years.

Much like the conservative approach to trades, Washington never really strayed far off the draft board in any of their picks. Every player, save Jordan Palmer, went to a big-time college and played against top flight college competition. The Skins went with players who have a lot of experience in college and left the workout warriors and one-year wonders to other teams.

The 1st pick, LaRon Landry fits that bill perfectly. He’s a long-time starter with LSU and was the top defensive player on a lot of draft boards. The opinions against picking Landry (including mine) had nothing to do with the player himself, it was about filling holes. Yes, the Redskins had a hole at safety opposite Sean Taylor but they seemingly had much bigger issues at defensive line which could have been addressed at this slot.

Landry is in a unique position as a Redskin draftee. The 1st round picks (especially ones picked this high) are usually hyped to the point where they can’t help but be let downs. Landry will help the defense and will team with Sean Taylor to provide the most talented safety combination in the league. If the two can gel and form a chemistry in the backfield, the Redskins secondary will be lethal for years to come.

Of the rest of the picks, HB Blades is the most intriguing. He has good bloodlines and was the Big East defensive player of the year in his senior season. He slide because of a lack of height, but I’m sure most Redskins fans have visions of Zach Thomas dancing in their heads when they think of Blades’ potential. Dallas Sartz is the only other player drafted this year who has a chance to make an impact on this year’s team.

When it boils down to it, unless Blades or Sartz surprises, this draft is all about Landry. If he reaches expectations quickly and the Redskins defense rebounds, fans will be happy. If the team is struggling to hit double digit sacks in December again, there are going to be some very angry fans especially if Okoye or Anderson excels in their rookie campaigns.

But the most important part of this year’s draft for the Redskins won’t be noticed until next April’s draft. The Redskins might actually have a full slate of draft picks. What a concept.

Grade: C- (Just not enough players to move them up any higher than this, although it can be argued that they picked one of the top talents in each of round 1, 5 and 6)

So what’s your final grade?

• LaRon Landry
• Dallas Sartz
• HB Blades
• Jordan Palmer
• Tyler Ecker

Back tomorrow with some final draft thoughts.

Scouts Inc. Grade: 30

Height: 6′6″
Weight: 269lbs
Position: Tight End
College: Michigan

Combine Results
4.92 in the 40-yard dash
4.4 20-yard shuttle
33.5-inch vertical jump
9-foot-3 broad jump
Bench pressed 225 pounds 17 times.
(From Campus workout)

Strengths
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com: Has a tall, thick frame with long arms, thick legs and broad shoulders … His body structure appears that he could handle at least another 30 pounds of bulk for a potential move to the offensive line … Solid pass protector who has a quick kick slide to get back and mirror edge rushers … Lacks ideal strength as a position blocker, but uses his frame well to occupy the defender long enough for the quarterback to execute the play … Has adequate initial quickness off the snap and into his routes … Uses his size efficiently to get a good line release and has the functional upper-body power to defeat the press … Will fall off some blocks on the move, but holds his ground well when anchoring against the bull rush … works to sustain his blocks at the line of scrimmage and has a good understanding for blocking schemes … Mentally tough player with the vision to spot pocket pressure and break off his route to work back to the quarterback.

Negatives:
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com: Very inconsistent catching the ball, as his ball-concentration skills are lacking (hears the defender’s feet) … Slow to get into his patterns and will round his cuts … Lacks the second gear to separate after the catch and needs to do a better job working underneath, as he fails to find the soft spots in the zone … Must improve the timing on his leaps, as he has the size, but will still lose more than a few jump ball battles … Needs to do a better job of getting his shoulders square in attempts to secure the ball … Won’t set up a defender or elude them on quickness alone … Must be more aggressive when firing out to locate and neutralize second-level defenders.

Compares to: Zach Hilton (who?)

Videos:
N/A (if you find any, let me know in the comments)

Scouts Inc Grade: 44

Height: 6′6″
Weight: 231lbs
Position: QB
College: UTEP

Combine Results
4.99 in the 40-yard dash
1.75 10-yard dash
2.91 20-yard dash
30½-inch vertical jump
8-foot-8 broad jump

Positives
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com: Has adequate lower body muscle tone with a smooth frame, good waist, legs and calves … Not bulky, but has decent upper body development with a frame that can carry additional bulk … Competitive sort who likes pressure situations, but needs to improve his game management … Shows an adequate stride dropping back from center and has the functional short-area burst to escape some pressure … Has an understanding of the playbook and when he plays with patience, he is effective at making proper reads through progression … Needs to reduce his full wind-up motion in his release, but can put some zip behind his tosses … More effective with his timing on short to intermediate tosses than while firing deep … Makes a lot of checks on the field and has a good understanding of the game … Has good toughness standing under pressure and will not hesitate to initiate contact on a defender (eight tackles during his career) … Lacks foot speed to be a running threat, but does demonstrate adequate quickness and fluidity when he drops and sets up … Makes good pre-snap reads and scans the field to locate his secondary targets … Has good upper body mechanics to follow through … Carries the ball chest-high and plants well to throw, showing adequate quickness to unload the ball … Can zip the short tosses and drive the ball well in the intermediate area … Sometimes sprays the ball going long, but he can also drill the ball into the seam with a tight spiral, keeping his receivers in their routes with minimal adjustments when he properly sets his feet … Has very good accuracy in the mid-range level vs. man coverage and throws an easy ball that comes out with a tight spiral, but still needs to improve his placement … Strong standing in the pocket, as he’s not easy to knock down … Positive and confident with his body language on the field … Has enough functional foot balance to step up in the pocket and he won’t run from the pocket prematurely … With his long stride, he is capable of driving back from center to get to his throwing point and while he won’t win foot races in the open, he knows how to square his shoulders and throw for decent accuracy when on the move … Has improved his overall strength in the last year, which allows him to stand tall and take a hit when the pocket collapses … Can freeze a defender with his play-action and pump fakes … Times the pass well to lead the receiver rather than have his targets adjust to the ball … Despite playing behind a mediocre offensive line, he has been relatively injury-free and has no major health issues.

Negatives
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com: Lacks mobility and is no threat as a runner, but he shows enough movement skills, instincts and a quick release to make some plays out of the pocket … Has adequate flexibility and change of direction agility, but only marginal acceleration … Plays in a pro-style passing offense, but despite his knowledge of the game he makes too many questionable decisions (64 interceptions, 33 fumbles, 89 sacks in 46 games) … Does not show the body control to throw on the run … Based on his turnovers, he might not have the great field vision his brother possesses … Tends to lock on to his primary target and consequently, he might not see the defenders, especially when he simply throws right into the coverage … Will sometimes force the ball rather than take a sack … Can flick the ball deep, but sometimes has a long arc that lets the defenders settle under his pass to make the interception … Doesn’t appear to struggle throwing any of his passes, but needs to use better judgment … Has a penchant to throwing the ball into zone coverage when going long … Has the arm strength to connect with a perfect strike underneath, but will miss the wide-open target when pressured (not good at throwing on the move) … When given protection, he can throw the ball on time, but when he locks on to his primary target, he is slow to come off that man to find a better choice, resulting in 64 career interceptions … Better off not leaving the pocket much, as most of his mistakes happen when he throws on the move … Needs to reduce that full wind-up motion he takes in his release … Not capable of fitting the ball into tight areas and will generally underthrow on his deep passes … Has problems throwing to the right side of the field, where 47 of his 55 passes that were deflected and 16 of his 19 interceptions occurred in 2005 (10 of 14 pass thefts in 2006 were to the right side of the field) … Threw under duress often because of his inability to escape the bull rush (can step away from some tackles, but is not a threat running with the ball) … Confident in his ability, but lacks that aggressive take-charge nature you want in a quality quarterback.

Compares to: Carson Palmer/Tim Hasselbeck (He’s the Tim Hasselbeck of the Palmer family)

Videos:
TD Pass

Scouts, Inc Rating: 65

Height: 5′11″
Weight: 235lbs
Position: MLB
College: Pittsburgh

Combine Results
4.72 in the 40-yard dash
325-pound bench press
525-pound squat
27-inch vertical jump
18/27 Wonderlic score
(Results from Campus workout as he didn’t participate in combine due to hamstring injury)

Positives
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com – Has a short, squat frame, but shows very good lower body thickness, especially in his calves and ankles to anchor firmly at the point of attack … Plays with a consistently high motor and compensates for a lack of ideal size with great effort and tenacity … Has the straight-line burst and low pad level to be a disruptive force taking on lead blockers in the inside rush lanes … Needs room to build up a head of steam, but once he gets going, he is a good collision tackler, but can also wrap-up with effectiveness, bringing his hands well to lock on and secure … Hits with good pop and explosion on contact … Does a good job of calling defensive assignments and making pre-snap adjustments … Vocal leader who plays until the whistle … Has a good feel for blocking schemes and looks very natural attacking the ball, locating it quickly and showing urgency making the play … Despite his small frame, he does a good job with gap control because of his ability to play off blocking schemes … Lacks the size to split double teams, but works hard to clog the rush lanes and will not hesitate to take on the lead blocker or offensive guard and use his hands to stack … Uses his hands efficiently to protect his feet on the move and it is hard for opponents to cut him, as he shows good balance and nimble feet to step over trash … Uses his hands adequately to play off blocks when working in-line, but can be overwhelmed by bigger linemen … Doesn’t have the loose hips to easily flow to the ball, but makes every effort to get there … Able to run through the pile and bounce outside to makes some plays along the perimeter … Does a good job of keeping plays in front of him and compensates for a lack of blazing speed by taking proper angles to close … Uses his hands with force to reroute underneath receivers … Has experience to play on the outside on the strong side … Very good at anticipating the quarterback’s actions and won’t take false steps in misdirection or bite on pump fakes … Catches cleanly away from his frame, showing natural hands for the interception

Negatives
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com – Shorter than ideal and lacks the upper body strength needed to split double teams … Active with his hands, but has short arms which prevent him from countering reach blocks or disengaging when a bigger blocker latches on to his jersey … Will get blown off the line when trying to plug gaps (only when he gets too high in his stance, causing his base to narrow) … Good read-and-react type, but has struggled some in the classroom … Has hip stiffness that prevents him from coming out of his backpedal cleanly (hip problems also give him marginal flexibility, making him a liability dropping back in man coverage outside the short area) … Needs space and must keep plays in front of him in order to handle pass coverage assignments … Has limited range to play in space … Charges hard on the blitz, but generally needs a rolling start to get going, lacking the sudden burst to attack the gaps … Does not have the pass rush moves needed to apply consistent pocket pressure (needs to develop second moves and show more quickness in his attempts to get up field) … Slow to shed due to short arms and adequate upper body power.

Compares to: Keith Adams, Miami

Videos
Big Hit vs Louisville
Interception vs Michigan State

Scouts, Inc Grade: 39

Height: 6′5
Weight: 235
Position: OLB
College: USC

Combine Results
40 Time: 4.72
10 Yard Dash: 1.65
20 Yard Dash: 2.75
Vertical: 33.5″
Broad Jump: 9′3″

Positives
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com: Has a tall, angular frame with room to add more bulk without losing any of his quickness … Has developed chest and arm muscles with a good bubble and tapered thighs, long arms and adequate playing strength … Self-motivated player with great character and work ethic … Plays at a high intensity level and is a favorite of the coaching staff because of his team-first attitude … Aggressive tackler who has the good pad level and leg drive to step up and take on the lead blocker in attempts to plug the rush lanes … Lacks ideal hip swerve, but shows a good burst to close on plays in front of him … Builds to top speed nicely and won’t take false steps in transition, doing a nice job of accelerating out of his breaks … Plays until the whistle and won’t back down from a challenge, even when his multiple moves fail … Shows good hand placement, extension and punch in shedding and keeping blockers off his body … Has just adequate instincts, but is quick to react once he locates the ball … Despite his lanky frame, he knows how to sink his weight, put his foot in the ground, and combat with his hands in attempts to stack the lead blocker … Has the long arm reach to maintain separation from offensive linemen and keeps his pads low to gain leverage … Delivers a punishing hand punch to tight ends to jam them at the line … Has the speed to reach ball carriers on the outside and the acceleration to be a decent blitzer coming off the edge … Knows how to widen the blocker and separate to make plays in space … Has the chase speed to cut off the outside runner and shows good urgency trying to chase the runner down in the open … Has that explosive leg drive and hip strike to push back single blockers when shooting the inside gaps … More of a straight-line charger coming off the edge than one who can smoothly redirect, but is effective running stunts due to his quickness … Not a natural hands catcher, but did show better timing with his leaps to compete for the ball at its high point in 2006 … Good hustler with nice timing on the blitz, knowing which angles will let him take the shortest path to the quarterback … Has good quickness on the chase playing on the special team coverage units … Conscious of cut blocks, doing a nice job of sidestepping them or using his hands to fend them off.

Negatives:
From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com: Better in-the-box tackler, as he tends to get too tall in his stance when working down the line … When he gets too erect in his forward charge in attempts to plug the rush lanes, the lead blocker is able to get underneath and into his chest to ride him out … Not a consistent wrap-up tackler, as he is prone to grabbing and dragging down rather than getting into position to wrap and secure … Bit of a liability in man coverage, as he lacks the loose hips and lateral agility to re-direct and recover when beaten … His insistence on over-powering his man has led to some tough times trying to disengage from blocks when working through traffic … Adequate in covering backs and tight ends in the short-area passing game, but lacks depth and hip smoothness in his pass drops and needs to do a better job of anticipating the pass (doesn’t get his head turned around properly) … Good edge rusher, but if he has to re-direct, he lacks the plant-and-drive agility to close on the pocket … Needs to improve his hand technique in pass protection, as he tends to maul the receiver, drawing costly pass interference calls.

USC Fan Report
From AOL Sports FanHouse:I think the scouts have a good bead on Sartz’s limitations. Injuries and a lack of explosiveness mar what is an otherwise productive and versatile three-year starter at a school stacked with great athletes at the position. Sartz will find his way onto an NFL squad and cobble together a solid career because he’s athletic, he knows how to play the coverage game, he can contribute on special teams, he’s savvy and he’s productive against both the pass and the run.

Compares to: Carlos Emmons

Videos:
Spring Practice Interview

5th Round: Dallas Sartz, OLB from USC.

He’s a good special team player and versatile having played safety and linebacker. If he makes the team next year, it will be a special teamer. In a perfect world, he’d take over at outside linkebacker in a few years from Marcus Washington.

6th Round: HB Blades, MLB from Pittsburgh

Another high effort linebacker who will contribute on special teams if he makes the team. He’s a short guy in the Zach Thomas mold of MLB. Big East defensive player of the year in 2006 and son of former NFLer Bennie Blades.

6th Round: Jordan Palmer, QB From Texas El-Paso

Errr, he’s Carson’s brother? And a depth guy who’ll end up on the practice squad this year.

7th Round: Tyler Ecker, TE from Michigan

This a very tall TE at 6′6″, but he only had 6 TDs in his college career so obviously dreams of throwing up jump balls in the red zone can be thrown out the window.

Scouts, Inc Grade: 97

Height: 6′2″
Weight: 205lbs
Position: Free Safety
College: LSU

Combine Results
40 Time: 4.37
10 Yard Dash: 1.55
20 Yard Dash: 2.57
Vertical: 37.5″
Broad Jump: 10′3″

College Stats:
Year G-GS UTAT TT TFL Sacks INT
2003 14-10 54 26 80 3.5-31 3-30 2-0
2004 12-12 53 39 92 5-25 3-19 4-51
2005 13-13 42 27 69 4-17 1-10 3-42
2006 13-13 46 28 68 3.5-14 1-5 3-58
Tot 52-48 195 120 315 16-87 8-64 12-151

Strengths
From Scouts Inc – VIA ESPN.com) – Possesses good height, decent bulk and the frame to get bigger. Shows good fluidity and top-end speed. He consistently gets a quick break on the ball and diagnoses the run very quickly. He shows good toughness and strength in run support, especially for his size. He fills hard and shows adequate power at the point of attack. Sideline-to-sideline playmaker versus the run. He displays better-than-average range in zone coverage and he also can match up one-on-one versus slot receivers in the NFL. He is an instinctive playmaker with adequate-to-good ball skills. He has a good mental capacity and coaches rave about his ability to pick things up quickly. He is a good leader in the secondary and does a great job of getting everyone in position. He has tremendous experience as a four-year starter at the highest collegiate level. He also has been extremely versatile in LSU’s secondary throughout his career.

From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com – Has a well-proportioned frame with a thick chest, broad shoulders … Instinctive athlete who seems to always be in position to make the play … Has the foot speed, balance and explosive closing burst to get into position and consistently make plays inside the box … Highly competitive and his performance elevates that of the players around him … Has the loose hips and leaping ability to adjust to the ball in flight, timing his jumps to get to the pass at its high point … Hits with good pop on contact and charges hard to fill the rush lanes … Has the physical and mental ability to play any position in the secondary and also has seen time as a linebacker in the nickel package … Very alert to blocking schemes and screens, showing no hesitation closing on the play … Too smart to bite on pump fakes and misdirection … Very good at recognizing play-action and bootlegs … Sees the field well, especially when playing deep in the zone … His quickness is evident in man coverage, as he is effective at staying on the hip of the receiver and has the acceleration to mirror on long routes … Has the feet and hip snap to make quick adjustments on the move and can handle any receiving threats in man coverage … Has the hand strength to press and reroute tight ends and backs working underneath … Has very smooth moves when transitioning from his backpedal and shows crispness coming out of his breaks, staying low in his pads with no wasted steps … Has the recovery burst to cover the deep end of the field and the vision to see and anticipate the routes as they develop … Uses his long arms effectively to break up the pass, reaching around to impede the receiver’s extension going for the ball … Has a keen understanding of zone concepts and picking up receivers in that area … Shows urgency closing in the short zone and is very quick to plant and drive, taking good angles to make plays on the ball … Runs with a quick stride to cover ground in a hurry and is quick to recover when beaten … Not the type who will get into trouble by eyeballing the backfield for too long … Gets to top speed in an instant and times his leaps and adjusts his body to compete for the ball in a crowd … Natural hands catcher with the big hands to snatch and pluck away from the frame … Slants and angles well to shut down the cutback lanes and closes quickly when he locates the running play … Hits with a thud in attempts to fill the rush alley and also when attacking ball carriers on the perimeter … Good wrap-up tackler, but also has the upper body strength to drag down his man or put the opponent on the ground with a collision tackle … When he gets low in his pads and wraps, few ball carriers can escape … Breaks down quickly and shows the ability to stick his hat and drive his man back … The thing that separates him from other safeties is his ability to attack the ball carrier’s outside leg to impede any forward progress … Has the range to roam the field and make plays along the sidelines, but is also efficient in taking on bigger blockers to stack and control inside the box … Calls the defensive signals and excels at getting his teammates set up and in position to make the play.

Weaknesses:
From Scouts Inc via ESPN.com – Lacks ideal bulk. Until he gets bigger he will not be able to match up as easily in-the-box at the NFL level as he has in college. He will misjudge the ball in the air on occasion and he still can improve his recognition skills when playing in deep-middle zone coverage.

From NFLDraftScout.com via NFL.com – Hits with authority, but could use additional bulk (will sometimes get stonewalled in attempts to split double teams) … Has natural hands for the interception, but will try to attack the ball a lot, resulting in some missed tackles because he prefers to play the ball instead of attack his assignment … Has good recovery skills, but will get a bit reckless and out-run the play … When he gets reckless in his play, he is prone to costly penalties (flagged six times in 2006). Tell me that doesn’t sound exactly like Sean Taylor.

Compares to: Brian Dawkins. I’ll take that.

Videos:
From Hog Haven
Hit Mix
Greatest Hits
Blasting some QB
High School Highlights

• John Clayton is reporting that the Lance Briggs trade talks have fizzled and the deal is dead. Of course we should all expect this to be revived on draft day. The Redskins appear to be holding strong on their offer of the #6 for Briggs and #31, while the Bears are holding out for more. Dear Front Office, Please don’t make this trade, Your Pal, Lee.
• Rumors continue to circulate that the Skins will let Vinny Cerrato go after the draft and replace him with Bobby DePaul. DePaul is currently with Chicago and is ‘friendly with Gibbs’.
• The Washington Post is reporting that the Redskins will keep the sixth pick unless a last minute deal pops up. Seriously! That’s some kinda scoop there. The draft is 11 hours away, the Redskins still have their number 6 pick and they won’t trade it UNLESS a late deal is reach. In all seriousness there is some decent info in the article. If they Skins stay at 6 it will be either Okoye or Landry, if they move down a few slots (8-10 range) Okoye is probably the guy and if that damn Briggs trade happens there are a bunch of possibilites.
• The Redskins will likely need Brady Quinn or Adrian Peterson to fall to them to have a chance at dealing down. There is some talk that Atlanta may move up to take Landry, but that seems like a long shot at this point.

Back tomorrow with more.

Rising: Calvin Johnson, Brady Quinn, Patrick Willis (big-time), LaRon Landry, Joe Staley
Falling: Adrian Peterson, Ted Ginn Jr, Jamaal Anderson, Dwayne Jarrett, Alan Branch