Each signing, however, will mean a player released as well.  While unlikely, it is possible the Redskins could sign all players by this time next week; it’s very likely all will be signed prior to the start of training camp, with only the three 2nd rounders receiving significant money (even they will likely sign for low salary contracts and signing bonus of less than $400-$500K.)  Expect a lot of player activity in the next week; it’s probable we’ll see at least 4 players signed (and 4 released) by this time next week.

And of course, other than that, there shouldn’t be any real news for the next three weeks. 

As a second round pick, Davis is looking at a payday of ~$2-3M over a 3-5 year rookie contract.  He’s probably going to lose a bit of that now, as serious issues are raised about his maturity when he pulls a stunt like that.  There’s a time to be young and stupid; there’s a time to be young and smart.  Looks like Fred Davis has started on the wrong foot, by taking the Young and Stupid route.  At the very least, he’s now going to have clauses inserted into his contract with penalties for things like this.

Of course, money isn’t involved, yet, because he hasn’t signed a contract.  But for the Redskins part, they’re counting on a player that can be depended on to take some heat off Cooley and provide needed depth at the position.  Let’s hope he grows up fast, because otherwise his stay in DC could be short.

Day 2 had three key players (at this time, at least) picked up.  One is a future starting OL, one is perhaps THIS years Punter (Derrick Frost has competition!) and one is our future #2, but present #3 QB.  All three of them are excellent picks (no, I’m not a huge fan of Colt Brennan, but he was a GREAT pick at the spot we got him for a WCO team).  Reinhart isn’t going to be an All-Pro today, but he’s got a lot of potential, and he’s already very good.  He and Heyer are going to form a nucleus of a new generation of Hogs in a few years.  Brooks was the best Punter in the NCAA last year, and has the potential to be yet another very big Offensive weapon; if we can’t move the ball, we can pin ‘em deep.  While I’ve heard some folks complaining about how this must mean that the FO has no confidence in our new receivers, I see this as just another way to improve the team.

We picked up some quality depth, as well.  Tryon has a serious chance of making the team, as does Moore.  Both will be depth, of course, at this point, though Tryon has a chance of being on the field.  Even our late picks are relatively good; we gave ourselves chances of developing decent depth with these players, unlike last year where we could predict immediately that a number of the players wouldn’t have a chance of being on the team after the final cutdown (or even on the Practice Squad a few days later).  EVERY ONE of these folks has a real chance at sticking in a roster spot or a PSquad spot.  That’s a NICE change.

Even some of our UDFA aquisitions have a shot, although in this case, it’s because we need depth more than what we’ve drafted; if they can get into Training Camp, it’s all possible.  However, I wouldn’t get to complacent just because they’re invited for next weekend; a few of them probably won’t make it out of the Minicamp, as we look to find other players in need positions.  And a few will make it all the way until June 1st, when we’re almost certainly going to look at a few OL and DL June FAs.

Yes, like everyone, I wanted to see a DE or two chosen.  We DID pick up a DE, in the 7th…. but he’s just a depth pick at this point (of course, you never know when some JUCO or Division 2 or 3 player who was unheralded turns into a VERY good player who just never had exposure; you just can’t count on it).  And the lack of a higher round (4 or sooner) DE pick is going to hurt.  But I can’t help but think we’re about to put a 2nd or 3rd rounder in ’09 on the table to Miami for Jason Taylor.  Regardless, though, overall I have to give Cerrato a decent grade; they had a very good draft, with only the mistake in pick order for #48 and #51 keeping this from being an A+.

Grade (Day 2): A-

Grade (Overall): B

Next year is going to be big for DL players…. and we still have all of our picks.  If this is indicative of what we can do with actual picks, things are looking up!

The Redskins landed OL Chris Rienhart in round 3.  Rienhart is versatile, playing guard and tackle in college.  The Redskins will likely have Rienhart play guard and learn the center position.  He’ll spend at least next season backing-up Randy Thomas and Pete Kendall, but could move into starting line-up in the next few years.

JT Tryon is a smaller corner and is infinitely confident.  At 5’9, he’s not likely to be anything more than a nickel back, but luckily that is the role the Redskins want him to play.  The major benefit to Tryon is that he’s a senior coming from a major conference, so the adjustment period should be shorter than a lot of the incoming rookies.  Carlos Rogers isn’t expected to be healthy to start the year, so Tryon has a chance to start the year as the nickel-back.

The Redskins picked a punter with their next selection, Georgia Tech’s Durant Brooks.  Brooks was widely regarded as the best punter in the draft and he has a very good chance to beat out Derrick Frost.  In the 6^th round, the Redskins went safety taking Kareem Moore.  Moore has a decent shot at contributing with today’s news that Pierson Prioleau has signed with Jacksonville.  He’ll be battling with Vernon Fox and fellow draftee Christopher Horton for roster spots as safety depth.

Colt Brennan has been one of the most talked about draft picks, but the Redskins will likely use his hip injury to stash him on injured reserve all year.  He’s a decent prospect who might have a chance after working with Jim Zorn for a few years.  Rob Jackson is a guy who had a very in descript college career, but looked very good in a late year all-star type game.  He’s a long shot as you’d expect with such a late pick.  Christopher Horton was covered above; he’s got a shot at sticking but not much potential to be more than a fill-in type player.

The Redskins had a fairly typical day two.  They had the luxury of having extra picks which increases your chances on hitting on some of them.  Brooks and Moore are the two guys most likely to contribute in 2008, while the other guys will be battling for special team and depth roles.  I would have liked to seen a few more defensive linemen but I don’t know any of these late round guys, so perhaps there were no decent linemen available.

The Redskins rounded out their secondary and filled valuable slots on the offensive line and by avoiding (or more specifically being rejected in their attempts to make) the big trade they saved their cap space to allow them to pounce on any veteran players who are cut or disgruntled depth players.  This was a solid first draft for Cerrato and Zorn, but the best news may be that they didn’t mess with future drafts in some type of ‘win-now’ trade overpayment.

Day One Grade:  B+
Day Two Grade:  B-

That comes out to a B, but because they were lucky enough to avoid dealing next year’s draft picks to get Chad Johnson, I’ll bump it up a bit:

OVERALL DRAFT GRADE:  B+

Fox Sports
The Redskins apparently got the message that they won’t be trading for Cincinnati’s Chad Johnson anytime soon. They took two of the draft’s top three receivers in Michigan State’s Devin Thomas and Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly. Thomas has great athletic ability, while Kelly plays a lot faster than his 4.6 time. USC tight end Fred Davis was an interesting pick in the second round, considering Chris Cooley is one of Washington’s better players. I will say this: The first three choices all should help Washington’s offensive production. Northern Iowa tackle Chad Rinehart shined at the Senior Bowl and gives them depth at a position that was battered last season. Hawaii QB Colt Brennan, who was hampered by his off-the-field transgressions, figures to be placed on injured-reserve due to his late season injury. Brennan knows coach Jim Zorn’s West Coast offense and may have a future.
Grade: B

NBC Sports
The Redskins secured three weapons for Jason Campbell – tight end Fred Davis and receivers Malcolm Kelly, and Devin Thomas. But really, how much is Davis going to help? Sixth-rounder Durant Brooks was the best punter this year (and the only one drafted).
Late-round defensive backs Chris Horton and Kareem Moore will push Reed Doughty to start at strong safety. Iowa offensive tackle Chad Rinehart plays with power. Sixth-round quarterback Colt Brennan has exceptional accuracy, but will likely spend his rookie season on injured reserve.
Grade: B-

Yahoo Sports
Picks: WR Devin Thomas, TE Fred Davis, WR Malcolm Kelly, OL Chad Rinehart, DB Justin Tryon, P Durant Brooks, DB Kareem Moore, QB Colt Brennan, DL Rob Jackson, DB Chris Horton
Positives: Thomas, Davis, Kelly, Brooks
Negative: Defensive end not addressed until the seventh round.
Bottom line: A.
Ten overall picks with lots of potential from top to bottom. The two wideouts slipped a little and could all end up providing great value. Thomas and Kelly could develop into quality big targets, and an AFC scout told Yahoo! Sports in February that Davis was the best overall talent at tight end in this draft. The punter need was addressed with the best one the college game had to offer in Brooks. Brennan is an intriguing pick late in the sixth round. A lot of potential starters in this draft.

ESPN – Mel Kiper
They traded out of the first round and still were able to get three offensive weapons in the second round: wide receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly and tight end Fred Davis. Chad Rinehart is a versatile offensive lineman who can play guard or tackle. In the sixth round, Georgia Tech’s Durant Brooks was the first — and only — punter drafted. He has a strong leg and should compete for the starting job (30 of his 65 punts were 50 yards or longer). Hawaii QB Colt Brennan went in the sixth round. He isn’t very big, but he has some ability. What hurt Brennan was his performance in the Sugar Bowl and the Senior Bowl practices, and the system he played in, which allowed him to put up big numbers. Safety Christopher Horton will be a good backup and special teams player. The only thing the Redskins didn’t get was a pass-rushing defensive end.
GRADE: B+

We had a ton of updates these past few days, so here are links to all the draft coverage on The Redskin Report. Click through and leave your comments and opinions on all of the new players, trades or just your general draft thoughts.

2008 Washington Redskins Draft Picks

2nd Round – 33rd overall – Devin Thomas, WR Michigan State
2nd Round – 48th overall – Fred Davis, TE, USC
2nd Round – 51st overall – Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma
3rd Round – 96th overall – Chris Rinehart, OL, Northern Iowa
5th Round – 124th overall – JT Tryon, CB, Arizona
6th Round – 168th overall – Durant Brooks, P, Georgia Tech
6th Round – 180th overall – Kareem Moore, S, Nicholls State
6th Round – 186th overall – Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii
7th Round – 243rd overall – Rob Jackson, DE, Kansas State
7th Round – 249th overall – Christopher Horton, S, UCLA
Undrafted Free Agents

Reviews/Grades

Day One Review – Lee
Day One Review – Bill

Trades

Redskins Trade 1st Pick for two 2nd Rounders
Redskins Trade 4th Round Pick, Gain an Extra selection
Redskins Trade Down Again, Now Hold three picks in 6th

Thanks for popping in this weekend, we had record setting traffic at the site. I will have a final review/report on the draft up sometime tomorrow, and hopefully Bill will have time to pop in with his thoughts as well. Monday is your last chance to subscribe to the The Redskin Report to win a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate. (click the link for details)

• Kerry Brown, OG, Appalachian State
• Shannon Boatman, OT, Florida State
• Devin Clark, OT, Mexico State
• Kevin T Mitchell, S, Illinois
• Matterral Richardson, CB, Arkansas
• Horace Gant, WR, St. Olaf
• Kyle DeVan, C, Oregon State
• Dorian Smith, DE, Oregon State
• Bret Meyer, QB, Iowa State
• Alonzo Dotson, DE, Oklahoma
• Curtis Gatewood, LB, Vanderbilt
• Justin Scott, S, Purdue
• Bryan Wilson, LB, Morgan State

Another safety, this time Christopher Horton from UCLA is coming to Washington with the Redskins final pick in this year’s draft.  Horton, like Moore picked earlier has a shot due to the lack of safeties currently on the roster, but he will need strong special teams skills to make the team.

VITALS

Height: 6’0.5
Weight: 212lbs
40 yard time: 4.54

DRAFT PROFILE

Scouts Inc (ESPN Insider)

Strengths: Reads keys well, shows good awareness and rarely gets caught out of position. Takes good angles to the ball, has good top-end speed and can cover the deep half of the field. Gets good hand placement and flashes the ability to effectively jam tight ends. Reads quarterback’s eyes, appears to read routes and can get into position to make a play on the ball. Times the blitz well, takes the shortest path to the quarterback and shows adequate closing speed. Tough and fills hard when reads run. Squares up to the ball carrier, wraps upon contact and is a reliable open field tackler that flashes the ability to make the big hit. Always seems to be around the ball at the end of the play, has experience covering kicks and has the motor to develop into a valuable special teams player.

Weaknesses: Takes too long to regain speed when forced to open hips and turn and run and protects himself by giving receivers a cushion. Doesn’t show great burst coming out of cuts and is going to have problems matching up with explosive slot receivers. Lacks ideal ball skills and drops some passes that should catch. Lacks ideal upper body strength, doesn’t show a violent punch and takes too long to shed blocks when lined up in the box. Missed first six games of the 2005 season with what had been considered a potentially career-ending wrist injury, isn’t expected to regain full range of movement in the wrist and durability is a concern.

Overall: Horton arrived at UCLA in 2003 and redshirted the year. In his first three seasons (2004-’06), he appeared in 28 games (15 starts) at strong safety and on special teams, recording 148 tackles (six for losses), three interceptions and seven pass breakups. As a senior in 2007, he started all 13 games and had 90 tackles (seven for losses), three sacks, one forced fumble and four pass breakups. Horton missed three games in 2004 after suffering a foot sprain. In 2005, a wrist dislocation cost him six games. Horton is an instinctive, high-motor player who rarely makes mistakes and tackles well. However, he’s also a straight-line player who is going to have problems holding up in man coverage, isn’t much of a playmaker and has some durability concerns. With all of that in mind, he projects as a late sixth or early seventh round pick.

Hey.. defensive line!  Rob Jackson is from Kansas State and is another guy without a draft profile on Scouts Inc.   Can’t seem to find anything on this guy.  He’s big though – 6’4, 259lbs and sounds like a project. 

VITALS

Height: 6’3 (different source hence the difference of one inch)
Weight: 258lbs
40 yard time: 4.95

DRAFT PROFILE

FoxSports.com 

Jackson made a bit of a name for himself with a strong showing at the Hula Bowl in practice and during the game. The 6-foot-4, 259-pound Jackson is not known as a pass rusher, but he showed the ability to get into the backfield in Hawaii. He is not considered an outstanding tackler and does not have great speed. Jackson’s NFL future is a longshot, at best.

We knew they wanted to take a development QB, but a big name guy like Colt Brennan is a bit of a surprise.  Brennan was a Heisman candidate and put up huge numbers in the spread offense in Hawaii.  He struggled when the competition was upped after they qualified for a BCS Bowl game, but had a very strong season up to that point. He’s the type of guy who some fans will want to see if Campbell struggles, he’s not your typical 6th round QB in that manner.

DRAFT PROFILES  

Scouts Inc (ESPN Insider)

Strengths: A gunslinger with an aggressive mentality. Accurate, puts good touch on passes and leads receivers on slant routes. Flashes the ability to throw into tight spaces on routes coming over the middle (in-route, posts, etc). Throws a tight spiral, steps into throws and knows how to lead his receivers. Is quick and mobile. Buys a lot of second chances with his feet. Also is capable of tucking the ball and running for first downs when opportunity presents itself. Has good ball skills and fields errant shotgun snaps well. Confident and aggressive. Wants the ball in his hands late in games. Is tough and will play through pain. Has adequate lower body strength and is a tough runner for his size.

Weaknesses: Height is only decent and bulk is marginal. Must get bigger/stronger in order to hold up in the NFL. Lacks ideal arm strength. Gets a lot of RPM’s on throws but ball lacks zip on deep outs. He struggles to drive the ball down the field and many of his vertical throws will sail. Makes some poor decisions in the face of pressure and can throw the ball up for grabs. Plays in a spread scheme that simplifies reads. System has never translated well to the NFL; needs to adjust to taking snaps from under center, reading coverage while dropping and fitting the ball into tighter spots in the NFL. Doesn’t secure the ball when pressure closes in on him and he can put it on the ground. Also comes with red flags regarding character (see History).

Overall: Brennan spent a red-shirt season at Colorado in 2003 but was kicked off the team after a sexual misconduct charge was brought against him (and eventually dropped). He enrolled at Saddleback Community College (Calif.) in 2004, completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 281.3 yards per game, 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions in nine games. He transferred to Hawaii in 2005 and went on to set an NCAA Division I-A record in career total offense per game (387.89). In three seasons at Hawaii (2005-’07), Brennan made 35 starts (in 38 games) and completed 1,115 of 1,584 pass attempts (70.4 percent) for 14,193 yards, 131 touchdowns and 42 interceptions. He also had 267 carries for 547 yards (2.1 average) and 15 touchdowns. Injuries hampered him as a senior, but he still ranked second in the nation in passing yards per game (361.9) and fifth in passer efficiency (159.8). In 12 games (11 starts), Brennan completed 359 of 510 attempts for 4,343 yards, 38 TDs and 17 interceptions. Despite an ankle injury, he also ran for eight TDs. Brennan is not as athletic or nearly as polished as Jeff Garcia. But like Garcia, he is very slightly built and has to really load up to throw the deep ball. Also like Garcia, Brennan is light on his feet and is very accurate. There’s a lot to like about his confident, gun-slinging mentality. However, there also are a lot of red flags to consider when evaluating his risk-reward level, including marginal size, below-average arm strength, off-the-field history and spread system that has not translated well to the NFL in past years. Brennan isn’t for every system at the next level and his ability to cut heavy winds or bad weather should be a concern, especially for teams like Baltimore and Chicago. A warm weather team operating a West Coast offensive system could consider Brennan in the middle rounds, but we wouldn’t risk anything higher than a fourth round pick.

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