Redskins trading up for Bradford?
If Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins want Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford, they're probably going to have to trade up to get him.
Bradford had a good workout at his pro day and the word is he has separated himself from the other passers in this Draft. Washington is reportedly very interested in Bradford and is scheduled to work him out on April 15. Would the Redskins be willing to trade up from the 4th spot to the first spot [held by the St. Louis Rams] to get Bradford -- as the NY Giants did to get Eli Manning in 2004?
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio told the Sports Junkies on WJFK radio today that "The Redskins will do everything within their power to get Sam Bradford on draft day." Of course, this is the same Mike Florio who predicted the Redskins would win the last Super Bowl, so consider his opinion carefully.
Washington would have to give up a lot to trade up with the Rams [the Giants wound up trading QB Phillip Rivers, OLB Shawne Merriman and PK Nick Kaeding, 3 All Stars] and the team doesn't have its third or 6th round picks, having traded the 6th and used the 3rd in the supplemental draft to take DE Jeremy Jarmon. Figure the Redskins would have to trade the 4th overall pick, their 2nd round pick and more -- probably additional picks in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Writing in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brian Burwell opined that Bradford will be taken first overall by the home team.
Sam Bradford is going to be a Ram.
It's really quite simple. The Oklahoma quarterback showed up inside the Sooners' indoor training facility late Monday morning and put on the sort of show that is bound to get him selected as the first overall pick in the NFL draft in three weeks. No one on the Rams said so Monday, but they didn't have to.
The Rams are a terrible team, which is the reason they have the first pick in the NFL Draft. They need help at lots of places, not just quarterback. Trading down to 4 with a desperate Redskins team could net the Rams at least 4 high picks [this year and next] and allow them to rebuild the entire team, not just one position.
Should the Redskins do this even if the Rams are interested in moving down? My answer is unequivocally negative. The Redskins are also a terrible team, which is why they have the 4th pick in the NFL Draft. They also need help everywhere. Washington needs almost an entire offensive line, a young running back, a stud wide receiver, at least one inside linebacker for the new 3-4 defense and probably a cornerback or two. Washington can't get all those things in this NFL Draft, but if they essentially trade away this year's draft and the best part of next year's draft, it'll take a lot longer to build a team around Sam Bradford.
Then there is the question of whether or not Bradford is worth all that. Sure, he put on a great show the other day, but Kwame Brown put on a pretty good show for the Wizards about a decade ago. Presumably, teams were impressed with Heath Shuler, Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Cade McNown, David Carr and Jamarcus Russell. The fact is, a very high percentage of quarterbacks taken early in the NFL Draft are either disappointing or outright disasters. By now it is pretty clear to everyone who isn't a personnel man in the NFL that NFL personnel men really have no idea how to draft a top quarterback. They all think they do. Every single one of them is full of crap.
If the Redskins trade this year's draft and at least the first round pick next year Bradford must be a star and soon or the trade will set the awful franchise back another 5 years. Meanwhile, Washington has a ton of urgent needs [see above] and a perfectly respectable quarterback already on the roster named Jason Campbell. For all the talk about quarterbacks, the Redskins are stronger at that position than they are at offensive tackle or guard or inside linebacker or safety or cornerback. Sure, a superstar passer can turn an entire franchise around -- look at what Peyton Manning has done for the Indianapolis Colts. But the odds are that Sam Bradford will not be the next Peyton Manning.
The safe move here is also the smart move. Keep the 4th pick, take OT Russell Okung and rebuild that way. Give Jason Campbell a chance to succeed in 2010 and if he doesn't...Well, there will be another alleged superstar quarterback in the 2011 Draft. There's always another Peyton Manning in the NFL Draft. Funny how there's only one Peyton Manning, though.
